News & Insights from
iRise Carbon
Stay up to date with iRise Carbon's latest achievements, partnerships, and impact across Malawi and beyond.
The 15-Week iRise Carbon Series
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Aligning with Global Goals
The SDG Series
Carbon Market Integrity
The Integrity Series
The People Powering iRise
Meet the Team
iRise Carbon Joins the Clean Cooking Alliance
iRise Carbon has been formally recognised as a member of the Clean Cooking Alliance — the global platform that accelerates the transition to clean cooking for the 2.3 billion people worldwide still cooking over open fires. The listing reflects iRise's active role in distributing improved cookstoves across Malawi and positions the organisation within the international network driving clean cooking solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Meet Doreen Asimenye Ndovi — National Planning Officer, iRise Carbon
The person who makes the field operations run. In her own words. Doreen Asimenye Ndovi coordinates and plans field operations for iRise Carbon's clean cooking programme — synchronising district-level teams across Malawi, managing logistics, and building the operational systems that allow iRise's verification standards to be met at scale.
The Cookstove Revolution — 2 Million Stoves. Every One Verified.
Two million clean cookstoves is a remarkable number. What makes it meaningful is the verification behind each one. Today we explain what that verification actually looks like — because two million is only a meaningful number if every single one of those stoves is real.
SDG 7: Toward 2 Million Cookstoves — Malawi's Clean Energy Transformation
With a target of 2 million cookstoves across rural communities, what began as a carbon project is becoming a catalyst for achieving SDG 7 — ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
In Conversation with Mussa Kamanula — Director of Carbon, Nature Based Solutions
"iRise demonstrates that effective climate solutions are not just about carbon credits — they are about building resilience." A comprehensive conversation with Mussa Kamanula, Director of Carbon Nature Based Solutions, at iRise Carbon, on integrity, land health, and what it takes to build credible carbon projects in Malawi.
The Cookstove Integrity Standard — Why Our Numbers Are Different
Every stove. Every household. Verified on the day — not months later. This is how the iRise Carbon crediting model works. Last week we introduced the integrity gap — the space between what carbon credits claim to deliver and what they actually do. This week, we explain one specific part of our answer to it: the iRise Carbon clean cookstove verification standard.
SDG 15: Life on Land — Malawi's Forest Carbon Story
How iRise Carbon is rebuilding land, restoring ecosystems, and creating verified carbon credits in the process. Malawi has lost more than 40 percent of its forest cover in the past four decades — and iRise Carbon's Mpasadzi Forest Reserve project is one of the most rigorous responses to that crisis on the continent.
Meet Alexander Pettefer — CEO of iRise Carbon
Leading the team that's building the standard. In his own words. This week, iRise Carbon launched a 15-week series across Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Today we introduce the person leading the team who decided the integrity gap in voluntary carbon markets was unacceptable — and spent the last several years building a company to close it.
Your Integrity, Our Focus — Why We Built iRise Carbon
On Monday we named the integrity gap in carbon markets. Today we explain iRise Carbon's answer to it — what "Your Integrity is Our Focus" means as an operational commitment, how the iVerify real-time field data platform works in practice across cookstove and land restoration programmes, and the questions every carbon credit buyer should be asking their supplier right now.
SDG 13: The Carbon Credit Integrity Gap
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13 calls for urgent, real action on climate change — not commitments, not projections, but action. The voluntary carbon market was designed to be the financial engine of that action. The problem is that a significant proportion of the credits in that market are not doing what they claim. In Episode 1 of the Master Series, iRise Carbon examines the integrity gap — and what a genuine alternative looks like.
iRise to Plant Additional 1 Million Trees in Kasungu
Building on the momentum of its highly successful 2 million tree planting programme, iRise Carbon has announced plans to plant an additional 1 million indigenous trees across the Kasungu district in January 2026. The expansion targets degraded land in and around the Kasungu region, where decades of deforestation driven by charcoal production and subsistence farming have significantly reduced forest cover. The new planting will engage hundreds of local smallholder farmers as paid custodians of the trees, providing a steady income stream through iRise's community carbon model.
