Eco-Pesa, a program of Eco-Ethics International Union, is an
alternative local currency used to reduce poverty, support
environmental conservation, and stimulate the economy of the
Kongowea sums in Mombasa, Kenya. When I first heard of Eco-Pesa,
the community-based currency being experimented with in the
Kongowea slums of Mombasa, I knew I had to make Kongowea a stop
for The BoP Project. I was skeptical at first, wondering why and
how anyone would attempt to create an alternative form of
currency in a slum, where there is hardly enough of even the
official currency circulating around. As I soon discovered,
while wading through the flooded alleyways of Kongowea in a
brief but intense downpour of November rain, Eco-Pesa was not
some utopian currency with zero value intent on replacing the
Kenyan Shilling. It was created specifically to try and keep
more of the national currency circulating within the community,
while at the same time promoting youth-driven environmental
sustainability. Eco-Pesa, developed by Pe