Innovative financial instruments for water, sanitation, health (WASH) and waste (re-use)
The economic damages of poor WASH amount to USD 400 Billion/year, while benefits of improved WASH are nearly USD 300B/year. The investments in the sector are only 1/3 of what is needed to enjoy the benefits. Take-a-Stake (TAS) and WASTE combine forces to strengthen the enabling environment for upscaling sustainable solutions, leveraging the needed funding for SDG 6 (and linked SDGs). WASTE works with (Micro)finance for households and MSMEs TAS focuses on the middle segment of SMEs: Small & Growing Businesses (SGBs). SGBs are a crucial backbone for regional economic growth and employment. Generally, SGBs are not able to access finance, despite having a track record, making profit, solid client base and growth opportunities. SGBs are too large for MFIs (also for incubators/donors) and too small for commercial investors—the missing middle. In Kenya, Uganda and India, about 10M local people are targeted to benefit, including a significant portion of the low-income population.
We share with you our vision, experiences, pipeline development and future ambition for scaling solutions and offering investment opportunities with financial, social and environmental return. Our initiative is supported by a partnership between the Netherlands and Swedish Government and a collaboration of international and local partners and (co)investors. The aim is to invest at least €200M in Kenya, Uganda and India and to generate a dynamic pipeline between WASTE and TAS.