Building Assets, Unlocking Access: KWFT Housing Microfinance Impact Evaluation Final Report

Building Assets, Unlocking Access is a six-year project in Africa, which provided technical assistance to six leading financial institutions in Uganda and Kenya as they developed housing microfinance products and nonfinancial support services for people living on $5-10 per day. The aim was to enable these people to access small, short-term loans with affordable payment schedules in order to improve their housing conditions progressively.

This impact evaluation assesses the attributable impact that Building Assets, Unlocking Access has had on improving a range of outcomes for clients of Kenya Women Microfinance Bank, or KWFT, who have accessed the Nyumba Smart Loan, a housing microfinance product developed as part of the project. This report presents the evaluation methodology and key findings on the impact of housing microfinance on borrowers’ quality of and satisfaction with housing, self-perceived health, economic power (income, savings, asset accumulation), education, and social power.