2025 Sarafu Network - Study Results
Growing the Trust Economy in Kenya and Beyond
Over the past two years, the Sarafu Network has steadily emerged as a vital community trust systems - particularly for low-income families facing uncertainty and economic hardship. Today, we’re proud to release the 2025 Sarafu Network Survey, focused on our core operations across Kenya.
📄 Download Full Survey Report (PDF)
📊 View Dashboard and Data Tools
🗺️ View the Map Worldwide to see how Sarafu network is growing
What Is Sarafu Network?
Sarafu.Network is a digital coordination system rooted in mutual care. Instead of relying on scarce national currency, users issue and exchange vouchers (promises to provide labor, goods, or services in the future) through shared commitment pools. These pools work like local trust banks: accounting for who has offered, taken, and fulfilled promises over time.
When someone contributes to the pool, they’re offering their service or product to the community, knowing that what they give today will come back to them when they need it. Since July 5th 2023 (when we joined Celo Blockchain) and as of July 20th 2025:
251,449 peer-to-peer exchanges
4,476 users
899 impact reports
1803 pool swaps
Who Took the Survey?
We conducted phone interviews with 855 active Sarafu users across Kenya in April–June 2025, using trained local enumerators fluent in community languages.
Demographic highlights:
71% of respondents were women
Median age: 30–35 years
Average household size: 6–8 members
223 respondents from refugee-hosting areas in partnership with the Kenyan Red Cross
Income, Aid & Economic Resilience
Despite economic uncertainty, most users are not dependent on aid.
Income Sources:
Informal labor: 40%
Own business: 35%
No income: 19%
Aid Context:
80.9% of users do not receive aid
Yet 55% say aid remains “important” or “very important” for survival
This underscores a growing role for community-generated value systems, especially where formal aid does not reach.
Sarafu in Daily Life
"95% of users say Sarafu Network is important or very important to their household economy."
What they Like about Sarafu Network:
The largest group said they liked Sarafu Network primarily because it gave them a way to get help and give help to their community (44.9%) followed by business/income (14.1%), Bringing people together (8.4%), Savings (7%)
Common Uses Mentioned by Users:
Buying goods and services – 30%
Participating in rotating labor groups – 27%
Selling services or goods – 20%
Exchanging for cash with local chamas – 15%
The majority of rotating labor circles now use Sarafu for coordination—a powerful evolution of ancestral Mweria traditions.
Measurable Impacts
84% reported a positive income effect
– 35%: “increased their income a lot”
– 49%: “increased their income a little”We note a correlation between those users using Sarafu Network more (digitally) having a higher impact on income.
and more…
74% say Sarafu helped them increase savings
78% say it enabled purchases they couldn’t otherwise make
Improved food quantity & quality reported by most households
"We used Sarafu to buy water when our borehole dried up," said one respondent from Kilifi. "Otherwise, we would have gone without."
Trust & Community
Sarafu isn’t just economic it’s social. Survey respondents overwhelmingly said Sarafu:
Improved household (70%) and community (74%) relationships
Encouraged more consultation before spending (vs. KES)
Increased community participation (85.7%)
These responses reinforce that Sarafu is a trust-routing system, not a currency… it’s how people coordinate promises, exchange care, and share surplus.
Digital Access & Challenges
While most users have phones, many still access Sarafu via USSD and rely on shared smartphones for web-based features.
Key digital insights:
47% fully understand how Sarafu works
50.8% say they “somewhat understand”
Only 1.5% reported confusion
Sarafu still faces challenges, including rumors, occasional pricing disputes, and connectivity barriers. But community-led debunking and peer support remain strong.
🔍 Sarafu vs Mpesa
When compared with mainstream mobile money:
50% reported challenges using Sarafu
35% reported challenges using Mpesa (a Kenyan eMoney system)
Common Mpesa issues: fees, network errors, lack of liquidity
Sarafu Network and the User Interfaces are not perfect, but it’s free, relational, and offline-first …designed for the needs of real communities. A big focus is on making the system easier to use.
Conclusion: A Growing Economy of Trust
The 2025 survey confirms what our communities already know: Sarafu Network is replacing isolation with care.
Sarafu helps folks account for who’s helping who, how we keep promises, and what we owe each other as neighbors, kin, and stewards of the land.
As we continue to grow, across refugee camps, informal settlements, and village, our root remains here in our heart where trust begins.
“Sarafu.Network is not a market—it’s a memory of trust.”
– Grassroots Economics Foundation
📄 Download Full Survey Report (PDF)
📊 View Dashboard and Data Tools