Tag Archive for: Poverty in Kenya

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How Alternative Credit in Kenya Empowers Borrowers

Alternative Credit in KenyaKenya is often associated with safaris and national parks. Many may think of the Great Migration or the world-class athletes that come out of Kenya such as its marathon runners. With a country full of so much beauty, majesty and talent it is easy to become blind to the poverty that exists in it. However, alternative credit in Kenya is one approach that is helping expand access to finance for some borrowers.

Understanding the Credit-Access Gap

Poverty in Kenya is multidimensional, consisting of food insecurity, lack of access to clean drinking water and unemployment. More than 15 million people, approximately 30% of Kenya’s population, live in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Between July and October 2026, around 2.7 million people in the ASALs were experiencing Crisis or worse acute food insecurity. More than 883,300 children aged 6-59 months in the ASALs and refugee camps were expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition between April 2026 and March 2027.

Economic pressures affect both rural and urban areas. According to World Bank assessments, approximately 800,000 young people enter Kenya’s labor market each year, while fewer than 100,000 secure formal, labor-law-protected jobs. Furthermore, World Bank economic projections warn that inflation and higher commodity prices carry the scenario risk of pushing between 1 million and 2.4 million additional Kenyans below the poverty line.

For many small-scale business owners, securing capital from traditional commercial banks remains difficult because of documentation, collateral requirements and a lack of formal credit history. Consequently, informal enterprises and self-employed individuals often operate without access to traditional banking channels.

How Alternative Credit and Digital Scoring Operate

Alternative credit is a type of non-traditional financing that is for borrowers who cannot normally access traditional bank lending. Several organizations are creating alternative credit routes in Kenya, helping small business owners and entrepreneurs receive access to funds for their businesses and ventures.

  • NCBA Bank and Enterprise Training: Commercial institutions like NCBA provide digital banking, insurance and cash flow guidance to small businesses. Partnering with Strathmore Business School to establish the Enterprise Development Programme, the bank has enrolled 354 customers in a 16-week curriculum designed to strengthen leadership and business management skills.
  • JUMO’s Digital Lending Platform: Operating since 2015, JUMO uses mobile wallet and cellular transaction data to build behavioral credit profiles for individuals who lack traditional pay stubs or bank accounts. Partnering with financial networks like Standard Bank’s Sustainable Finance Team, JUMO reports more than $10 billion in lifetime loan disbursements and over 300 million individual loans facilitated across its operational markets.
  • TransUnion and FICO Scoring Solutions: To help lenders evaluate thin-file borrowers, TransUnion Kenya utilizes alternative data sources such as mobile networks and digital wallets. While credit bureaus in other global markets have observed risk-predictability improvements of 20% to 30% and approval-rate increases of 15% to 20% using advanced scoring frameworks like CreditVision Variables, these tools assist lenders in managing portfolio risk while evaluating non-traditional applicants.

Conclusion

Expanding financial inclusion and alternative credit options can provide micro-entrepreneurs with capital to manage cash flow and invest in their ventures. However, credit also carries repayment obligations and financial risks. Rather than viewing borrowing as an automatic solution to poverty, responsible alternative credit can provide a potential pathway to livelihood support and economic participation.

– Lara Lewis

Lara is based in Wakefield, RI, United States and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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3 Diseases Impacting Kenya

Diseases Impacting KenyaThree of the main diseases impacting Kenya are HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. While these remain public health concerns, Kenya has made great strides in addressing them.

HIV/AIDS

As of 2026, roughly 1.5 million people in Kenya are living with HIV, making it one of the world’s largest HIV epidemics. However, HIV testing has improved significantly in recent years, largely due to community-based approaches and the use of new technology. In collaboration with the CDC, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has decentralized HIV testing by moving laboratories closer to their patients. This shift has resulted in faster delivery of test results. While it used to take two weeks for viral load test results, it now only takes a few days.

The Sustainable East Africa Research in Community Health (SEARCH) study, led by a group of Kenyan, American and Ugandan researchers, used a similar method to reduce new infections. Instead of having patients travel to a clinic, SEARCH employed a team of health workers to deliver tests and preventative medications directly to patients’ homes. From there, the workers used a smartphone app to keep track and inform clinics.

The SEARCH trial involved 16 rural communities, with eight in Kenya and eight in Uganda. In these areas, it led to a 70% decline in new cases. Out of its 80,000 participants, 95% were put on treatment and nearly 95% achieved undetectable levels of HIV.

Tuberculosis

HIV and TB in Kenya are directly connected. Dr. Gabriel Chamie, one of SEARCH’s co-investigators, notes that “the immune suppression caused by HIV dramatically increases the risk of tuberculosis.”

