BOMA Impact Survey 2010

Adowto Isandab buys school supplies for her child Schola with money she made from her REAP business.

REAP is an innovative micro-finance program developed by The BOMA Project that focuses on job creation and sustainable income development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Northern Kenya. From December 2008 through May 2012, BOMA has launched 925 income-generating businesses across Northern Kenya, impacting the lives of 3,300 adults and an estimated 17,100 dependent children. 

In July 2010, BOMA intern Michael Kremer surveyed the first 100 REAP businesses that were established in Laisamis District, using the BOMA Standard of Living Index and face-to-face interviews.

After one year in business, here is what we know:

• Participants use REAP income for four primary purposes: food, housing and basic supplies, medical and school expenses for their families, and reinvestment in the business.
• Most REAP participants see the business as a financial safety net. They create a shared savings account that members can use for critical long-term expenses, such as school and medical fees, that were previously unaffordable in a region where the average income is less than a dollar a day.
• 84 of 94 participants reported that REAP had a positive impact on their daily diets, primarily in the consumption of rice and chapati (flatbread).

The data proves what anecdotal evidence had already suggested: REAP is an effective new model for income development in rural Africa, with measurable outcomes. Our program empowers those who suffer the most, giving them access to the resources they need in order to improve their own lives and conditions in their communities.

Learn more about BOMA’s impact on Korr, the village where the first REAP businesses were established.