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By The Numbers
356,324
Pumps Sold
1,300,000
People out of Poverty
270,000
Businesses Created
13 million
People Fed Each Year
240,000
Jobs Created
$230 million
Annual New Farm Profits and Wages
1 person lifted out of poverty every 7 minutes
Farming families increase overall household income by 400%, on average.
Impact Monitoring
Methodology
Difficult. Time-Consuming. Priceless.

KickStart could base our claims of success on the number of pumps we have sold alone, but that says nothing about whether or not we are meeting our mission—lifting people out of poverty. To truly understand and report our impacts, we have to measure how much more money farmers are earning with our pumps, as well as the direct improvements in their lives, including food security, improved nutrition, healthcare, and children’s education.

 

Collecting this information is challenging and time-consuming, but priceless. Many of our farmers live far off the grid and miles from the nearest paved road. Often, there are no addresses in rural Africa and only by locating the closest church or school can we pinpoint farmers’ homes. Luckily, our impact monitoring team is comprised of persistent detectives who are able to find the farmers.

 

Once we track down a farmer, our enumerators ask a series of questions about what and how much they grow, how much land they cultivate, household income, their children’s education, and diet to get a snapshot of their lives before any real tangible impacts. This is often referred to as the zero-age or baseline survey.

 

The same farmers are then visited 18-24 months later after measurable changes have occurred, and then again after three to four years. By this stage, a family should have optimized the use of the pump to suit their unique circumstances and the data collected paints a picture of how a family’s social and economic status has permanently changed.

Download our internal and external impact study results:

Success Stories
To date, over 250,000 families have created successful new farming businesses and are generating wealth with KickStart's MoneyMaker Pumps. We'd like to introduce you to a few of them.
A Letter from Alice Nairobi, Kenya
Let me tell you how the MoneyMaker pump has changed my life in just five years. I’ve been able to build a new second-level home; expand my garden plot into two green acres; buy cows, sheep, rabbits, and dogs; become a landlord; and most recently, a mother of a Nairobi University graduate. I even use my farm as a KickStart pump demonstration site to spread the word on irrigation in my community.

Aqwalina Merengue Arusha, Tanzania
Aqwalina suffered the mistreatment of her abusive husband for thirteen years. One day, he left her and their young son, Dennis, with nothing but the land under their feet.
Farmer Friendly Financing Across Africa
One of the best first steps that farmers in Africa can take in lifting themselves out of poverty is to invest in a MoneyMaker pump from KickStart. Our pumps are already affordable for small-scale farmers - but to make make them even more so, we are working in partnership with organizations that offer financial services, like VisionFund International, the microfinance (MFI) arm of WorldVision.
Financial Freedom for Charles: Investing In His Farm & Family Ruai, Nairobi, Kenya
After learning about KickStart’s hip pump from a demonstration in 2012, Charles immediately took out a loan to buy it, allowing him to start a year-round farming business that was no longer dependent on increasingly unreliable rain. Since then, Charles has used his increased profits to invest in drip irrigation, a sprinkler system, green house and water storage unit, as well as fish and chickens. After nearly eight years of using KickStart’s irrigation pump, Charles’ farm is now worth seven million Kenyan shillings, about $68,000.
From Poverty to Prosperity:
Fabian & Nyina's Story
Meet Fabian and Nyina, a couple in rural Kenya who built such a successful farming business that they are able to support their family and members of their community, despite having limited experience and resources.
Herbert Masopo Chibombo, Zambia
1 in 5 people across Africa go hungry. Herbert isn't one of them--anymore.
A story by Herbert Masopo
Samuel's Story Kigumo, Murang'a County, Kenya
Samuel is a 26 year old farmer who turned his life around with the help of a test model of KickStart's solar irrigation pump.
Solar-Powered Irrigation:
Isaac's Story
Kenya
Meet Isaac – a husband, father and successful entrepreneur. One of the first farmers to use a prototype of KickStart’s solar pump, Isaac considers KickStart his business partner and thinks his newly found prosperity and his use of our solar pump are inextricably linked.
Suzanne's Story Kaharati, Murang'a County, Kenya
Suzanne is not just a grandmother - she is also an entrepreneur. With the help of a test model of KickStart’s solar irrigation pump, Suzanne is able to support her family - and run her store and her farm - at the same time.
Training Farmers to be Entrepreneurs Across Africa
Did you know that KickStart doesn’t only sell pumps, but we train farmers and staff at partner organizations, too? Our agropreneurship team trains both farmers and non-governmental organization staff on best practices in agriculture and business – or as we like to call it, “Agropreneurship.”
Patrick Bett Rift Valley, Kenya
Regions of Kenya have been pillared by deforestation in recent years. Patrick is not only creating jobs...
Grace Ciamay Choma, Zambia
As a single mother living with HIV, the odds are stacked up against Grace. But she is a fighter.