GlobalGiving.org: 800 Microloans for poor women in rural East Africa

WMI's Year in Review

Robyn Nietert — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:46:52 GMT

Borrower Progress: 2011 was a year of many accomplishments for the women in the WMI loan program. Here is a quick review of their progress:

· 99% of Borrowers doubled their income in the first 6 months of joining the loan program;

· 100% of Borrowers increased savings;

· 75% of Borrowers transitioning to independent loans report they are earning at least $3,600/year; 40% are generating very large annual incomes of over $6,000/year; and, a startling 10% are earning over $8,000/year.

· 75% of Borrowers have acquired additional farm animals;

· 99% of Borrowers have improved their household meals;

· 85% of Borrowers have improved their business skills;

· 20% of borrowers have begun to hire employees to help with their businesses;

· 97% of borrowers indicate the loan program is having a positive impact on their family.

Loan Program Expansion: During 2011, WMI expanded the loan program dramatically. By the end of the last loan quarter of the year, WMI had funded its 4,000th loan. A total of over $550,000 has been lent since WMI launched in 2008. A complete table of WMI's lending history is available on the web site at: http://www.wmionline.org/Borrower-Loan-Summary-October-2011.pdf.

Loan hubs were added in Konokoya and Gulu, Uganda as well as Shikokho, Kenya. Additionally, all preliminary site work was completed on the ground to launch a new hub in Tanzania in January 2012. WMI's Local Director, Olive Wolimbwa, and a dedicated team of experienced trainers from Buyobo, Uganda visit all new loan hubs, train the first borrowers,and orient the Head Co-coordinators. Sometimes this means an arduous two day journey using erratic public transportation; but, the peer-to peer transfer of knowledge is crucial to the success of the loan program. As the staff in these new loan hubs becomes more experienced, they in turn will be able to go out to mentor loan hubs added in the future.

Local Capacity Building: WMI is not just about loans. The program builds human capacity in the villages where it operates:

· Twenty new trainers went through the World Bank developed "Training-to-Train" program, increasing WMI's capacity to effectively train new borrowers;

· Advanced business planning training for experienced borrowers was arranged throughCarmelo Cocuzza at FinAfrica in Kampala;

· Three new classrooms were constructed at Buyobo Primary School with volunteer donations, villager support and intern labor;

· A Bun and Tea Program for the teachers at Buyobo Primary School entered its second year;

· Vestergaard Fransden donated 100 treated mosquito nets to WMI;

· Reading and math books for 60 students, grades 1 - 6, were delivered to Buyobo Primary from a Williamson, NY school district;

· Fifty-eight boxes of children's books donated by WMI supporters were shipped for free and arrived in Kenya for use by village children in WMI's Siaya loan hub;

· Thousands of eyeglasses were donated to the larger Buyobo community through intern collection efforts;

Bank Partners: PostBank Uganda has proven to be an excellent banking partner for the transition to independence program. It has worked closely with WMI's Local Director and loan hub team to streamline operations and make certain that the ladies transitioning to bank loans understand the banking process. WMI is now working with Co-Operative Bank in Kenya to put a transition program in place for the ladies graduating to bank loans in the Kenya loan hubs starting in 2012.

Loan Program Accountability/Inpact/Validation: Though small, WMI has run a very structured program since its inception. In 2011, we continued to survey borrowers on a regular basis and analyze that data so that we remain accountable for program operations and so that we can measure loan program impact. This year we expanded the fact book analysis and supplemented it with a presentation on the transition to independent banking program and a 3-year comparison of borrower baseline data. http://www.wmionline.org/dataanalysis/profile/profile.html

Financial Support: WMI continued to expand support from foundations, corporations, giving circles and other non-profits. This year WMI was very gratified to receive a pledge of support from The Greater Contribution, a non-profit located in northern California. WMI works closely with TGC's president, Karon Wright, who has organized a 2012 trip to Uganda for herself and other TGC supporters so that they can witness the WMI loan program in action. In 2011, TGC generously contributed $50,000 to WMI.

