Empowering Rural Families in to Lift Themselves out of

Poverty Final Report covering January 1 – December 31, 2019 Prepared for: Greater Impact Foundation

Empowering Rural Families in Kenya to Lift Themselves out of Poverty Executive Summary KickStart and Greater Impact Foundation’s (GIF) partnership throughout 2019 continued to prove the powerful impacts that are realized from our work together. This year we reached a record milestone of over 1,800 pumps sold, which have resulted in 1,400 new businesses created. These businesses are helping 6,800 people dissolve their circumstances of poverty, feeding 68,000 people with fruits and vegetables, and generating $1.2M in new profits and wages – the greatest impacts realized so far in our near seven years of partnership.

Throughout the year, KickStart continued to scale the adoption of MoneyMaker pumps and the resulting impacts by deepening and expanding our network of key partners in Kenya and increasing their appreciation for the benefits of irrigation. During the second half of the year, we focused our partnership building efforts on groups working with women and youth, and engaged six lead farmers from partner organizations who will go on to disseminate information about irrigation and the benefits of MoneyMaker pumps to thousands more farmers.

At the same time, we conducted an analysis of our performance and cost effectiveness by region across Kenya, an exercise that has revealed powerful insights for our team. We will continue to implement this exercise to improve performance and cost effectiveness in years to come. Results against 12-Month Targets Over the course of the project year (January 1 – December 31, 2019), KickStart sold a total of 1,809 pumps in Kenya. This demonstrates a 17% increase in pump sales compared to the previous year, with the same amount of funding, demonstrating KickStart’s ever-increasing cost effectiveness.

At the same time, KickStart reached more than 6,000 farmers with information about irrigation and MoneyMaker pumps through a combination of wide-reaching, above the line demonstrations like radio promotions, and highly interactive, hands-on trainings. The latter accounted for 2,442 of those reached, many of whom were lead farmers or other partners’ staff who will go on to teach additional farmers.

During the first phase of the project, and reported on in the interim report, KickStart completed the following:

 Held training sessions for trainers (TOT) that utilized lecture, interactive discussion, and live demonstration to transfer knowledge and skills to lead farmers and partners’ staff, thus building their capacity to teach other farmers;  Deepened brand awareness and dealer engagement through creative collateral, such as branded aprons, wash lines, danglers, and portable metal signage;  Hosted one of two stakeholder convenings in , Kenya;  Ran radio advertisements in June and July through Radio Injili and Mbaitu FM.

Direct Impacts to Date 1,809 pumps sold  1,400 new enterprises created 6,800 individuals out of poverty 68,000 individuals fed with irrigated fruits and vegetables $1.2M earned annually in new profits and wages

Activities & Completion of Key Project Objectives KickStart’s team has achieved all project objectives of increasing awareness and uptake of irrigation solutions among poor but entrepreneurial small-scale farmers in Kenya. In keeping with the organization’s broader, partnership-based model, we engaged strategically with a variety of stakeholders in order to foster demand for MoneyMaker pumps among partners and farmers, provide follow-on support to those who adopt our technologies, and ensure local supply through strengthening and empowering our distribution network.

I. Reaching farmers through interactive radio broadcasts and live exhibitions

KickStart successfully implemented three radio broadcasts and participated in multiple live exhibitions throughout the year. Our experience developing the market for small-scale irrigation has consistently demonstrated the effectiveness of local radio programming as a key outreach and marketing strategy, as well as an avenue for building capacity by sharing educational information. KickStart ran a talk show that covered educational information about small-scale irrigation solutions, particularly highlighting the benefits of MoneyMaker pumps, on Dala FM Radio in November 2019. Dala FM Radio broadcasts in the Luo dialect, covering Migori, , , and counties in Nyanza, as well as the South Rift and Western Regions. We reached approximately 1,800 listeners through the Dala FM Radio program. Radio advertisements in November built on the momentum of advertisements that took place in June and July through Radio Injili and Mbaitu FM.

