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

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.

Issue Areas:

Financial Institutions, Poverty Reduction Measures, Public Banking, Technology

Impact Areas:

Equity

Actors:

Lending, Banking, and Financial Institutions, Workers / Labor Unions

Communities Served:

Communities Experiencing Economic Hardship, Rural Communities, Workers

Strategies:

Collective Action, Designing Culturally Specific Solutions

Success Factors:

Building Distribution Systems, Eliminating Barriers, Empowering People, Expanding Access, Leveraging Technology, Meeting People Where They Are At, Overcoming the Big Challenges, Using A Comprehensive Approach

Geographic Region:

Africa

Countries:

Kenya

Date:

September 11, 2020

More Resources:

Conversation with Yara Tarabulsi

Yara Tarabulsi is a social anthropologist with experience in topics of gender justice, care, economic justice, migration and public policy. She has a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s from the American University of Beirut. She...

Conversation with Tasnim Elboute

Tasnim Elboute coordinates the High Atlas Cultural Landscapes Programme of the Global Diversity Foundation, focusing on biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods to advance community-led development and environmental justice in Morocco. She plays a key role in fostering partnerships and implementing...

What Germany’s Coal Miners Can Teach America About Medical Debt

From Noam N. Levey / KFF Health News: Germany, like the U.S., has a largely private healthcare system that relies on private doctors and private insurers. Like Americans, many Germans enroll in a health plan through work, splitting the cost...

Organizing to Cancel Debt Fuels Systemic Change

From Cinnamon Janzer / Yes! Magazine: Occupy Wall Street ignited today’s debt cancellation movement. Groups like the Debt Collective are winning victories, canceling predatory student debt and pushing systemic reforms like tuition-free college. Though incremental, these changes are rewriting policy...

Pune’s new lighthouse guides turbulent youth to make smart choices

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.

...

Results From The City That Just Gave Away Cash

From Emma Peaslee / NPR: A guaranteed income pilot program in Stockton, California, resulted in improved mental health and even increased full-time employment rates. The extra cash gave recipients who were struggling with poverty the mental and financial bandwidth to...