In Kenya, a TV drama tackling financial inclusion and gender dynamics now reaches over 4.5 million viewers each week.

But the real story behind ‘Maisha Makutano’ is how it was designed. Rather than relying on static personas, Dalberg Design collaborated with The Mediae Company CGAP, Gates Foundation, and The World Bank Group to map ‘pathways’, an approach that tracks how women’s lives, constraints, and aspirations evolve dynamically over time.

Grounding design in long-term trajectories makes visible the critical moments at which solutions are needed. It allows us to move beyond isolated interventions toward more sequenced, coordinated systems of support.

Learn more about the methodology behind the metrics: Pathways to Progress: Designing for How Lives Evolve