Dear Houghton,
It is hard to believe that another summer has come and gone.
I am proud to tell you that in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, KickStart helped a record 81,000 more people to escape from poverty. We are particularly happy with this result because of the difficult and deep budget cuts that we had to make mid-way through the year. But despite these cuts we were able to increase our pump sales and impacts, by 22% over the previous year.
We have now helped a total of over 438,000 people get out of poverty forever (see our impact "report card" here).
Credit has to go KickStart's incredible staff. Many of whom took pay cuts to get us through this down-turn, and all of whom are working as hard (and smart) as they can to get even more people out of poverty this year. And I am pleased to say that this fiscal year is off to a good start!
We were invited back to the Clinton Global Initiative to report on the progress we made on our 2006 Commitment. KickStart was chosen to report from hundreds of standing commitments because we were among the few that demonstrated outstanding progress; told an interesting story that could benefit others; and was well aligned with this year's theme, “Action Speaks Louder than Words.” It was an honor to be included with Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus, Ted Turner and other dignitaries at a session entitled Becoming Embedded: Co-Creating Business with the Community. You can see the session online here.
I am also excited to tell you that KickStart continues to expand its international circle of supporters. The Voxtra Foundation in Norway has pledged $1.8 million over the next three years to support our flagship program in Kenya! Voxtra was created by some of Norway's most successful investors, and brings with its support, a wealth of experience helping small organizations to become successful large organizations. To our friends in Oslo "Tusen takk."
I also want to thank everyone who contacted me with concerns about the drought in Kenya. You may have seen this article in the New York Times about a month ago. Yes it’s true. The drought has hit people hard. But it is important to note that the famine and food shortages were caused by the failure of the rain-fed crops, which are grown without irrigation. Farmers using our pumps have fared much better and in many cases are vital producers of food in their communities.
Climate change is here and we need to do all we can to mitigate the blow to poor African farmers. This is why KickStart remains committed to promoting irrigation technologies for the foreseeable future. Efficient, human powered pumps allow more people to grow more food year-round.
People often ask how I remain so optimistic, when it seems Africa goes from one man-made or natural disater to the next. I just tell a story, like this one about Broulaye Keita. Here was a man supporting a large family on a few hundred dollars a year. He found inspiration, literally, in a muddy puddle, and now is making thousands of dollars per year. I hope you find his story as amazing as I do and I hope you will consider making a gift so we can help tens of thousands more people like Broulaye this year. Click here to make a gift online.
All the Best, Martin
Broulaye Keita’s Story
If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you sell him a Kickstart Money Maker pump, he may build a fish pond and eat forever. That is exactly what Broulaye Keita did in the remote village of Modibougou, Mali about 250 kilometers north of the capital, Bamako.
This is a region where people rely entirely on agriculture for both nourishment and income. Broulaye grew henna plants, eucalyptus trees, and sweet potatoes. From these crops he was making less than $200 US per year and it was difficult to feed and clothe his family.
He made a decision to both expand his agricultural output and earn more money by harvesting fish. He got his idea from the local river. When the water levels dropped, fish would become trapped in small pools where they’d multiply. He decided to imitate the river’s behavior and build a fish pond.
He had seen advertisements for KickStart’s MoneyMaker pumps at the local market and he knew that a pump could help him fill and maintain his pond, even during Mali’s long dry season, which runs from October through May. He bought a pump on credit and began raising fish by using the nearby river as his water source. It wasn’t long before he began to see the fruits of his labor. Broulaye says fish are relatively easy to harvest and they bring him an extra $280 US a year.
But even more importantly, with his pump he is no longer dependent on the rain for growing his crops. He now grows high value crops all year-round, has tripled his yields per acre and he made over $2,200 US in the past 12 months --a fortune in his community.
Broulaye has become a respected member of his community and he no longer needs to worry about supporting his family of sixteen.
Address postal inquiries to:
KickStart International
2435 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
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