In October 2025, Kenya’s government announced the deployment of 80 portable X-ray machines to help fight TB. Battery-powered and weighing only 11 pounds, the machines use computer-aided detection software to flag early signs of TB. In remote areas where medical professionals are scarce, this offers a vital tool for fighting TB.

More recently, Kenya became part of an early-adopter initiative to improve TB testing. Following WHO recommendations, the country has introduced rapid, swab-based tests as the first line in TB diagnostics. Like the X-ray machines, they are battery-powered, allowing them to operate in places without consistent electricity. The swab tests will complement traditional sputum tests, which remain important for identifying drug-resistant TB.

Despite social stigma, logistics and other challenges, Kenya continues to fight against TB. Since 2015, the country has seen a 45% decline in TB incidence, as well as a 58% decline in TB-related deaths.

Malaria

The CDC estimates that every year there are more than 3 million malaria cases in Kenya, resulting in more than 11,000 deaths. Young children are at especially high risk.

In 2019, Kenya was one of several countries that the WHO selected to receive doses of RTS,S, the world’s first malaria vaccine. The rollout began in western counties along Lake Victoria, where transmission rates are highest. In Homa Bay County, on Lake Victoria, malaria infection rates fell from 27% to just 3.6% in the span of five years.

Nationwide, 400,000 children have received at least one dose of the four-dose vaccine. The vaccines, along with existing measures like mosquito nets and insecticides, have helped reduce Kenya’s malaria incidence. Between 2004 and 2024, the cases per 1,000 population fell from 184 to 74.

These diseases are closely linked to poverty in Kenya. For example, a 2024 study found that food insecurity made access to care more difficult for people living with HIV. Furthermore, Kenyans still pay about a quarter of their health expenses out of pocket, and for those already near the poverty line, this can be disastrous. In 2018, around one million people were pushed into poverty by out-of-pocket payments.

HIV, tuberculosis and malaria are only a handful of the diseases impacting Kenya. Yet by meeting these challenges head-on, and continually testing new strategies and technologies, the country is working toward a healthier and more prosperous future.

– Harland Pusey-Nazzaro

Harland is based in Brunswick, ME, USA and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Remittances to Kenya Lift Households Out of Poverty

Remittances to KenyaBetween June 2024 and May 2025, remittances to Kenya totaled KES 931.8 billion (approximately $7.2 billion). Recipients spent the largest share of remittance income on food, household goods, education and medical care, a pattern linked to progress on the Sustainable Development Goals covering poverty reduction. Even so, the reported spending patterns do not by themselves prove that remittances caused progress on the SDGs. Behind Kenya’s remittance figures are families like Mohammed Juma’s, who lived better lives thanks to the money they received.

Kenya’s Economic Reality at a Glance

When discussing the economy of a country, dry statistics often obscure the human reality. However, behind every data point lies a real household trying to pay school fees or put food on the table. To understand the weight of a single household remittance, consider the broader financial environment facing families: In 2022, nearly 40% of the population (39.8%) lived below the national poverty line, while 45.48% survived on less than $3 a day. The Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio, which tracks deprivations in health, education and basic living standards, sat at 47.28% in 2022. Between 2015 and 2021, total per capita income dropped by 3.09%, and for the poorest 40% of the population, it fell even faster at an annualized rate of 1.18%. For Kenya’s population of over 56 million people, the overall unemployment rate hovered at 5.4% in 2024, with youth unemployment more than double that at 11.93%.

With nearly half the population experiencing multidimensional poverty and most new jobs anchored in the unpredictable informal sector, financial stability is a daily balancing act for many Kenyan families.

One Wage Abroad Rebuilds a Family’s Future

Mohammed Juma, known locally as Modi, grew up along Kenya’s coast in Kilifi County—a region known globally for tourism. While its attraction makes the coast popular, locals in Kilifi often experience an air of hopelessness because of poverty. Poverty pushes many people out of Kilifi to find better work. Juma’s wife, Aisha, wanted a fresh start. She found a job as a house manager in Saudi Arabia in 2023. A licensed employment agency helped her make the big move abroad. Aisha sends home about $1,200 a month. That money pays school fees for the couple’s two daughters. It also funds eight rental units the family is building for extra income. Juma volunteers at a local community-based organization, where he shares his family’s experience with neighbors who hope for the same kind of opportunity.

The Next Step for Remittances to Kenya

Kenya’s government and financial regulators are working to simplify inflows. The Central Bank of Kenya licensed six new remittance operators over an 18-month period, bringing the total to 24.

Mobile money adoption among Kenyan adults climbed from 27% in 2011 to 92% in 2024.

Fintech platforms carried just 1.92% of remittance inflows in 2024, leaving considerable room for growth as more digital operators enter the market.

