How Kenyan Women are Redefining Micro finance
- By Rebecca Michael
- Jan 17, 2017
- 2 min read
It has been burdensome for many women in Kenya to be able to put food on the table and at the same time pay school fees among other daily and monthly bills. We have heard of children running away from home, not because there is no love but due to a lack of resources to meet basic needs.
In some other cases we witness children walking in the streets selling candies and other perishables in order to help their parents provide basic needs. As one could imagine, it is heart-breaking for a mother to have to depend on her young child to help pay the bills but such is the case in many Kenyan households.
However, they say that there's been a stone for every Goliath. We have seen the rise of most of these women from the dust to the rock. This has happened because of other women seeing the need and coming up with the solution. "The saving programs." There are few organizations that have come up with programs of helping these women save at least $2 per day out of their daily earnings.
Apart from that they get to meet, learn about saving and empowering one another.
These women have been able to save in their groups, bought some kiosks and they are building their businesses. This has been happening in many rural areas in the country where there was a lack of economic opportunity. Childhood literacy has been on an uptick while business ownership among women has also seen improved numbers.
It is important that we recognize the potential for women to realize the promise of economic prosperity and upward mobility via unconventional avenues and be there, as a society to champion and fund these initiatives.
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