Bettering Human Lives

New Partner Spotlight: Namuu Enterprise We are delighted to introduce our new partner, Namuu Enterprise. Registered in 2019, Namuu is a Kenyan-owned clean cooking energy social enterprise focused on expanding access to affordable, safe, and reliable LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) for households and small businesses. The company operates in Kakuma Town in Turkana County, an underserved area that is home to one of the world’s largest refugee camps. Namuu provides LPG cylinders and stoves to households and small businesses in both Kakuma Town and the refugee camp, where more than 90% of the population relies on firewood for cooking, according to UNHCR, 2022. Our loan will enable Namuu Enterprise to double the number of cylinders in circulation and purchase a truck to transport cylinders to and from LPG suppliers more efficiently. Source: UNHCR, 2022 unhcr.org/sites/default/… #cleancooking #newpartner #betteringhumanlives #cleanenergy

Two billion people still cook every meal, every day, over polluting stoves. Not by choice. By circumstance. For families across the developing world, something as routine as making dinner comes at a cost most of us never have to consider. Toxic air inside the home. Long-term health impacts. Time lost gathering fuel instead of pursuing education or work. Lives shortened by a problem that already has a solution. That’s why gatherings like CERAWeek matter. A huge thank you to McKinsey & Company and Heidrick & Struggles for hosting a reception in support of the Bettering Human Lives Foundation in Houston last week. With a room full of energy leaders, including six of our board members, it was a powerful moment to focus attention on a challenge that is both enormous and entirely solvable. Because this isn’t about distant ideas. It’s about practical action. We are solving it by funding African businesses that deliver liquid petroleum gas (LPG, or propane) and clean cookstoves to the communities that need them most, providing immediate, scalable solutions that improve health, expand opportunity, and save lives. #BetteringHumanLivesFoundation #CERAWeek #CleanCooking

Over two billion people still cook their meals using traditional fuels like wood, dung, or charcoal. For many women and girls, collecting these fuels takes hours every single day. Time that could be spent building a better future. With access to LPG, families can save up to 5 hours daily. More time for education. More time for skills and hobbies. More time for work and income. More time for community. When gathering fuel is a daily necessity, women and girls lose the chance to pursue education, income, and independence. This International Women’s Day, we recognize that clean cooking isn’t just about fuel. It’s about giving women and girls the time and opportunity to thrive. Visit the Bettering Human Lives Foundation to see how we’re helping change this reality. 💛 betteringhumanlives.org

🏃‍♀️💛 The Bettering Human Lives Foundation is proud to be a Charity Partner for the 2026 @runcolfax Marathon on May 16–17! Runners can choose BHLF as their Charity Partner when registering and will receive a special BHLF marathon t-shirt. 🎽 Join us and run to support clean cooking and empower communities around the world. 💛 Register here: runcolfax.org/races/register/ #ColfaxMarathon #CharityPartner #BetteringHumanLives #RunForChange #CleanCooking

New Partner Spotlight: Cleanergy Cleanergy is accelerating the adoption of clean cooking solutions in Zambia through its micro-refill LPG brand, PimisaGas. We are thrilled to help Cleanergy to secure, equip, and market 10 new PimisaGas refilling stations that will sell LPG from Rubis Energy. The loan will help Cleanergy grow its customer base to over 23,500 households, helping to move families toward a cleaner, healthier cooking fuel. #cleancooking #newpartner #betteringhumanlives #cleanergy #Zambia #PimisaGas

It was wonderful to meet Jaguar Petroleum in Nairobi and Kisumu and see firsthand how they are making LPG for cooking more accessible for families and schools.

Our Executive Director just returned from a very productive visit to Kenya. Kisac Enterprises in Kisii, Kenya used our loan to grow its business by offering a repayment plan to over 800 families to purchase their first LPG cylinders, moving them away from cooking all meals with wood. A big thank you to these new LPG users who welcomed me into their homes and shared the benefits they are seeing from cooking with LPG. Swipe through the images to see who we met and how LPG is supporting families and small businesses. Image 1: Soapstone artisans who purchased LPG through a community savings and loan program, known locally as a chama. Image 2: Church leaders promoting LPG and offering cylinders to families through a church-based community savings and loan program (chama). Image 3: Evelyn and her daughter. Evelyn is among the first in her community to make the switch to LPG. Image 4: Joseph is a new LPG user and an advocate within his church, volunteering his time to collect payments from members purchasing their first LPG cylinder through the church-based chama. Thank you to Peter and his team for the hospitality!

🗣 “I spend hours looking for wood. It would be so much better if I had gas ” A lack of clean cooking access prevents women & children in Africa from pursuing educational & career opportunities Our new report offers a roadmap to universal access 👉 iea.li/3GxkjU1

Happy Holidays from the Bettering Human Lives Foundation 💙 As we reflect on the year, we’re incredibly grateful for the support that has helped advance our mission to expand access to clean cooking fuels across sub-Saharan Africa. Thank you for helping us support these inspirational entrepreneurs who are creating access to affordable LPG for families and schools in Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia

Last week, Anne Hyre spent the day with students and faculty at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business, where she delivered a keynote and joined several classroom discussions on energy poverty and entrepreneurship. Her conversations highlighted the realities of clean cooking access in sub-Saharan Africa and the role local entrepreneurs play in driving solutions that last. It was great to see so much interest and engagement for students as they absorbed how energy access is so critical to health, opportunity, and prosperity. Thank you to the Price College of Business and Williams for hosting and for creating space for important conversations on global energy access. Watch Anne's full presentation here: youtube.com/watch?v=Ig3dBI… #BetteringHumanLivesFoundation #cleancooking #energypoverty #entrepreneurship

We were honored to host several of our loan partners at Liberty’s downtown Denver headquarters for two full days this week. Peter from KISAC, Henry from Henos Energy, and Tim and Nathan from Envirofit spent time with the BHLF and Liberty teams for conversations and shared learning on business strategy, investment decisions, and logistics. It’s always great to get the chance to connect in person. We truly appreciated them making the trip to Denver, and it was wonderful to show them around the office and the city. After all the hospitality they’ve shown us visiting their homes in Kenya and Ghana, it meant a lot to return the favor. Here’s to continuing strategic conversations on how to expand clean cooking access in sub-Saharan Africa.

