BOMA was recently listed as one of “50 Nonprofits Making a World of Difference” on the Matador Network, a Website that publishes independent, original and in-depth reporting on the global travel culture. The report featured nonprofits around the world—including such well-known institutions as Grameen Foundation, MercyCorps and Global Fund for Women—that are successfully using cutting-edge, low-cost technology to expand their reach and impact. A follow-up article, which also included BOMA, focused on “Fifteen Technologies Your Nonprofit Should Be Using.”
Through its REAP micro-enterprise program, BOMA is helping the pastoral nomads of Northern Kenya to establish sustainable small businesses and savings and loans associations in their communities. As the savings groups accumulate profits, one key challenge is finding a reliable way to keep the money secure — a challenge in a remote, rural environment with no formal banks. BOMA’s local Village Mentors are encouraging the savings groups to use mobile banking via inexpensive cellular phones, where available. Because cash is not readily available, mobile banking keeps the savings secure and discourages loan requests from community members who aren’t participating in REAP.
“While [nonprofits] have traditionally been large groups with vast networks and resources, technology has empowered everyday people to form not-for-profits with little more than a laptop and an idea,” writes Matador author Carlo Alcos. “It’s enabling people from anywhere in the world to access free world-class education; it’s helping to deliver clean water and improved sanitation in developing countries; it’s bringing modern healthcare to people who would otherwise not have access to it…The advances made in mobile and computing technologies are enriching the lives of those who really need it.”
To read the articles, click here:
http://matadornetwork.com/change/50-nonprofits-making-a-world-of-difference/
http://matadornetwork.com/change/15-technologies-your-nonprofit-should-be-using/
BOMA was also featured in a two-part blog post by founder and CEO Kathleen Colson on The Displaced Nation, an irreverent Website for “expats, global nomads and armchair travelers.” The post covers Kathleen’s recent five-week trip through Northern Kenya, where she visited REAP businesses and attended BOMA’s annual two-day Mentor University, a training session for our local Village Mentors.
To read the article, click here: