Empower 500 women in economic development in Kenya

In the last three months Uzima Kenya registered another 22 women into the project. To date 492 women have been reached. The new group is in Bungoma County, Western Kenya. These women practise table banking in which women can borrow money to start orimprove on their small-scale businesses. At least each woman has akitchen garden doing very well. They also started a poultry project with 70 local breed chicken. The group invited the Chief Community / Social Development Officer Bungoma County Government. She educated the women on community development.

Outreach continues as more women and their families see the impact of improved nutrition through better farming methods. Women continue to receive training support from Government Extension Agricultural officers. This is the long rains season and farm harvest in most parts is high. Women have been taught various ways of harvesting rainy water such as using water tanks and building dams to store rainwater. The level of nutrition in most families has improved and more children are attending school uninterrupted.

Challenges

Limited funding is still a major problem although the board and women leaders are trying to reach out to elected leaders in Government to try and access project funds from the Government. Some places are experiencing floods which may ruin crops, but women are trying to tap the water in dams as much as they can. The issue of graft is a challenge, but the Government is fighting it and it is reducing. Since any donations from Canada and elsewhere go directly to the women groups the impact of graft has not yet adversely affected the project.