Mkono 2021: Our Impact in Kenya

2021 was Mkono’s most impactful year. Amidst the pandemic, while lending institutions sharply reduced their activities, we doubled down in 2021, providing loans to small and medium businesses, as well as mentorship sessions. At the same time, we expanded our community of entrepreneurs, launched operations initiatives, and invested time in growing our global team of volunteers.
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A few months into 2022, we are excited to present our Impact Report! Read more for a brief overview.

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Our Year in Numbers

Our Success Stories
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This year, Mkono is proud to have provided an alternative source of funding for business owners. As supported by our success stories, our loans helped entrepreneurs upgrade their tools, invest in marketing initiatives, and fuel the growth of their business. 

Alexis Juma, Kakia Oils

​Used a 40,000 KSH loan (~$450 CAD) to change packaging and experiment with oil mixing for her plant-based oil business.

Added 120 new retail clients

 Effective Mentorship
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What distinguishes Mkono from other organizations is our mentorship program. Our mentorship sessions provide guidance and advice to entrepreneurs to grow their business. Learn more about this here.

Moses
Finlink Enterprise Solutions

 The mentors were really good in terms of bringing experiences and our state of business didn’t have a credit scoring model. It was insightful... It was great because they’ve had the same experiences and provided me with insights on how we could go about it

Our Partners
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In 2021, we added 2 new partners to the Mkono community, Nairobits Trust and Lapid Leaders Africa. Partners play an essential role in helping us identify the entrepreneurs who can benefit the most from our support. Learn more about them here.

Our team
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Mkono is an entirely volunteer-run organization. This year, we grew our team to more than 20 volunteers coming from a range of backgrounds, from students to working professionals. In addition, we ended the year with 15 Mkono Allies.

• To learn more about how it’s like to volunteer at Mkono, check out Jasmine’s story.
• What’s an Ally? Head to Nam’s interview to find out.​

​Our Financials

In 2021, Mkono was able to raise over $20,000 CAD, thanks to the support of our donors. Notably, through our successful autumn GlobalGiving Accelerator Campaign, we secured ~$19,000 CAD from 133 donors and became a permanent member of the GlobalGiving platform.

Access the full impact report here

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• Curious about last year’s report. Here it is!
• Learn more about the entrepreneurs we support through this blog article.
• Want to get involved? Check out this page.