Women Micro credit programme

For many years women in our region classify themselves as marginalized since they don't feature in any significant development. Men believe that women are a part of them and therefore don't need to participate per se in any development, which sounds more hypocritical than anything else. Good news, however, for the women in areas supported by Lewa guaranteed.

The idea of a project whose sole beneficiaries would be women was formulated in 2003 and a few months later $10,000 was very kindly donated from Ron McGill the Metro Miami Zoo for the project. Hence from this the programme has grown in reaps.

It was agreed that it was best to run the project as a trust hence the LWC Women Credit Scheme Trust was formed with a board of Trustees.

The purpose of the LWC women credit scheme is to give small loans to women who are members of an established women group for the sole purpose of starting micro enterprises.

Beneficiaries

Three women groups have been identified as the initial beneficiaries of the project i.e:

1. Jane Women Group from Matunda area, south of Lewa
2. Jikoni women group from Matunda area, south of Lewa
3. Umoja Waso Women group from Archer’s Post, Samburu district
4. Subuiga women group from Subuiga area and the groups are being more and more

A financial committee has been appointed to approve / disapprove loan applications and to set policies for the scheme where we meet regularly. 

umoja waso women group

Loan Policies

The following principles are followed when disbursing loans:

1. Money is given in terms of payable loans
2. Money is given to individuals or organized groups on application.  All applicants would pay a one-off non-refundable registration fee.
3. Benefiting members have to be active members of the organized group for 2 years or more.
4. Loans of a maximum of Kshs 100,000 are lent to a particular group at one time.
5. The financial committee approves the amount to be lent, the repayment period and the grace period before repayment.
6. Loans are disbursed in cheque form therefore all beneficiaries open a bank account in their name only to deposit the money.
7. Applicants in each Women Group themselves in fives to guarantee each other and also to police each other.
8. The women are also expected to have savings which they contribute monthly.

We have almost 200 women benefiting from the programme and the numbers are to increase as the programme enlarges. We are currently charging a very minimal interest of 5% to the members

Self-help groups

We have a lot of advisory and mobilization towards good practices. Basically self help groups are there to enable an easy way of technological transfer and educating the rural community. Self-help groups are the key entry points to the various groups and categories of the community at large and are the contact point whenever we want to meet any set goal.

We are currently assisting 8 groups where they comprise of youth groups, women groups and elders groups. We help them in small scales loans e.g. one group we bought a hay bailing machine worth Kshs40, 000 and was allowed to cut grass in Lewa. They made almost 1200 hay bails and sold it to almost Kshs 80,000. They paid the loan and are now independent.