Costs remain a barrier to efficient remittances. Sending $200 to Kenya carries an average fee of 9.15%. That is above the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target of 3%.

Digital platforms, mobile wallets and newly licensed fintech operators could help make remittances more accessible to Kenyan households, particularly in rural areas. Initiatives supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the European Union have highlighted the potential for digital remittances to reduce transaction costs and expand financial inclusion. For families receiving money from abroad, even a small reduction in transfer fees could leave more funds available for tuition, livestock or food.

– Otieno Onyango

Otieno is based in Nairobi, Kenya and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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How AI and Digital Skills in Kenya can Reduce Poverty

AI and Digital Skills in KenyaKenya is investing in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital skills as technology becomes increasingly important to employment, businesses and public services. This investment could support poverty reduction in a country where 39.8% of the population lived below Kenya’s national poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank. Expanding AI and digital skills in Kenya could create pathways to economic opportunity, but ensuring that low-income and rural communities can participate will be essential.

AI, Digital Skills and Economic Opportunities

Digital skills can help workers adapt to changing labor markets and participate in an increasingly digital economy. The World Bank identifies digital skills as important for building a workforce that can take advantage of emerging opportunities. It also notes that digital technologies can support economic growth, job creation and access to services.

For people living in poverty, these opportunities can be particularly important. Digital platforms can help people access employment, reach wider markets and develop businesses. However, skills alone do not guarantee higher incomes. People also need affordable connectivity, devices and opportunities to apply their skills.

A 2024 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report highlights Zainab, a youth innovator from Garissa County, who developed a community-driven approach to youth unemployment. By integrating vocational skills training with digital platforms, her initiative empowered hundreds of young people, particularly women, to secure meaningful employment and improve their livelihoods.

Kenya Is Investing in AI and Digital Skills

Kenya is strengthening digital capacity within its public service through the Africa Centre of Competence for Digital and Artificial Intelligence Skilling. The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy, launched the Centre in partnership with UNDP, the Kenya School of Government and other partners in December 2024. The Centre aims to equip 100,000 civil servants in Kenya during its first phase with digital and AI skills.

The program is designed to strengthen digital literacy, emerging-technology skills, data governance and the ethical use of AI. In July 2025, Kenya held a validation workshop for the program’s curriculum. The curriculum is structured across four progressive levels: Foundations, Application, Management and Leadership.

The initiative can contribute to poverty reduction indirectly by strengthening institutions that provide public services. UNDP has documented public servants applying the skills gained through the Centre to understand how AI can improve service delivery, data analysis and government decision-making.

The Digital Divide Can Limit Poverty Reduction

The benefits of AI and digital skills in Kenya will not reach all communities equally without affordable access to technology. The World Bank has identified poor people, rural populations, women and other marginalized groups as communities that need better access to participate in Kenya’s digital economy.

Current data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that this gap remains significant. In 2024, 25% of people in rural Kenya used the internet compared with 56.6% in urban areas. Household internet access was also much lower in rural areas, at 26%, compared with 81.6% in urban areas.

These differences matter for poverty reduction because people without reliable internet access may have fewer opportunities to use digital platforms for employment, entrepreneurship, education and public services. Without affordable connectivity, the poorest communities may remain excluded from opportunities created by Kenya’s growing digital economy.

Expanding Access Can Make Digital Growth More Inclusive

Kenya is addressing some of these barriers through the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP). Supported by $390 million in World Bank financing, the project aims to expand access to high-speed internet, improve the quality and delivery of education and selected government services, and build skills for the regional digital economy. The project also aims to increase last-mile connectivity for more than 70% of Kenya’s population living in rural and underserved areas.

Combining connectivity with skills development is important. Internet access without the ability to use digital tools effectively can limit economic participation, while training without affordable connectivity can prevent people from applying what they have learned. For AI and digital skills in Kenya to contribute to poverty reduction, both barriers need to be addressed.

Continued Investment Can Support Poverty Reduction

Kenya’s investment in AI and digital skills provides an opportunity to make technological development part of a broader poverty-reduction strategy. Digital skills can help workers and entrepreneurs pursue new economic opportunities, while stronger digital capacity can help public institutions improve services.

However, continued progress will depend on whether people living in poverty and underserved communities can participate. By expanding affordable connectivity, accessible training and pathways to employment, Kenya can help ensure that digital transformation supports stronger livelihoods and more inclusive economic growth.

– Adebisi Aliyah Adeola

Adebisi is based in Cairo, Egypt and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Time Poverty in Kenya: The Invisible Burden of Unpaid Care

Time Poverty in KenyaBefore the sun rises, a woman in Western Kenya is likely already carrying water to her household. By the time everyone else wakes up, she has spent hours on unpaid labor, work that is expected but not assigned.

