The nonprofit which works throughout the Samburu District, about 435 miles north of Nairobi, has drilled 63 wells since 2005, providing clean water to over 60,000 Kenyans.
When water is safe and easily accessible, school attendance increases and women can use the hours previously spent searching for water on income-generating micro enterprises.
“Women are usually tasked with the job and spend a tremendous amount of time in their day searching for water sources,” Kosinki said. “They never have time to further develop themselves or have economic empowerment.”
In the well communities initiated by the non-profit, several agricultural initiatives have also been launched.
After receiving grants from the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation and the Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation to further its agricultural projects, the Samburu Project launched two agribusiness initiatives in the region.
One project provided seeds, equipment, training and technical support to the Laga Club community. Another installed a full drip-irrigation system in the Margwe community conserving the water and fostering crop retention. These initiatives increased farming yields, stimulating the local economy and community entrepreneurship.
Among technology hubs and loan nonprofits, Kosinki believes the needs of African communities are simple:
“People just need water.”
Not Just Any Microfinance Program
One of The Hunger Project’s (THP) key initiatives, The Microfinance Program, works in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda.
Within this savings and credit program, African women are provided easy access to credit and training in investment and saving. While men are able to participate in the program, over 75 percent of all loans funds are granted to women.
According to Sonia Rahal, senior microfinance program officer, 30, 222 loans were disbursed for a total of $3,590,344 in 2013. There were 63, 661 savings deposits made and 80 percent of all partners were female.
The Hunger Project’s goal is to have each community’s facility — called an epicenter — gain government recognition to operate as a licensed Rural Bank. Since 2000, 28 rural banks have been granted official recognition. These banks are owned entirely by community members, managed by a majority female board and provide the community with sustainable access to savings and credit.
The Microfinance Program doesn’t solely use money, but also its bank members to increase sustainability.
“Epicenter Loan Committees and Village Loan Committees are largely responsible for the local management of the Microfinance Program,” Marie Mintalucc, another senior microfinance program officer, told AFKInsider.
“This sets THP apart from many other organizations that implement microfinance programs and builds local capacity and ownership.”
Financial literacy, income generation and leadership training prepares community members to hold each other accountable in participation and repayment so the program can transition into a government-recognized rural bank lead mainly by and for the local women.
According to the United Nations magazine Africa Renewal, microfinance alone cannot transform African economies, “yet providing a whole range of financial services to the poor — including credit for small and micro-enterprises, savings facilities, insurance, pensions, and payment and transfer facilities can contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”
The Microfinance Program’s interest rates are lower than other microfinance institutions, partners are required to enroll in literacy classes before receiving loans and are also required to save 10 percent of the principal before receiving a loan.
