KickStart International

KickStart International KickStart is a non-profit social enterprise with the mission to lift millions of people out of poverty with our high quality, low cost technologies.

KickStart is a nonprofit social enterprise that brings affordable irrigation to farmers across Africa, helping families grow nutritious food year-round and build more secure futures.

This week, our Uganda team delivered 30 kitted MoneyMaker Max pumps to the Kasaali Cooperative in Kyotera District, read...
08/27/2026

This week, our Uganda team delivered 30 kitted MoneyMaker Max pumps to the Kasaali Cooperative in Kyotera District, ready for farmers to put to work. The delivery came through the revolving fund we run with Root Capital to support coffee farmers ☕️

Most coffee farming across East Africa still depends entirely on rain, and the yield gap shows it. Ugandan farmers average 220 to 440 pounds of coffee per acre. In Vietnam, where farmers routinely irrigate, that number jumps to roughly seven times as much on the same size plot. The gap comes down to water access.

Working with Kasaali and Root Capital, we're helping put irrigation within reach for Uganda's coffee farmers, and running a research trial to measure exactly what irrigation means for coffee yields and income.

Congratulations to the Kasaali Cooperative on the new pumps, and here's to a strong season ahead!

Rows of blue KickStart pumps sat on the ground in Notto Diobass, Senegal, waiting to be put to the test. KickStart and H...
08/21/2026

Rows of blue KickStart pumps sat on the ground in Notto Diobass, Senegal, waiting to be put to the test. KickStart and Heifer Senegal brought them out together for a hands-on demonstration.

Twenty-five farmers showed up to train on the MoneyMaker pumps, then took turns trying them out for themselves. Local TV was there to catch it on camera.

By the end of the day, 10 women's groups in Notto Diobass each had a MoneyMaker pump to call their own. It's the first step in a new revolving fund program that KickStart and Heifer hope to bring to more women's groups across Senegal.

Thanks to Heifer International for teaming up with us on this one. We're looking forward to seeing what these groups grow next season! 🌱



***

Des rangées de pompes KickStart bleues étaient posées au sol à Notto Diobass, au Sénégal, prêtes à être testées. KickStart et Heifer International les ont présentées ensemble lors d'une démonstration pratique.

Vingt-cinq agriculteurs et agricultrices sont venus se former sur les pompes MoneyMaker, avant de les essayer eux-mêmes. Une chaîne de télévision locale était présente pour filmer l'événement.

À la fin de la journée, 10 groupements de femmes de Notto Diobass repartaient chacun avec leur propre pompe MoneyMaker. C'est la première étape d'un nouveau programme de fonds rotatif que KickStart et Heifer espèrent étendre à davantage de groupements de femmes à travers le Sénégal.

Merci à Heifer International de s'être associé à nous pour ce projet. Nous avons hâte de voir ce que ces groupes vont cultiver la saison prochaine ! 🌱

This week, farmers from sub-counties across the Luuka and Buyende districts in Uganda came together to try out our Money...
08/07/2026

This week, farmers from sub-counties across the Luuka and Buyende districts in Uganda came together to try out our Moneymaker Max Pump. More than 300 farmers turned out to see the pump in action, ask questions, and test it themselves.

Several are already planning to get a pump of their own — a great sign for what's ahead for farming in the region!

This month, our senior leadership team hosted our annual planning meeting in Limuru, Kenya 🌱We looked back at the year's...
07/24/2026

This month, our senior leadership team hosted our annual planning meeting in Limuru, Kenya 🌱

We looked back at the year's progress and set our goals for the year ahead — focused on strategic partnerships and deeper farmer relationships, so more smallholder farmers across Africa can build steady income and plan for the future with confidence. It's always energizing to connect with colleagues and collaborate to find the best path forward.

We're excited for what's next!

Nearly 100 farmers turned out in Muhanga district, Rwanda, on Thursday for a KickStart irrigation pump demonstration and...
07/08/2026

Nearly 100 farmers turned out in Muhanga district, Rwanda, on Thursday for a KickStart irrigation pump demonstration and training with Kora Ubeho Cooperative.

By the end of the day, cooperative leaders had made their decision: pool funds from all 13 member farmer groups and bring home more than 25 pumps. That means more fields growing through the dry season instead of sitting idle.

Our team will be checking in daily to see how it comes together! 💧🌱

07/02/2026

This spring, you exceeded every expectation we had.

We set a match goal of $100,000. You met it. We raised it to $120,000, then $145,000—and you surpassed every benchmark along the way. The generosity we've witnessed this spring has been extraordinary, and we are so grateful.

Because of you, more farming families across sub-Saharan Africa have what they need to keep growing — through dry seasons, through flooding, through the pressures that don't stop for harvest time.

Thank you for growing with us. 🌱

The generosity this spring has been remarkable, and we're so grateful!Together, we have met every match benchmark our do...
06/29/2026

The generosity this spring has been remarkable, and we're so grateful!

Together, we have met every match benchmark our donors set, including the $145,000 final match. The impact on farming families across sub-Saharan Africa is real, and it's because of you.

But farming families across sub-Saharan Africa are still navigating drought, flooding, rising costs, and more—and every dollar given before midnight June 30 still makes a difference.

Over the past three decades, KickStart has put more than 425,000 pumps into farmers' hands across sub-Saharan Africa. Surveys show that farmers with a KickStart pump can increase their incomes up to fivefold within 18 months, contributing to more than 1.6 million people taking a major step out of poverty to date. That's what happens when a tool is built for the realities of smallholder farming.

Every dollar you give through June 30 has real impact for farming families navigating a genuinely difficult moment. Help us finish strong and give by June 30 → https://kickstart.org/?form=FUNTKLGDKHU

For Uganda's coffee farmers, reliable rain used to be enough. That's no longer the case.Coffee yields in East Africa ave...
06/26/2026

For Uganda's coffee farmers, reliable rain used to be enough. That's no longer the case.

Coffee yields in East Africa average 220–440 lbs per acre. In Vietnam, where irrigation is common among smallholder growers, the figure is 2,050–2,500 lbs on the same amount of land, roughly seven times the output. The difference isn't just climate. It's water access.

East Africa gets rain twice a year, and for a long time, that was enough to grow coffee. But as those rains become less reliable, farmers are losing harvests they can't afford to lose.

KickStart is working with farmers in Uganda's Kasali Cooperative to change that. Together with Root Capital, a nonprofit that specializes in agricultural finance, we're building a financing model that helps cooperatives make irrigation accessible to their farmer members. Farmers have begun using pumps to irrigate through dry spells, establish coffee tree nurseries, and grow vegetables and fruits year-round alongside their coffee.

Your gift to KickStart International is still matched up to $145,000 through June 30! Double your impact → https://kickstart.org/?form=FUNTKLGDKHU

06/25/2026

We've done it again — and we're deeply grateful to everyone who made it happen.

We hit $100,000 in matched gifts. Then $120,000, faster than we imagined. And now, one more generous donor has stepped up, bringing our final match to $145,000 through June 30.

Every dollar you give is still doubled! Give now and help us finish strong → https://kickstart.org/?form=FUNTKLGDKHU

06/23/2026

Exciting news—and we have you to thank for it.

You helped us hit our $100,000 match goal! For farming families already navigating extreme weather, rising costs, and shrinking aid, that impact couldn't come at a better time.

And our small group of matching donors isn't done yet. They've raised the match to $120,000 through June 30 — which means your gift is still doubled.

Give now and help us finish strong → https://kickstart.org/?form=FUNTKLGDKHU

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1849 Geary Boulevard, PO Box 15908
San Francisco, CA
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