In 2023, women in Sub-Saharan Africa spent 16.6% of their day on unpaid care and domestic work, compared to 5.9% for men, nearly three times as much. Responsibilities such as water and firewood collection, caregiving, cleaning and cooking necessitate hours that women could spend more productively elsewhere. For example, a lack of basic household water and sanitation costs the global economy an estimated $260 billion in unrealized productivity.

This is what many scholars call time poverty: a state in which an individual has little to no discretionary time after spending hours on survival tasks and domestic labor. Eliminating time poverty in Kenya is not just about saving hours; it is about who those hours belong to once they are saved, and whether that person is finally free to spend them on education, wage work, rest or civic life.

Oxfam Canada’s “Time to Care” Project

In 2023, Oxfam Canada launched Time to Care (TTC), a six-year initiative headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Oxfam Canada partnered with the Center for Domestic Training and Development and Youth Alive Kenya to operate across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kiambu and Nakuru counties. By improving the conditions of paid and unpaid work, the program aims to directly benefit nearly 6,000 people, with more than two million people reached indirectly. These numbers include small-scale farmers and women-led households.

Poverty also varies drastically across Kenya. In 2022, the national poverty headcount rate was 39.8%, while Turkana County recorded an overall poverty rate of 82.7%. This figure was just 16.5% in Nairobi City and 19.9% in Kiambu. These disparities are important for understanding Time to Care because the project operates across counties where economic circumstances differ considerably. A simple national poverty figure can obscure the changing conditions of time poverty in Kenya.

Two pillars anchor the project, one focused on worker protections and one on behavior change:

  • Care worker protections: This pillar aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of paid care workers so they can defend their rights to decent work. TTC also engages the employers of domestic workers to raise awareness of those rights.
  • Social norms change: This pillar focuses on increasing awareness and promoting a positive shift in cultural norms that recognize the value of paid and unpaid care work. The project has the explicit goal of sharing the burden of care work across Kenya.

For paid care workers, stronger knowledge of labor rights and improved working conditions can promote better economic security. Changing conditions of time poverty in Kenya can give women more opportunities to pursue paid employment, education or other income-generating activities. However, even when a woman gains time, it does not mean that the time stays hers. A daughter might quietly absorb a chore her mother no longer has time for, meaning the underlying inequality has not moved, only changed shape. By addressing both the conditions of care work and the unequal distribution of unpaid care, TTC takes a “rights-based, feminist, and intersectional approach” to challenging who society expects to do the work, and expanding women’s ability to benefit from economic opportunities.

What Time to Care Has Achieved So Far (2024-2025)

  • Advocated directly to 1,965 people – 1,452 women and 513 men
  • Completed two capacity-strengthening sessions with paid care worker groups
  • Trained 89 care workers on life skills and competencies related to decent work and the right to live free from violence
  • Reached 135 employers through a Community of Practice on responding to the rights and needs of paid care workers
  • Partnered with social media influencers to reach younger demographics

The program is only halfway through, so Oxfam Canada has scheduled a mid-term evaluation for late 2026. While this is not a completed success story, Oxfam Canada offers something incredibly useful: a live test of whether shifting social norms can change who does the work, not simply how long it takes.

When women spend nearly three times as much of their day on unpaid care work as men, time is a scarce resource. There are numerous nonprofits dedicated to providing life-saving infrastructure, like Engineers Without Borders Kenya and Habitat for Humanity Kenya. While these are undoubtedly important, treating time poverty in Kenya as secondary to income poverty misses half of the story.

The purpose of Time to Care is not to find out whether a well or a mill saves hours; evidence already shows it does. It is discovering whether those hours actually redistribute toward the women who lost them, or simply get absorbed elsewhere in the household. That is the harder problem, and it is the one Time to Care is trying to solve.

– Julia Sanders

Julia is based in Fitchburg, WI, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Kenya’s Domestic Vaccine Financing

Kenya's Domestic Vaccine FinancingDespite the fact that 41% of Kenya’s children still live in monetary poverty and 52% live in multi-dimensional poverty, the country remains one of the strongest economies in Africa.

Providing access to vaccination programs in Kenya is essential, especially for rural communities where access to these vaccines is often scarce. These programs ensure less spreading and prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, polio, tuberculosis and hepatitis B. Immunization efforts help create herd immunity and protect elderly patients and children who cannot be vaccinated from illness.