KickStart also had a presence at the leading live exhibitions across the country throughout the year, including Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) shows in , , , Kisumu, and Taita Taveta. Building off of live exhibitions during the first half of the project period, these exhibitions have reached tens of thousands of farmers with knowledge about irrigation and MoneyMaker pumps. In addition, more than 5,000 brochures were distributed during ASK shows.

II. Convening critical stakeholders working with farmers

Throughout the year, KickStart achieved our goal of hosting two stakeholder convenings in Kenya. Starting in 2018, KickStart began organizing stakeholder convenings designed to increase cohesion between KickStart’s dealer network and our demand-side partners engaged with farmers. This year, we organized two summit gatherings, one in Eastern Kenya and one in the Western region of the country.

As described in the interim report, KickStart held the first convening in Machakos Town during the first week in June. In September 2019, we held the second stakeholder gathering in , Western Kenya. The event gathered NGOs, CBOs, lead farmers, and ministries of agriculture from Kakamega, Busia, , and Kisumu counties. Those in attendance included the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation from government, Kakamega County Agro Dealers Association, Appropriate Rural Development Agricultural Program (ARDAP), Welthunger, Anglican Development Services (ADS), and many more.

The discussion centered on smallholder irrigation and MoneyMaker pumps, with a diverse group in attendance, including the Program Officers or Managers from partner organizations. The Guest of Honor, Rev. Oscar Ekesa of ADS Kakamega, gave a key note address highlighting how climate change has increased the unreliability of rain fed agriculture, and how irrigation plays an important role in addressing these challenges.

Additionally, farmers who are currently using MoneyMaker pumps shared how irrigation has enabled them to overcome poverty, and reclaim dignity in their communities. Our team demonstrated all MoneyMaker pump products, including the soon to be launched solar pump. The positive responses from the forum attendees clearly demonstrates the need for more of these meetings to take place across the country to promote irrigation among farmers.

III. Forging Partnerships with a Special Focus on Women and Youth

KickStart forged over 30 new partnerships in Kenya since January 2019, including the following:

Partner Name Region Type of Group World Vision NGO County Government Coastal Region Government Kenya Agricultural Research Western Kenya Government Institute (KARI) Anglican Development Services NGO (ADS) Maranatha Mission Church Kisii & Kisumu Counties Religious Organization Welthunger Hilfe Kakamega NGO Caritas ; Meru; NGO Mombasa Friends of Kianjahi Meru County CBO Centre for Peace CBO Macflows National Private Distributor County Government of Coast Region Government Karisa Foundation Coast Region NGO Hand in Hand International Western Region NGO Jiweze Limited County MFI Ustadi Foundation Nairobi MFI Mombasa Cement Private Sector Magadi Soda Foundation County Foundation

Musoni Microfinance National MFI Micro Enterprises Support National Policy Support Advisory Programme Trust (MESPT) Kilimo Revamp Nairobi NGO Cooperative Bank of Kenya Nairobi Bank Foundation Italian Embassy Malindi Government Coast Development Authority Coastal Region Government I&M Bank Nairobi Bank Devolution and Climate Change Kisumu & Homa Bay NGO Adaption Program Water for Wildlife County NGO County Government of Mombasa Government Government of Taita Taita Taveta Government Taveta County Government of Kisumu Kisumu Government County Government of Migori Migori Government County Government of Nyandarua Government Nyandurua County Government of Makueni Makueni Government County Government of Kirinyaga Government Kirinyaga Academic Model for the NGO Prevention and Treatment of HIV (AMPATH) Appropriate Rural Development Kakamega & Counties NGO Agricultural Program (ARADP)

KickStart particularly focused on establishing three high impact partnerships with groups focused on women and youth throughout the course of the grant year, ensuring that these harder to reach groups have access to affordable irrigation methods and the opportunity to turn their lives around.

