What Kenya can teach its neighbors — and the US — about improving the lives of the “unbanked”

A dollar sign forms one of the columns of a stately building

From Kelsey Piper / Vox: Mobile banking in Kenya has increased economic mobility for families living in poverty. The mobile money system is not connected to bank accounts, making it accessible to the overwhelming majority of Kenyans who don’t have bank accounts but do have cell phones. Mobile banking allows deposits and withdrawals as well as transfers, and has allowed families to save money to use when their income, often from farming, takes a hit thus creating a security net for themselves and allowing them to receive funds from friends and family. Savings allow families to meet basic needs and access medical care if necessary.

Read the original story here.

Read more articles about increased economic mobility.

More Resources:

From Asad Asnawi / Context: The Nusantra Fund provides financial support directly to community-led projects in Indonesia. The aim is to improve the livelihoods of Indigenous and local people while tackling climate change impacts and protecting biodiversity. Click here to...

Mette Beckhof co-leads the local chapter of The Economy for the Common Good in Cologne/Bonn, Germany, which advocates an alternative economic model – one that is beneficial to all stakeholders in an organization. Mette Beckhof spoke with Ashley Hopkinson on...

Ai-jen Poo is the President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Director of Caring Across Generations. A nationally recognized expert on elder care, family care, the future of work, gender equality, immigration, and grassroots organizing, she is also the...

From Prachi Bari / The Hindustan Times: The city of Pune has a program called Lighthouse that provides services to underprivileged youths skill building for career pursuits. Read the original story here. Read more articles about youth-focused wellbeing initiatives.

...

From Sonali Kolhatkar / Yes! Magazine: Guaranteed income programs aim to reduce poverty by providing cash to those in need with no strings attached. One of these programs in New York City, The Bridge Project, focuses on helping women of...

Yuliya Panfil is a senior fellow and director of New America Future of Land and Housing program. Prior to joining New America, Panfil worked at Omidyar Network, where she sourced and managed property rights investments, and as a land governance...

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.