Kenya’s Transition to Domestic Vaccine Financing

As international donor funding for global health becomes more expensive, Kenya’s transition toward domestic vaccine financing is advancing. With the country’s economy growing, health officials see Kenya as a leader in shifting away from reliance on outside aid toward self-sustained health budgets. Since 2001, Gavi has provided Kenya with vaccines and other supplies worth more than $940 million. The country entered the accelerated phase of its transition with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in 2022 after its gross national income per capita exceeded the alliance’s eligibility threshold for three consecutive years. Although Kenya depends on manufacturers at the moment, it is expected to become fully self-financing by 2029 or 2030.

Vaccine manufacturers have agreed to lower prices over time, easing the path for governments to eventually include vaccine procurement into their own national health budgets. At its June 2025 replenishment summit, Gavi secured up to $200 million in cost savings for its programs from manufacturers. They unlocked $4.5 billion in complementary financing from development finance institutions, both intended to stretch available resources further as donor contributions tighten.

Global health funding has become increasingly fragile. Gavi’s 2025 replenishment summit secured just more than $9 billion for 2026 to 2030, falling short of its $11.9 billion target, after the United States announced it would not contribute further to the alliance. The shortfall has forced donor-dependent countries to confront the sustainability of their immunization programs sooner than expected.

A Track Record to Build On

Kenya was also one of the original pilot countries for the malaria vaccine, giving it a track record of successful program delivery to build on. The country has received more than $940 million in vaccines and supplies from Gavi since 2001, covering immunizations including pneumococcal, rotavirus and malaria vaccines, and introduced the typhoid conjugate vaccine into its routine immunization schedule in 2025. Under a new funding arrangement approved as part of Gavi’s 2026-2030 strategy, Kenya will now receive vaccine funds directly, giving the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority greater control over procurement and planning.

Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale emphasized how important the process of safeguarding existing gains could strengthen domestic vaccine financing. Continued collaboration with partners will ease this process and facilitate full independence. Kenya’s Ministry of Health has emphasized that a carefully managed transition is essential to protect existing immunization gains while progressively building domestic financing capacity. The ministry’s next National Immunization Strategy, covering 2025 to 2030, is expected to translate evidence into action from ongoing reviews into stronger service delivery and expand access to vaccines.

Kenya’s Shift on Vaccine Availability

Kenya is working on establishing itself and transitioning from reliance on its partnership with Gavi. Local organizations like health nongovernmental organizations network (HENNET) and Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) are helping to elevate immunization financing on the nation’s agenda. The country is also working on paying off its Gavi co-financing obligation for the 2025-2026 year with 62% already paid off. This is a promising step toward full independence.

In addition, a Parliamentary Caucus on Immunization is giving vaccine financing an institutionalized home with leadership from Kenya. The shift from easy provision in national stores to enable availability and easy access in remote villages is a focus of the country’s health system. Now, vaccines are being delivered to 65 remote facilities in these villages.

Thanks to all these efforts, Laikipia County has established a dedicated 500,000 Kenyan shilling (about $3,875) budget line for immunization, a small but revolutionary step toward financial ownership at the county level. This provides a plan for all 47 counties, showcasing that local leadership can create resilience.

A Model for Other Nations

Kenya’s domestic vaccine financing transition offers lessons for other developing nations seeking to build durable, self-reliant health systems. As Gavi shifts more control and responsibility to national governments under its new strategy, Kenya’s experience navigating financing gaps, extended timelines and expanded local authority positions the country as an early test case for what local ownership of immunization programs looks like in practice. As the country continues to work to provide local assistance in vaccines to its citizens with the government paying for vaccines and immunization program costs, mothers who walk for hours find what they came looking for. This is what a partnership between civil society, the government and funders looks like. This is what a system that meets a mother where she arrives for the sake of a healthy Kenyan child looks like. This offers a possible model for other nations as global donor priorities continue to shift.

– Joy Kohol

Joy is based in Muncie, IN, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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Space Technology is Reducing Food Insecurity

Space Technology is Reducing Food InsecurityThe concept of space technology is almost always associated with astronauts and exploration; however, some of the most important impacts are actually occurring on Earth. World hunger is becoming an increasing risk, particularly to developing nations, under the influence of the changing climate. An estimated 266 million people across 47 countries are facing acute food insecurity. Space technology is helping vulnerable countries such as Kenya, Bangladesh and Ethiopia predict climate risks, improve agricultural productivity and distribute aid more effectively. In Bangladesh, extreme poverty is projected at 9.3%, though nearly one-third of the population remains vulnerable. Kenya’s overall poverty rate sits at nearly 40%. Ethiopia projects an increase to 43%.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, space technology is reducing food insecurity by improving flood prediction and disaster management. Google has created its own platform called Flood Hub, an interactive map that satellite technology continuously monitors and updates. This platform allows individuals worldwide to check the expected risk severity of floods. It is particularly useful for farmers because it provides a high-resolution and accessible platform, transforming flood disaster management from reactive to anticipatory. This allows farmers to protect agriculture and food supplies, since its warnings incentivize them to harvest earlier and prevent large-scale crop losses.

