PROJECT PROFILE · CERTIFICATE-BASED CLIMATE PROTECTION
The project supports access to drinking water in the Dowa District of Malawi. According to the project description, this involves repairing damaged wells and drilling additional ones. The page explains how this can lead to calculated emissions reductions – and which details are important for traceable allocation.
COUNTRY
Malawi
GOLD STANDARD ID
GS3561
PROJECT TYPE
Drinking water · Fountain
STATUS IN REGISTER
Gold Standard Certified Project
WHY TRANSPARENCY MATTERS
The project in Dowa District focuses on the water supply. Damaged wells are to be repaired and additional wells drilled. If this gives households access to suitable drinking water and reduces the need to boil water using firewood, greenhouse gas emissions can be avoided. The extent of this reduction over a specific period cannot be determined by the number of wells alone. Crucial factors include the baseline scenario applied, actual usage, and the rules of the respective calculation methodology.
Access to water is the project activity. The emissions reduction is derived from a separate calculation.
CONTENT
01
Project Profile
02
Project activity
03
Calculation
04
Further posts
05
Documented assignment
06
Classification
07
Sources
01 · PROJECT AT A GLANCE
The data pass for the project
The following information relates to the Gold Standard registry entry and the project activity described there. Registry status, available units and deposited documents may change.
PROJECT NAME
GS1247 VPA 37 Improved Kitchen Regimes – Dowa Boreholes, Malawi
COUNTRY
Malawi
GOLD STANDARD ID
GS3561
REGISTER REFERENCE
Project entry 626
PROJECT DEVELOPER
CO2balance UK Ltd
PROJECT TYPE
Energy Efficiency – Domestic
TECHNOLOGY
Repair of damaged wells and drilling of additional wells for drinking water supply
STANDARD
Gold Standard for the Global Goals
METHODOLOGY OF THIS PERIOD
Technologies and Practices to Displace Decentralised Thermal Energy Consumption · TPDDTEC
REGION · REGISTERED PRODUCT
Dowa District · VER
GS1247 denotes the overarching programme. VPA 37 is the specific project activity within this programme and has its own Gold Standard ID, GS3561. The number 626 refers to the registry page.
For the assessment of specific units, the version of the methodology applied for the respective monitoring period and vintage is decisive.
02 · WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PROJECT
Making water accessible
The project is located in the Dowa District in Malawi. According to the project description, communities are to be provided with access to drinking water through the repair of damaged wells and the drilling of additional wells. The project description identifies the areas of the Traditional Authorities Dzoole, Chakhaza, and Kayembe in the Dowa District for this purpose.
01
Repair and upgrade the fountain
Damaged wells are to be repaired and additional wells drilled. The aim is to make water points usable for the communities involved.
02
Using water in everyday life
Functioning water points can improve access to drinking water. For an effective supply, it is essential that the wells work, the water is suitable, and people are able to use the water points.
03
Influencing firewood demand
Where suitable drinking water is available, less water may need to be treated by boiling. Where firewood was previously used for this, fuel requirements can be reduced.
03 · HOW A UNIT IS CREATED
How would water be provided or treated without the project activity? And what changes when a functioning water point is available? The methodology defines which assumptions and data are used for this comparison.
01
Set reference situation
For the calculation, a scenario without the project activity is assumed. This includes considering whether, and to what extent, households would have boiled water using firewood.
02
Monitor project activity
For the respective period, the data required by the methodology is recorded or verified. This may include the functionality of water points, water quality, and household usage.
03
Calculate emission reduction
The greenhouse gas reduction eligible under the methodology is calculated based on the estimated differences between the baseline situation and the project activity. Further methodological assumptions and possible deductions also play a role in this.
04
Check and register
The details and calculations for a monitoring period are independently verified in accordance with the standard's rules. Units for this period can then be issued in the registry.
04 · OTHER DESCRIBED POSTS
Considering drinking water and climate impact together
The project combines water supply with calculated emissions reductions. In addition, functioning water points can impact people's daily lives. Which effects actually occur depends on the local situation and the respective evidence.
WATER
Access to drinking water
The project activity aims to provide communities with access to suitable drinking water through repaired and additional wells. How reliable this access is depends, among other things, on functionality and water quality.
EVERYDAY LIFE
Potential relief when fetching water
An accessible water source can reduce the distance and time needed to fetch water. The extent of this relief depends on the location of the water source and the routes households previously had to take.
FIREWOOD
Less need for boiling
If water no longer needs to be boiled with firewood, or needs to be boiled less frequently, firewood consumption can decrease. The amount eligible for the climate balance is calculated in accordance with the requirements of the respective methodology.
HEALTH
Potential contribution to healthcare
Access to suitable drinking water can be vital for health. Details of the specific health impacts recorded or proven within the project can be found in the respective project documentation.
The register entry shows links to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, SDG 5 – Gender Equality, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 13 – Climate Action. Details of the contributions and indicators that have been documented and verified for the project can be found in the relevant register documents. This mapping does not imply that every stated impact has been verified separately for each individual unit.
05 · FOR SUPPORTING COMPANIES
Not just a crowd. A documented connection to the project.
This profile explains what the project is about. A separate certificate indicates whether and to what extent specific units have been allocated to a company or a specific climate contribution.
Name and Gold Standard ID of the project activity, as well as overarching programme and title of the project activity
Allocated quantity in tonnes of CO₂e
Vintage or reduction period of the units
Date of write-off or decommissioning
Register reference and, where available, serial numbers or unique unit references
Beneficiary or documented purpose
A project brief describes the project. The allocation proof shows which units were used for which contribution.
06 · CLASSIFICATION AND COMMUNICATION
What the support means – and what it doesn't
A voluntary climate contribution is reported separately from the emissions generated within a company's own value chain. Documented allocation ensures it is completely clear which units were retired for this purpose. A key consideration in this calculation is that the estimated climate impact relies on assumptions and measured data—such as how households would have treated their water without the project, how the wells are utilised, and whether they remain operational. For specific monitoring periods, Gold Standard has permitted deviations from the standard monitoring protocols. The precise impact this has on any given vintage must be evaluated using the corresponding monitoring and verification reports.
DOCUMENTED SUPPORT CAN SHOW
IT DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN
a voluntary contribution outside of its own value chain
a reduction in one's own emissions
the allocation of specific registered entities
Climate neutrality of a product or company
Project, standard, vintage, and quantity
a comprehensive sustainability assessment
a proven write-off or decommissioning
the admissibility of each advertising claim
an emissions reduction calculated and verified according to standard rules
that every water point functions at all times or that all social impacts have been individually proven for each unit
A climate contribution should not sound bigger than can be documented.
07 · SOURCES AND RELEVANCE
The basis openly accessible
Project statuses, issued units and deposited documents are subject to change. The current register entry and the associated documents are authoritative for the specific allocation and evaluation of a vintage.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Gold Standard Impact Registry
Project activity GS3561 · Programme GS1247 · VPA 37
SUPPLEMENTARY PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Gold Standard · Monitoring deviation DEV_433
Project-related monitoring deviation
SUPPLEMENTARY PROJECT DOCUMENTS
Gold Standard · Monitoring deviation DEV_490
Project-related monitoring deviation
COMMUNICATION
Directive (EU) 2024/825
Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition
NATUREOFFICE
Documentation Framework
General rules for voluntary climate contributions
TEST BENCH
Check the register details before publication and add the date.
We are happy to answer specific questions regarding project allocation or available documents.