Kenya bound — Getting a first-hand look at Praxis real-world community investing impact

Praxis manager sees how investments are helping in her home country

Community investing |
Child in rural African village turning on a light

Working on a recent Real Impact Report, I found myself — as always — moved by the enormous good our community investing work does in communities. It’s sometimes hard, though, to communicate the personal and transformational nature of what we call “real impact.”

Stella Tai at the airport with luggage cart

Stella Tai

My wish is for all our investors to not only know but feel the good their investment dollars are doing. And one way I can help with that is sharing an on-the-ground look at some community investing projects in Kenya I visited.

Kenya is my own home country, so the community investing work there is meaningful to me in a personal and professional way. As stewardship investing impact and analysis manager for Praxis, I’ve come to understand a great deal about impact investing — but it’s often been from behind a computer screen, over the phone, or at a conference. So you can imagine my excitement to see firsthand — and share with you — some of the work your investment dollars support in Kenya.

Magnifying glass over a map of Kenya
While in Kenya, I visited four organizations that are making real impacts on the people they serve in their communities.

  • The first organization, SunFunder, has already impacted millions across Africa by giving improved energy access, and they now are scaling up clean energy and climate investments in Africa, Asia and other emerging markets around the world.
  • Later, I visited Lendable, a company that provides access to emerging fintech companies, and the Off Grid Energy Fund, which focuses on providing access to capital, renewable and clean energy.
  • The last organization I visited, Yehu, provides access to capital with an emphasis on renewable and clean energy and gender equity. Yehu supports 1,000 new, small enterprises, more than 70% of which are led by women, in Lamu and Tana River counties.

I enjoy sharing more of the wonderful country of my birth and the real-world impact that investing with Praxis makes possible. See the links below for on the ground stories of people and lives impacted by community investing.

The Praxis commitment
Praxis Investment Management supports organizations, such as those noted above, through investments in Calvert Impact Capital, an impact-investing institution that helps people around the world through community development financing. It’s part of the Praxis commitment to place approximately 1% of each of its funds to benefit neighborhoods and individuals through community investments.

Read more about real impact in Kenya

About the Author


Stella Tai, Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager | Praxis Mutual Funds
Stella Tai
Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager

Community Investing

Discover how Praxis helps provide economic opportunity for disadvantaged individuals and communities around the world and learn more about our corporate initiatives to see how we make a difference.

 

Disclosure

Foreside Financial Services, LLC and Praxis Investment Management are not affiliated with Calvert Impact Capital. 

You should consider the fund’s investment objectives, risks, sales charges and expenses carefully before you invest. The fund’s prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information. Please read them carefully before you invest.

Investment products are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee. Praxis Mutual Funds are advised by Praxis Investment Management, Inc. and distributed through Foreside Financial Services, LLC.