Asset-Building and Investment in Kenya: Small Pilot Project and Directions

An asset-based development project has been initiated in the Korogocho shantytown outside Nairobi, Kenya. The program is operated through Ecosandals Investment Limited (EIL). EIL is a joint venture of Ecosandals Kenya, a small, partially employee owned producer of sandals produced from used tires, and Ecosandals, Inc., a USbased non-profit organization that serves as an advisory board. The central goal of this program is to enable Korogocho residents to accumulate savings and then make investments in the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Experience with Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) in the United States has informed the design of the program.