A more recent and unique adaptation in Bangladesh to severe flooding and prolonged waterlogged land is the creation of “Floating Vegetable Gardens,” or dhap. Humanitarian agencies use satellite terrain data and historical inundation mapping to identify areas that remain flooded for months. This data guides the calculated placement of the dhaps to utilize wetland resources. As a result, communities gain up to 40% more arable land to grow nutrient-dense food, even when the landscape is underwater.

Kenya

In Kenya, 4.4 million people struggle to feed themselves. Space technology is reducing food insecurity by improving drought prediction and climate-smart farming. It does this by providing detailed information on the strength, location, spatial extent and duration of droughts. Satellites such as Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) can map soil moisture, since a stronger signal indicates a higher concentration of water in the soil. Another method that helps forecast droughts is the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), which measures how green the vegetation in a specific area is compared to the past. Satellites photograph the land, allowing scientists to compare differences in wavelength bands across images and track how vegetation conditions change. This method can detect canopy moisture loss and thermal stress before visible signs of wilting appear, meaning experts can spot natural droughts weeks before they manifest on the ground.

Satellite technology can combat widespread hunger through smart farming. One example is where space data is paired with the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence tools on platforms such as Synnefa. Synnefa is a Kenyan agritech company founded in 2014 that operates across 13 African countries. It helps more than 32,000 farmers optimize operations through its FarmCloud platform and smart hardware. The platform gives farmers access to sensor data such as temperature, soil moisture and nitrogen levels in the soil. This access lets them make informed decisions about when to irrigate or fertilize their crops, which maximizes crop yield and reduces vegetation death.

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, researchers are testing predictive machine learning models that use satellite data to help predict crop yields, forecast droughts and optimize harvests. These models scan the Earth using multispectral imagery combined with live vegetation index, historical weather patterns, soil health registries and temperature grids. The models then process this dense geospatial data and translate it for farmers through text messages, automated voice calls or interactive chat channels in native languages like Amharic or Oromo. Early research from Eastern Ethiopia shows these models can meaningfully improve crop yield forecasting accuracy. However, results vary by crop and region, and researchers say further work is needed before the technology can be deployed at scale across Ethiopian farms.

Although space technology may seem far removed from the daily realities of poverty and hunger, its impact is increasingly being felt in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. From improving flood forecasting in Bangladesh to enabling climate-smart farming in Kenya and AI-powered crop prediction research in Ethiopia, satellite technology is helping farmers make better decisions, protect livelihoods and increase food production in the face of climate change. As food insecurity continues to affect millions across the globe, investment in innovative technologies such as these could play an important role in building more resilient agricultural systems and advancing progress toward ending hunger.

– Sumi Shrestha

Sumi is based in Tonbridge, UK and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Sports Programs Fighting Poverty: Breaking the Cycle

Children playing basketball in a gym, part of sports programs fighting poverty.Sports and poverty reduction are closely connected through the work of organizations that use sports to help young people in low-income communities build better futures. Sports are not only about playing games or staying active. They can also support education, teach life skills and create job opportunities. Young people are hit hardest by poverty worldwide. The International Labour Organization reports that youth aged 15 to 24 are more than twice as likely as adults to be working poor. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly half of employed young people live in working poverty. The five sports programs fighting poverty below help keep young people in school, build life skills and open doors to jobs. According to the United Nations, sports and poverty reduction can support development by improving education, health and the empowerment of young people.

Grassroot Soccer

Grassroot Soccer uses football to support sports and poverty reduction by teaching young people about health and life skills. According to the International Platform on Sport and Development, Tommy Clark founded the organization in 2002 after seeing how popular football was in Zimbabwe. He recognized it could be used to reach young people with important health information. Grassroot Soccer reports that its programs have reached more than 18 million young people in more than 60 countries, showing how sports programs fighting poverty can work at scale.

It also works with more than 13,000 trained coaches who deliver lessons through football activities. The organization partners with groups like United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to teach young people about Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention, sexual health and mental well-being. Recently, it has also added mental health support programs to help young people cope with stress and challenges in their lives.

Mathare Youth Sports Association

The Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) demonstrates how sports and poverty reduction can support community development. According to the International Platform on Sport and Development, young people in Nairobi, Kenya, founded MYSA in 1987 by organizing football games in their community. MYSA uses football to encourage young people to take part in activities that help their communities. These include cleaning up neighborhoods, attending school programs and learning leadership skills. The organization has grown beyond Kenya and now works in places like Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Botswana and refugee camps in Kakuma. MYSA reports that it has helped more than 200,000 young people through sports and poverty reduction programs that combine football with education and community service.

