Where We Work
Kenya
Kenya is home to 32 million people, 60% of whom live outside the major cities and eke out a living as subsistence farmers. The country has a number of distinct regions each with a different climate, from the humid lowlands of the coast, to the temperate central highlands, to the arid north and the grasslands of the Maasai Mara to the south.
About 15% of the country is arable land. Most of this area offers fertile volcanic soils and access to a reliable supply of water. Other parts of the country are suffering a prolonged drought and subsequent famine.
Kenya is also the home of KickStart, our most mature market, and where we test our new ideas.
KickStart – Kenya
P.O. Box 64142
Nairobi 00620
Kenya
Tel/Fax: +254-20 3740175
E-mail: kickstart@kickstart.org
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Tanzania
Tanzania is a large country, about one and half times the size of Kenya. Like Kenya, Tanzania has a number of distinct regions, each with its own climate and growing conditions. Some of the world's largest lakes (by volume)--Victoria, Tanganyika, and Nyasa--form parts of the country's western border. These lake beds provide fertile soil and shallow aquifers.
Politically, Tanzania has been stable since independence, but a history of socialism has curbed private development and investment. With little tax base and a vast territory, the country has poorly developed roads and infrastructure. Agriculture provides 80% of the GDP of Tanzania and the government is very supportive of efforts to improve farm productivity and food security. We have sold 36,800 pumps in Tanzania as of December 31, 2009, but we have just scratched the surface of what is possible.
As noted this is a large country with very bad roads. Bad weather can close key roads for months. Distribution will be a challenge. There are some poorly made treadle pumps similar to ours already on the market. This gives us the additional marketing challenge of overcoming negative attitudes toward pumps in general.
KickStart Tanzania
P O Box 33605
83 Old Bagamoyo Road
Mlalakuwa, Kawe
Dar es Salaam
Tel: +255-22-278-1061
Hotline: +255-756-081911
Fax- +255 22-278-0433
E-mail: tanzaniasales@kickstart.org
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Mali
Mali is one of the largest countries in Africa. This landlocked nation is hot and dry with the northern reaches extending into the Sahara. In the south, however, there are seasonal rains and the Niger River, which winds across the breadth of the country, provides water to much of the population. Only about 2% of the land is cultivated, but agriculture provides employment for 80% of the population. Mali is KickStart's first country in Francophone West Africa.
Mali is one of the very poorest countries in the world. It is also linguistically, culturally agriculturally and historically different from Kenya and Tanzania. In addition, thousands of poorly made treadle pumps had been distributed across the country. Many people had bad experiences with these and assumed ours were the same. In a very short time, we have overcome these challenges and our young program there is beginning to flourish.
KickStart – Mali
Rue 19, Porte 96
Badalabougou Est
BP E1882
Bamako, Mali
Tel +223 222-40-05 or +223 223-74-22
Fax +223 222-34-59
E-mail: nafasoro@kickstart.org
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