In July 2019, KickStart signed an MOU to formalize a partnership with Musoni Microfinance, an MFI that provides loans, including agricultural loans, across Kenya. Notably, 63% of Musoni’s client base is female, and 50% is youth. Over 68% of Musoni’s agribusiness loans are to women smallholder farmers, who are reached through localized marketing campaigns. KickStart’s pumps are listed as products that are available for financing through Musoni, meaning that farmers can apply for a loan on Musoni’s digital platform, and if eligible, receive a loan equivalent to the retail price for MoneyMaker Max and Hip pumps. This partnership means that farmers with less resources on hand can more easily afford irrigation tools, and repay the loan to Musoni with the income generated from increased agricultural production thanks to irrigation.

KickStart also forged a partnership with Caritas Meru, which was formalized in October 2019. Caritas works with vulnerable women and youth groups involved in agricultural activities in the city of Meru and

the surrounding region. Together, Caritas and KickStart are sensitizing farmers to irrigation practices, knowing that irrigation has the potential to multiply farming income and build resilience to climate change. Caritas has purchased a number of MoneyMaker pumps to serve as demonstration examples in various agricultural training centers that are frequented by women and youth. Our team has implemented a number of trainings within Caritas’ network of farmers, and plans to continue these trainings in 2020, including a plan to mobilize school directors to introduce farming clubs in schools.

Lastly, KickStart established a partnership with Jiweze Development Limited during the grant year. Jiweze serves over 12,000 clients spread over ten counties in Kenya, and is focused on serving low and middle income entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth, with structured and flexible loans. KickStart and Jiweze have signed an MOU agreeing to introduce MoneyMaker pumps to their network of farmers. IV. Identifying and Training Lead Farmers KickStart continues to strategically focus trainings on lead farmers, knowing that these farmers are influential among their networks and will go on to showcase the benefits of irrigation and MoneyMaker pumps to their peers. Our team identified six high priority lead farmers from partner organizations to train on the practices of irrigation and the use and maintenance of MoneyMaker pumps. These lead farmers were chosen because they have successful farms that they have maintained over time, and they are open to using their farms as demonstration plots to showcase the benefits of irrigation and MoneyMaker pumps. These farmers are dedicated, great mobilizers with firsthand experience improving their lives through farming, who will go on to train thousands of additional farmers, and further drive the uptake of small-scale irrigation across Kenya. In particular, their networks span Homa Bay, Nakuru, and Mwala Machakos counties, and the lead farmers are well respected among their peers in major farmer networks from partners such as Development in Gardening (DIG) and World Vision. Challenges and Opportunities A challenge inherent in the nature of KickStart’s work is that we are trying to reach farmers with limited resources. Serious circumstances of poverty make it difficult for many smallholder farmers to access pumps, however, we are successfully addressing this challenge by partnering with MFIs such as Musoni Microfinance and Jiweze to offer more financial services to farmers.

Government’s preference for large scale mechanization farming that excludes smallholder farmers, who incidentally are the majority, is another challenge inherent to the nature of our work. Stakeholder convenings address this challenge by gathering government stakeholders and increasing their knowledge around how small-scale scale irrigation, with the appropriate technology and practices, can offer a solution to rising agricultural challenges.

In the year to come, KickStart will increase our product portfolio with even lower cost technologies, such as the Starter Pump, which is expected to launch in the spring of 2020. Our team will continue to reach out to county governments to encourage inclusion of smallholder irrigation in their agendas, and lead the campaign for irrigation promotion through multiple different platforms.

Financial Report The following detailed financial report covers the period from January 1 to November 30, 2019, eleven out of the twelve months budgeted for the year:

2019 Total Actual-Jan-Nov VAR- Budget Details Budget 2019 VARIANCE % Project Personnel $ 168,000 $ 170,537 $ (2,537) -2% Management & Program Development $ 115,000 $ 115,000 $ - 0% Direct Marketing, Outreach & Education Activities $ 106,500 $ 52,536 $ 53,964 51% Local Office Operations $ 10,500 $ 9,704 $ 796 8% Total Expenses $ 400,000 $ 347,777 $ 52,223 13%

Factors driving the variance in spending against budget include activities and collateral that have been held or procured but not yet expensed. These expenses will show in the final, full year financial report that will be submitted by the end of January.