Magic Bus

Magic Bus is an organization in India that uses sports and poverty reduction programs to help young people from poor communities. According to the organization, Magic Bus started in 1999 in Mumbai. It uses sports activities to teach life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. Magic Bus explains that its “Childhood to Livelihood” program helps young people stay in school and later find jobs. As reported by CSR Universe, the organization works across 24 states in India and reached about 1.8 million young people in 2023-24. More than 100,000 young people have found jobs through its programs, illustrating how sports programs fighting poverty can improve education and employment opportunities.

Fight for Peace

Fight for Peace uses boxing and martial arts as part of its sports and poverty reduction approach to support young people living in unsafe and low-income communities. According to Partners of the Americas, Luke Dowdney started Fight for Peace in 2000 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fight for Peace uses a “Five Pillars” model that combines sports with education, job training, mentoring and personal development support. This helps young people build discipline, confidence and skills for work. The organization works in several countries and supports thousands of young people every year. According to the organization, it recorded more than 20,000 visits to its training programs in 2025, highlighting the reach of its sports and poverty reduction work.

Skateistan

Skateistan uses skateboarding to support sports and poverty reduction for children in poor and underserved communities. According to the BBC, in 2007 its founder started Skateistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, teaching children how to skateboard as a way to connect them with learning opportunities. Skateistan says its programs combine skateboarding with classroom learning, art and life skills education. More than half of its participants are girls and it has reached more than 10,000 young people. Today, Skateistan runs permanent Skate Schools in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. It also runs the Goodpush Alliance, which connects more than 1,000 skate programs around the world. This helps expand sports and poverty reduction efforts globally.

Sports and poverty reduction programs show that sports can do more than entertain. They can also help young people learn, grow and find opportunities for the future. While sports alone cannot end poverty, they can open doors to education and jobs. Organizations like Grassroot Soccer, MYSA, Magic Bus, Fight for Peace and Skateistan demonstrate what sports programs fighting poverty can look like in practice and how they improve lives in many parts of the world.

– Abisola Oladipupo

Abisola is based in Hatfield, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Textile Recycling in Kenya is Creating Green Jobs

Textile Recycling in KenyaTextile waste is becoming a growing environmental challenge in many countries, including Kenya. Every year, thousands of tons of used clothing and fabric waste end up in landfills or are burned, contributing to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. According to World Bank data, close to 40% of Kenya’s population lives below the national poverty line. It is within this context that a growing number of organizations demonstrate that textile recycling in Kenya can be a driver of employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for low-income households. By collecting discarded clothing, recycling textiles into new products and supporting small businesses, these organizations are creating green jobs while helping to build a more circular economy.

The Role of UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme highlights that the fashion and textile industry creates significant environmental challenges because of high resource use and increasing textile waste. Circular economy approaches, which focus on keeping materials in use for longer through reuse, repair and recycling, are becoming important solutions for reducing waste and supporting sustainable development.

Africa Collect Textiles Creates Jobs

Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) is one of Kenya’s organizations working to develop a circular fashion system. The company collects unwanted clothing and footwear through collection points and partnerships before sorting materials for reuse, upcycling and recycling. According to a 2025 profile of the organization by AMI, ACT has created more than 120 direct and indirect jobs so far, mainly for women, and can source up to two tons of unsold clothing a day from Nairobi’s Gikomba Market, East Africa’s largest second-hand clothing hub, recovering uniforms, off-cuts and other materials that would otherwise be burned or dumped. The same report notes that ACT is now working to install mechanical recycling equipment, with a longer-term goal of scaling up local fiber recovery across the continent.

ACT’s first Impact Report explains that the organization has developed textile collection, sorting and upcycling systems while focusing on poverty reduction, responsible consumption and job creation, particularly for women. The report highlights that ACT’s work creates both direct and indirect employment opportunities within the textile recovery process.

According to a profile by Start-Up Africa, ACT’s holistic approach aims to serve low-income communities directly, giving women and youth in Nairobi’s informal economy a steady income tied to a growing industry. UNEP also highlights ACT as part of its efforts to support sustainable textile practices in Kenya. The organization has transformed textile waste into products such as rugs, toys and yarn, demonstrating how discarded materials can become valuable resources.