From Kenya, to Nigeria, and now to Oklahoma, our Bettering Human Lives team is on the move! This Wednesday, November 12, Anne Hyre will speak at the University of Oklahoma's @OUPriceCollege as part of the Dean’s Speaker Series. Her keynote, “Addressing Energy Poverty through Entrepreneurship,” will explore how innovative business approaches can expand access to clean cooking fuels and uplift communities around the world. The event will include a Q&A session and a reception to follow. A big thank-you to the Price College of Business and @WilliamsUpdates for sponsoring this event and inviting us to share more about the Foundation’s efforts to expand access to clean energy solutions.

Keeping busy in Nigeria, our Executive Director, Anne Hyre, has been connecting with so many incredible people who share our goal of improving access to clean cooking. She had the pleasure of meeting with Precious Onuvae, board member of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking, to learn more about the work of the alliance and Nigeria's plans to transition families from polluting fuels to clean burning LPG for cooking. Thank you to Precious and her team for taking the time to meet with us and share their expertise. We’re excited to keep building on this work together.

Our Executive Director, Anne Atkinson Hyre, met with the Energy Commission of Nigeria ​(ECN) Energy Commission of Nigeria for meaningful discussions on expanding energy access and advancing clean cooking initiatives across the country. We’re grateful for the Commission’s hospitality and shared commitment to a cleaner energy future. The Bettering Human Lives Foundation is excited to get to work in Nigeria, supporting local companies working to advance liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking, and helping communities access clean energy solutions.

New Partner Spotlight: Tranquility Energy Resources We continue to expand in Zambia with our most recent loan to Tranquility Energy Resources. Established in 2019, Tranquility Energy Resources distributes LPG, Gas stoves and all other clean cooking accessories that support safe use of LPG in Lusaka, Zambia. Currently, Tranquility has 10 distribution outlets. Our loan will enable them to open one additional distribution outlet and offer mobile delivery points for targeted populations in Lusaka. We are excited to help bring LPG closer to households while growing their business. #BetteringHumanLives #newpartnerspotlight #Zambia #TranquilityEnergyResources

New Partner Spotlight: Falcon Gas Zambia We are excited to announce our partnership with Falcon Gas Zambia as we expand our efforts into Zambia! Falcon Gas Zambia is a clean energy company dedicated to reducing charcoal use by providing access to LPG as a safe, affordable, and clean cooking alternative. Their mission is to create healthier homes and protect the environment by making LPG accessible, especially in urban and peri-urban communities that rely heavily on charcoal. With support from the Bettering Human Lives Foundation loan, Falcon Gas will set up 10 new retail outlets across Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces. Each outlet will be housed in a 20-foot container and equipped with refilling machines and an initial stock of LPG cylinders. This funding will also help Falcon Gas recruit, train, and deploy 20 staff members, two per retail unit, to manage daily operations and sales. We’re proud to support Falcon Gas in bringing affordable, reliable clean cooking solutions to more homes in urban Zambia. #cleancooking #newpartner #betteringhumanlives #falcongas #zambia

Women cooking with wood or other solid fuels are 50% more likely to develop depression than those cooking with gas. This link is clear: the burden of fuel collection, constant exposure to smoke, and the daily stress of unsafe cooking practices weigh heavily on women’s mental well-being. Clean cooking is more than a health solution, it’s also a mental health solution. With LPG, families can cook safely, save time, and allow for women to have educational and income-generating opportunities. On World Mental Health Day, we are reminded that mental health is shaped by our environments. By expanding access to clean cooking, we can create healthier, safer homes

We’re honored to share a powerful story from Soma Somasundaram, President and CEO of ChampionX and a Board Member of the Bettering Human Lives Foundation. Soma grew up in a small village where his family, like many others, cooked with firewood and cow dung, filling their home with smoke and coughs. He’s seen firsthand how access to clean cooking fuel can transform health, opportunity, and human potential. “Their work represents the simple but powerful truth that energy access is human empowerment. I have seen it firsthand, and I have experienced it firsthand.” Thank you, Soma, for sharing your story and for your leadership in helping us advance our mission. At the Bettering Human Lives Foundation, we’re driven by stories like yours to continue expanding access to clean cooking fuels, because everyone deserves the opportunity to breathe clean air and reach their full potential.

The countdown is on for Liberty Energy’s 2nd Annual 5K Run & Walk benefitting the Bettering Human Lives Foundation! 🎉 This year’s medals are extra special, handcrafted in Kenya by the talented team at Kisac Sculpture Center and beautifully captured on video by Peter Ombasa. We’re so grateful to have partners like Peter who are helping us on our mission to expand access to clean cooking fuels across sub-Saharan Africa. Our 5K isn’t just about running or walking. It’s about coming together to make a difference. Each participant funds the innovators and entrepreneurs who are helping families cook with clean-burning LPG. 📅 When: Sunday, October 5 📍 Where: City Park, Denver CO 🎶 Live music, 🍔 food trucks, 🍻 beer garden, 🎨 face painting, and more! Register today and join us in supporting this mission. All registration fees go directly toward loans for entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa. runsignup.com/Race/Events/CO… #LibertyEnergy5K #BetteringHumanLives #CleanCooking #CommunityImpact #RunForACause #KisacSculptureCenter