iRise Carbon Selected for CEEZER Carbon Coalition Accelerator — Cohort 04
iRise Carbon has been selected as one of just six innovative project developers worldwide to join CEEZER's Carbon Coalition Accelerator Cohort 04 — the first-ever cohort dedicated exclusively to Nature-based Solutions. Developed by Offset8 Capital, iRise's Climate and Community Transformation Program in Malawi was chosen from over 50 global applicants across 27 countries, recognised for its large-scale afforestation and reforestation using 100% indigenous tree species under Verra's VM0047 methodology. The accelerator program will provide iRise with direct access to enterprise-level carbon buyers, commercialisation support, and expert guidance to help scale its impact across Malawi.
iRise Carbon and Mukuru Launch Initiative to Distribute 150,000 Clean Cookstoves in Malawi
In a decisive move towards sustainability and improved quality of life, iRise Carbon and Mukuru have teamed up to implement a groundbreaking initiative aimed at deploying 150,000 clean cookstoves across Malawi within the next 12 months. Believed to be one of the largest clean cooking programmes ever conceived in the country, the project is expected to directly and indirectly enhance the lives of over 750,000 Malawians.
New Series: Carbon Market Integrity Explained — The Master Series
Over the next five weeks, iRise Carbon is breaking down the most important questions in carbon market integrity — what it means, why it matters, and how iRise builds trust into every credit we generate. From verification standards to independent auditing and additionality, follow along on LinkedIn as we take you inside the mechanics of high-integrity carbon development.
New Series: How iRise Aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the world's blueprint for a better future. Over five dedicated weeks on LinkedIn, iRise Carbon will explore exactly how our reforestation, clean cooking, and community carbon programmes contribute to SDGs including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health, Climate Action, and Life on Land — with real data and stories from the field.
New Series: Meet the Team — The People Powering iRise Carbon
Behind every tree planted and every carbon credit generated is a passionate team of professionals, community workers, and climate champions. Over five weeks, iRise Carbon is introducing you to the people who make it all happen — from our leadership in Blantyre to our field teams operating across Malawi. Follow on LinkedIn to meet the faces of iRise.
iRise Starts 2 Million Tree Planting Program
iRise is taking a monumental step towards environmental sustainability with its latest initiative: planting 2 million trees and targeting to achieve over 800,000 tonnes of carbon removals. This ambitious project is a key part of their broader commitment to combating climate change and contributing to a greener future for Malawi and beyond.
iRise Presents Community Engagement Strategy at COP 29
iRise had the honour of participating in COP29 in Azerbaijan, sharing insights on the transformative iRise program in a session opened by Ismail Serageldin and HE Dr Joyce Banda. H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda further underscored the importance of partnerships, international cooperation, and tailored solutions that align with the highest global standards.
iRise signs 2.8 Million Tonne Carbon Development Agreement with Offset8
iRise has signed an agreement with Offset8 Capital to develop a 2.8 million tonne carbon offset project. This collaboration marks a significant step in scaling up iRise's efforts to combat climate change through large-scale carbon sequestration initiatives, helping companies and governments meet their climate commitments.
iRise signs Direct Carbon Agreement with Government of Malawi
iRise has officially signed a Direct Carbon Agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Finance in Malawi. This landmark agreement aims to enhance carbon sequestration initiatives, leveraging Malawi's rich natural resources to generate carbon credits that can be traded on international markets.
iRise Awarded Best Forestry Initiative at COP 28
At COP 28, iRise Carbon was awarded the prestigious title of 'Best Forestry Initiative', recognizing their outstanding contributions to sustainable forest management and carbon offset projects. The award highlights iRise Carbon's innovative approach to reforestation and afforestation.
iRise Selected as UN Lighthouse Project at COP 27
At COP 27, iRise Carbon was selected as a UN Lighthouse Project, a prestigious recognition that highlights innovative solutions aimed at addressing global climate challenges. iRise Carbon's initiatives are seen as scalable, impactful, and aligned with global climate goals.
iRise Carbon Films
Explore our story through film — from the landscapes we're restoring to the communities we're working with across Malawi.
iRise Carbon Main Film
Our flagship film — discover who we are, what drives us, and the transformational impact iRise Carbon is creating across Malawi and beyond.
Watch on YouTubeiRise in the Community
A closer look at the communities at the heart of our work — the smallholder farmers, families, and local partners whose lives are changing through the iRise program.
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