Agricultural Waste Into Sustainable Fashion

While some organizations focus on recovering used textiles, others are creating new approaches to sustainable fashion by using alternative materials. Rethread Africa is one example of a Kenyan initiative that transforms agricultural waste into environmentally friendly textile materials. Impact Hub Nairobi reports that Rethread Africa uses maize husks, a byproduct of agricultural production, to create sustainable textile alternatives. According to Impact Hub, the initiative worked with 35 smallholder farmers during a pilot program in Homa Bay County and plans to expand this to more than 100 farmers within the next two years, giving them a new source of income from agricultural waste that would otherwise be discarded. A separate account of the initiative published by What Design Can Do reports that the resulting fabric uses 99% less water than cotton, cuts carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by roughly 80%, and has helped participating smallholder farmers increase their income by around 40%.

This income boost matters because rural poverty in Kenya runs well above the national average. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported an overall rural poverty rate of 42.9% in 2022, compared with 33.2% in urban areas, with smallholder farming households among those most exposed. By giving farmers an additional buyer for material that used to be worthless, Rethread Africa targets income growth in exactly the population where poverty is most concentrated.

The organization’s approach shows how innovation can connect agriculture, fashion and employment. By developing new materials and supporting sustainable production, Rethread Africa helps create opportunities for entrepreneurs and communities while reducing reliance on traditional textile materials.

TakaTaka Solutions Builds Kenya’s Recycling Economy

TakaTaka Solutions shows the same principle at work in Kenya’s broader waste economy. The company sorts collected waste into more than 40 categories and recycles around 90% of what it receives. According to a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) case study, the company was deliberately designed to create jobs for youth from lower-income areas of Nairobi, offering steadier work than informal waste-picking. Though its focus is plastic and household waste rather than textiles specifically, TakaTaka illustrates the broader potential for Kenya’s recycling sector to create jobs while addressing environmental challenges.

Conclusion

Textile recycling in Kenya demonstrates that waste can become a resource. Through collection, reuse and upcycling, organizations are creating new opportunities for employment while addressing environmental challenges. According to the International Labour Organization, green industries create new jobs while helping countries transition toward more sustainable economic models. While recycling alone will not eliminate poverty in a country where, per World Bank figures, close to 40% of the population lives below the national poverty line, these initiatives show how green businesses create employment, support entrepreneurship and encourage sustainable development. With continued investment in circular economy solutions, textile recycling in Kenya is helping build a future where waste becomes a resource and communities gain new opportunities for economic growth.

– Abisola Oladipupo

Abisola is based in Hatfield, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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How Water ATMs in Kenya Are Expanding Access to Clean Water

Water ATMs in KenyaFor millions of people, access to clean drinking water remains one of the biggest barriers to good health and economic opportunity. In Kenya, only about 68% of the population has access to basic drinking water services, meaning nearly one in three people still lack even a basic source of safe drinking water, with access dropping to just 56% in rural areas. Water ATMs in Kenya are helping change that reality by providing affordable and safe drinking water through prepaid smart cards and mobile payments. These automated systems reduce dependence on unsafe water sources while improving transparency, lowering costs and strengthening local water services. As organizations, local utilities and government partners continue expanding the technology, thousands of Kenyan families benefit from more reliable access to clean water.

A Smarter Way to Access Water

Unlike traditional water kiosks that rely on cash payments and attendants, water ATMs in Kenya allow users to purchase only the amount of water they need using prepaid smart cards or mobile money services. The automated systems operate throughout the day, reducing long lines while making water available whenever communities need it. Digital monitoring also allows operators to track water use, revenue and maintenance needs in real time. This helps reduce water theft and improve financial accountability.

Grundfos developed its AQtap water ATM technology in partnership with organizations including World Vision, county governments and Safaricom. In rural Kenyan communities, more than 20,000 people now receive clean drinking water through 60 automated water ATMs that provide a sustainable source of funding for ongoing maintenance and repairs.

Expanding Long-Term Water Security

As droughts and rapid urbanization place increasing pressure on Kenya’s water resources, innovative technologies become essential for long-term water security. Water ATMs create a sustainable system where affordable user payments help fund maintenance rather than relying solely on outside aid. For example, in Kwale County, the Kenya RAPID program introduced prepaid water ATMs managed by local water service providers. Because every transaction is recorded electronically, communities can clearly see how water fees are collected and used. This increased transparency and strengthened trust between residents and water providers while reducing opportunities for financial mismanagement.

With continued support from organizations such as Grundfos, Oxfam, local utilities and county governments, water ATMs in Kenya demonstrate how simple technology can improve public health and expand reliable access to clean water. Their growing success offers a practical example of how innovation can help communities build a healthier and more sustainable future.

The success of water ATMs in Kenya shows that innovation can help address global poverty. Expanding access to clean water starts with supporting proven solutions like water ATMs in Kenya. Continued investment and awareness will allow more communities to gain reliable access to safe drinking water. Together, these efforts can improve health and create lasting opportunities for future generations.

– Masa Qasim

Masa is based in Toronto, Canada and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr