Where We Work | Program

VidaGas

In response to a critical lack of fuel to support the cold chain in Mozambique, VillageReach and Fundacao para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC) established VidaGas, a Mozambique for-profit propane distribution company.

< Return to Global Experience Map

Country

Mozambique

Solution

Not Affiliated to a Solution

Topic

Cold chain

Status

Complete

Background

As with many countries in sub-Saharan Africa that have large rural populations, energy supply is a critical barrier to healthcare delivery as the majority of rural health centers – serving a large percentage of the population- are off the electrical grid. Rural health clinics struggle to provide refrigeration for vaccines and essential medicines, lighting and power for instrument sterilizers and other medical devices. To address this critical lack of energy and infrastructure, VidaGas was created in 2002 as a for-profit energy distribution company with a social mission:

provide a more reliable and clean-energy solution to support rural health clinics serving large populations
engage the private sector to create a sustainable business model that serves both health and non-health customers

Program Impact

VidaGas is now the largest independent energy services provider in northern Mozambique, with three large-tonnage storage and filling facilities across the region. It serves five provinces and more than 50 percent of the country’s rural health centers.