The IMF Civic Fund, Towards Sustainability Foundation, Boeing Company and Global Giving all issued major follow up grants to WMI. Additionally, the US Ambassador's Fund issued a major grant to install solar power in the WMI building in Buyobo. In the fall of 2011, Greenlight Appareljoined the WMI team, pledging 12.5% of its profits to WMI (see separate article). In 2011, WMI became eligible for the Federal Combined Giving Campaign and participated in presentations and charity fairs at a number of federal agencies. Individuals distinguish themselves year after year as the mainstay of WMI's financial support. This year two people made extremely generous donations to WMI of $15,000 or more.

Honored with an annual cocktail party (a highlight of the WMI fundraising season), the WMI 500 - a group of women pledging $250 a year to WMI for at least 2 years - expanded its membership role in 2011 resulting in contributions of over $15,000 to WMI. (If you'd like to join just email:staudaher@verizon.net). Other giving circles were formed as well. Donna Boxer of Chevy Chase, MD and her colleagues formed a giving circle that has pledged $3,500 a year to WMI for 3 years and a contribution of $2,200 for a fourth year. Amy Berger marshaled a $750 donation from her book club in Vermont. Sally Kelly organized successful "friendraisers" at her home. (To find out how to host one, email: salkelly@earthlink.net)

Beth Tomasello, Alison Ewing, Kathy Staudaher, Lisa Mitnick and Vicki Dorman represented WMI at local gift fairs and community events to raise over $2,500. The WMI Holiday Tribute Card was also a big hit this year, raising not only funds for WMI but raising general awareness of our mission. Individuals honored are listed on the web site on the WMI Tribute List.http://www.wmionline.org/WMI-Holiday-Tribute-List.pdf

WMI's strategy in 2011 was to seek partners to affiliate with particular loan hubs so that there would be multiple avenues of support for funding loans and developing administrative capacity in the hubs. This has worked extremely well as WMI counted as partners: Arlington Academy of Hope,Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, BIDE, Barbara Wybar and the Budduda Vocational Centre,Judy Lane and the Maasi Sustainability Initiative, Mpambarra-Cox Foundation, East Africa Center for Progressive Development, Child Development Organization (Uganda), and Laikepia Community Empowerment Centre.

These divergent streams of support converged into a mighty river in 2011: WMI has raised $190,000this year. This is $20,000 more than in 2010! These funds were truly a godsend for the women and families WMI serves: $190,000 goes a long way in the developing world. It was put to work effectively and efficiently by WMI's volunteer board and the dedicated local staff in the loan hubs (You can read about the local staff online at:http://www.wmionline.org/who/coordinators/local_coordinators.html)

Internships/Volunteers: WMI's unique economic model and collaborative structure drew increasing numbers of interns and volunteers who generously donated their time, effort and talents to improve loan program operations both in Buyobo and here in Bethesda.

Outstanding contributions were made by the eight Walt Whitman High School interns who traveled to Buyobo, Uganda this past summer. The trip so inspired them that five of these committed young adults are returning to Buyobo again in the summer of 2012 with a new group of Whitman students chaperoned by teacher Bob Mathis.

A dynamic group of college interns and recent graduates played an important role in strengthening WMI's infrastructure in Buyobo in 2011. Eva Stevenson, Jacklyn Vouthouris, Erin Kelly and Ida Stuve each spent over a month in the village working on projects as disparate as sketching the wall murals for the new school rooms, revamping the loan hub budget and expense reporting system, and shooting top quality video biographies of WMI borrowers. John Finch volunteered in Buyobo to interview villagers and prepare a booklet about Buyobo and the impact of the loan program (see separate article). Local capacity for the loan program was increased enormously by the dedicated work of WMI's Project Directors Montana Stevenson and Ainsley Morris, who rounded out 9 months of service in the field in July 2011. Their efforts resulted in the publication of a WMI Banking Manual, which is proving to be a valuable resource for the loan program.http://www.wmionline.org/Banking_Manual_FINAL.pdf

Not to be outdone, 10 high school and college students interned with WMI in Bethesda during the summer of 2011. They entered and analyzed data and produced the annual Fact Books on the loan program's impact. http://www.wmionline.org/dataanalysis/profile/profile.html. Additionally,Elizabeth Robbins, a senior at American University interned with WMI during the fall of this year.

On all fronts, 2011 was a marvelous year of loan program growth, internal development and increased financial support for WMI.

Links:

Meet Alice Monje & Her Life Transforming Chickens!

Robyn Nietert — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:06:00 GMT

Robyn Nietert and Alice at her gradution ceremony

In our newest installment in the Meet WMI Borrowers video series, we introduce you to Alice Monje, a mother of nine, whose WMI loan enabled her to start a poultry business that has transformed her family and her future. Alice lives in rural Buyobo, Uganda and was one of our first borrowers. She has now graduated from the WMI program and trasitioned to PostBank Uganda where she has an independent loan of $750 USD!

Take 3 minutes to check in with Alice, meet her family, and see how the chickens have created cash flow.

Links:

2011 WMI FACT BOOKS DOCUMENT THE LOAN PROGRAM

Robyn Nietert — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:26:47 GMT

After many long hours of hard work by 10 college interns this summer, and supervision by project directors Montana Stevenson and Ainsley Morris, the 2011 WMI fact books have been finalized and posted on the WMI web site. The fact books document the loan program impact and the results continue to be impressive. They also provide an in-depth profile of the demographic characteristics of WMI borrowers on a village by village basis.

WMI 2011 Fact Books

Quick Demographic Profile:

An astounding 90% of first time borrowers live on less than 50 cents per day when they enter the WMI loan program. The World Bank defines poverty as living on less than $2 a day, and "extreme poverty" as living on less than $1.25 a day.
90% of borrowers reported having less than $25 in savings at the time of their first loan.
Over 90% of borrowers lived in homes with dirt floors.
Only 5% of borrowers used electricity as their source of light.
Less than 50% of borrowers had mosquito nets for all household members.
The majority of borrowers have 4 or more children and additionally care for children who are not their own (many orphaned by AIDS).

Because WMI collected the data separately in each loan hub, it is now able to compare the information from the different hubs. For instance, in the Bumwalukani loan hub in Bududa District, Uganda over two-thirds of first time borrowers are living on less than 10 cents per day. That's one-fifth of the amount of some of the other hub locations. The ability to compare statistics gives WMI opportunities to tailor the loan program to the specific needs of different loan hubs.

The best news is that the loan program impact surveys demonstrate enormous gains by WMI borrowers after just 6 months in the loan program:

The number of borrowers living on less that 50 cents per day dropped from 90% to just 5%.
Almost 100% of borrowers reported saving regularly and listed their top three reasons for saving as: emergencies, healthcare, and businesses expansion.
Nearly 75% of borrowers have more mosquito nets after their loans.
100% of borrowers report an improvement in their business skills since receiving their first loans.
Almost 100% of borrowers report that the loan program has had a positive impact on their lives.

The complete loan program impact fact books are posted on the WMI web site. Check them out!

Loan Program Impact Fact Book - Buyobo, Uganda

Loan Program Impact fact Book - Siaya, Kenya

For the first time, WMI was able to prepare a comparison of baseline data from information gathered from baseline surveys of borrowers over a three year time span. The data show that the general living standards of borrowers when they enter the loan program are fairly consistent over the 3 year period. This data implies that there are no external forces or circumstances in the villages or local economy that are resulting in improvements in the general living standards of local residents. It substantiates that improvements in borrowers' living standards after they enter the loan program are attributable to their businesses and not outside factors. Comparison Fact Book.

Links:

WMI's Summer Activities

Robyn Nietert — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:37:46 GMT

Nalini teaches math

Summer is a busy and productive time for WMI, both in Buyobo and at its headquarters in Bethesda, MD. For the second summer in a row, high school interns volunteered in Buyobo, Uganda with the WMI loan program. They painted the classrooms in the new primary school buildings that last year's high school interns helped construct. Their wall designs ranged from a detailed map of Africa to the solar system. The interns taught math and English to students in grades P6 and P7 (the equivalent of sixth and seventh grades).

Through the generosity of its donors, WMI collected 500 pairs of eyeglasses in May, which the interns sorted by prescription and distributed to the teachers and borrowers in the loan program. WMI in Buyobo also welcomed George Washington University anthropology professor, John Finch, who helped improve the WMI Internet Café, which serves the village and which was started by last year’s high school interns. He interviewed village elders and is preparing a history of Buyobo and written record of how the WMI loan program has changed the economic opportunities for families in the district. Jackie Vourthius, a 2010 business major from UMD spent several months in the village teaching WMI’s local director how to automate loan program documents. Erin Kelly, a 2010 UMich graduate, is in Buyobo through July interviewing borrowers and making a short documentary film about their businesses. She is assisted by Ida Stuve, a third year student at University of Ediburugh in Scotland. In Bethesda, 8 college inters are analyzing borrower data and preparing an updated fact book on loan program impact, while two high school interns are updating the web site and researching micro finance issues.

On the expansion front, WMI is excited to announce the addition of a new loan hub in Shikokho, Kenya. Two more loan hubs (in Gulu and Kisese, Uganda) are on the horizon. Their addition will bring WMI’s total loan hubs to 10 in the next six months. All of the new hubs will be affiliated with existing community based organizations already operating in rural villages outside of the main towns in these areas. This helps ensure a solid local infrastructure to support new borrowers and ensure that the local women administering the program have sponsors right in the village who can provide input and guidance. The WMI loan program is thriving and expanding because of generous public support and WMI is so grateful to all of its donors. With your help, we are changing the face of poverty, one loan at a time.

Heidi talks to a child

Launch of Shikokho Loan Hub

Sorting through eyeglasses

New WMI Video!

Robyn Nietert — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:03:22 GMT

Using footage from both Uganda and Kenya, WMI's new video - Building The Road Out of Poverty - shows the WMI loan program in action. Please take a couple minutes to check out the video on YouTube, which can be accessed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kA7bEgnYro

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Update from Uganda!

Robyn Nietert — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:16:14 GMT

WMI just completed its 2011 trip to East Africa to review the progress of loan program operations. The results were just terrific - the village level loan programs are running smoothly under the guidance of WMI's Local Director, Olive Wolimbwa, and her team at the Bulambuli Widow's Association (BWA). Women's businesses are growing steadily larger and the local economy has expanded noticeably in the villages where WMI operates. A full report on the visit will be posted shortly.

Colleen Rossier in Buyobo, January, 2011

Colleen Rossier, a 2010 graduate from UVA with a degree in environmental science travelled to Uganda in January 2011 for a 3 week internship with the WMI loan programme. She joined Montana Stevenson and Ainsley Morris who have been in Uganda since the end of September working with the ladies on their transition to independent banking and preparing a banking manual. Colleen currently works for the US Department of Agriculture and was especially interested in local farming techniques, animal husbandry, and environmental stewardship. Click here to see a slideshow of her visit including many shots of the WMI loan program in action and village life.

http://wmionline.org/intern/Colleens-Powerpoint-Buyobo-January-2011-web.pdf

Must see Uganda Photos!

Robyn Nietert — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:42:13 GMT

Prisca Mafabi and Her Motorbike

If you haven’t already done so, take a minute to look at the latest blog post from the field on the WMI web site and you will see the smiling faces of some of the first Buyobo Motorbike Ladies posing with their hogs. http://wmionline.wordpress.com/. That’s right! WMI loans have empowered women to start buying motorbikes so that they can solve one of the most intractable problems rural businesswomen face: lack of reliable transportation. Rather than waiting for the government to provide a reliable transportation infrastructure, WMI borrowers are earning enough money to start taking matters into their own hands. The motorbikes are economical and can handle the rugged terrain. Women use them to transport goods, search for suppliers and markets, and provide transport to other borrowers who need it. The Buyobo Motorbike ladies are providing a resource for the entire village.

You will smile when you see how proud these women are of their accomplishment. Like Priscia Mafabi, with one hand on her cell phone, and the other balancing her motorbike, you can see that she is definitely taking care of business!

Joy Nangoye and Her Motorbike

Olive Nangoli and Her Motorbike

Links:

WMI Blog

WMI Blog--Updated by WMI Interns in Uganda and Kenya!

Robyn Nietert — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 22:18:14 GMT

This fall Montana Stevenson and Ainsley Morris will be in Uganda and Kenya working on WMI projects for 4 months, starting at the end of September. WMI has asked them to blog once a week about their experiences. They will be traveling all the way to Kable in southwestern Uganda to launch new loan programs and as far as Nyahururu in central Kenya to visit existing ones. In between, they will interview borrowers and their families, conduct trainings, and meet with PostBank staff to develop a written manual on transitioning to independent banking. Share their insights, photos and videos during this exciting 4 month journey on the new WMI blog at:

http://wmionline.wordpress.com/

A link to the blog also appears in the header on the WMI web site.

You can post comments on the blog, so please let them hear from you while they are out in the field! They will really welcome feedback from WMI supporters while they are away.

Links:

WMI Blog

July/August 2010 Update!

Robyn Nietert — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:15:17 GMT

The Walt Whitman High School Interns in Buyobo, UG

As the summer comes to a close, we want to share some of the exciting events that happened at WMI during the past few months.

First off, the Walt Whitman High School interns from Bethesda, MD returned August 16 from their three-week trip to Buyobo, Uganda and the surrounding area! Just a few of their accomplishments include: successfully setting up the Internet café in Buyobo with 10 computers donated by Discovery Communications; constructing the foundation for three new classrooms for Buyobo Primary School; teaching local school children; undertaking an educational survey with primary students in Kabale on behalf of the Mpambarra-Cox Foundation; and meeting with local representatives, WMI staff members, and borrowers.

The interns also had the opportunity to go on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, take a gorilla trek, and tour the Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary, the only research facility for injured and trafficked chimpanzees.

While the interns are still organizing their videos and photos to be uploaded to the WMI website, take a look at this short PowerPoint presentation to get an idea of the terrific contribution these young adults have made to rural communities in Uganda. WMI is grateful for their intrepid spirit, hard-work and enthusiasm! http://wmionline.org/newsupdates/WMI-Uganda-Trip.pdf

Additionally, the Bethesda-based WMI interns ended their hectic summer with the successful completion of three in-depth Fact Books that document the impact of the loan program and four research papers that highlight improvements in critical areas.

Based on data collected over the past two and half years from over 400 WMI borrowers, the interns were able to prepare Fact Books that provide an intimate portrait of WMI borrowers and an accurate assessment of how the loan program has transformed their lives. Check out the Fact Books on the WMI web site—we think you will be surprised and extremely gratified by the significant in-roads the loan program has made in combating rural poverty in East Africa. http://wmionline.org/dataanalysis/profile/profile.html

The summer interns also sifted through two years of reports prepared by WMI Local Coordinators after monthly visits to borrowers’ businesses or homes, who take note of: family health and welfare; domestic relations; business operations, progress and challenges; as well as the status of the borrower’s book keeping. After analyzing the data from the LCRs, the interns prepared papers on four critical areas that have been significantly impacted by the WMI loan program: Gender Relations; Child Development; Health; and Business Operations.

The papers can also be found at: http://wmionline.org/dataanalysis/profile/profile.html

The three new pilot loan programs launched in April in Bududa, UG and Siaya and Ol Moran, KY have been operating smoothly, with 100% loan repayment, and very efficient Local Coordinators, all of whom have requested the addition of follow on loan groups. Responding to the borrowers’ excellent performance and to the local demand, in July WMI added a new loan group in each of Bududa and Siaya. A new loan group will be added in Ol Moran in October. With their excellent track records, two new groups will be added to each of Bududa and Siaya in October.

We hope this update gives you an idea of the enormous impact the loan program is having on the lives of hundreds of families formerly living in poverty in rural villages in East Africa. Thank you for your continued support that has allowed us to expand WMI’s footprint and reach more women and families with life-transforming loans and training.

Links:

WMI Expands Loans to Poor Women in Africa in 2010

Robyn Nietert — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:58:53 GMT

The WMI building completed in summer 2009

Greetings: Great news—WMI is on the move in 2010! We have just updated our project on the Global Giving website in order to reflect the expansion of the WMI loan program to new rural villages in Uganda and now Kenya. So, our project title has changed to “600 Microloans for poor women in rural East Africa” to include our newest borrowers. In the future, we hope to add villages in Rwanda and Tanzania so that we begin to cover rural areas in all of East Africa. This Project Report includes information on the new Kenyan outreach so you can understand more about the rural women we serve and the challenges they face. Thank you for your generous support which has made such a difference in the lives of these women, their families, and the villages where they live.

Background: As you may know, WMI was started in Buyobo, Uganda in 2008 with 20 loans. Through ongoing fundraising, WMI has established a $175,000 revolving loan fund and issued over 1,200 loans to impoverished women living in over 60 rural villages in Kenya and Uganda. The women we serve are 100% committed to the loan program and have maintained a 100% repayment rate over the past two and a half years. This is a truly remarkable accomplishment and has allowed them to take control of their lives and vastly improve their living standards.

In addition to loans, WMI also empowers women through training in business management, record keeping, and financial planning (budgeting and saving). This allows women to transition from a 24-month loan period with WMI, to WMI’s Transition to Independence Program, which guarantees a loan through PostBank Uganda for one year. After completing WMI’s 36-month loan cycle, the women are able to enter the formal economy through independent banking.

Transition to Independence Program: WMI’s Transition to Independence Program is unique in rural microfinance. After 24 months in the WMI program, successful borrowers are promoted to the innovative Transition Fund, receiving a $500 loan for a one-year term, directly from PostBank. The bank loans are guaranteed by WMI’s interest-bearing deposit - the interest is retained on deposit to cover any defaults. Borrowers who make their Transition Fund loan payments on a timely basis graduate to independent banking.

This progression to independent banking in a 36-month cycle is fully sustainable once initially funded, and continues in perpetuity to graduate experienced rural businesswomen into the formal economy at the same rate loans are issued to new borrowers. Once a woman moves on to the Transition Fund, her loan funds are recycled to a first-time borrower. This allows WMI to focus capital on first-time loans.

Updates: The year began with a celebratory graduation of the first 20 recipients of WMI loans, who moved on to the first loans from PostBank Uganda in January. The women are now halfway through their year-long bank loan term and are doing great. The guest of honor for the January ceremony was the Hon. Nathan Nandala Mafabi, the Member of Parliament for the Budadiri West District, which encompasses Buyobo. The women were thrilled to have their charismatic government representative share their accomplishment of moving on to commercial banking.

In April 2010, another 20 women in the WMI loan program moved on to their year-long PostBank loans. In July, 40 more women will join them. The WMI Transition to Independence Program is in full swing. PostBank has welcomed the WMI borrowers into their customer fold and traveled to Buyobo to take their loan applications and help them open their bank accounts. The monies used to fund the loans for these graduates are now being recycled to provide new loans for first time borrowers. Buyobo’s WMI loan program is well on its way to becoming self-sustaining.

This summer, 14 interns from Walt Whitman High School (Bethesda, Maryland), will travel to Buyobo, with Montana Stevenson (WMI’s first intern) to set up an internet café and provide computer training using laptops donated by Discovery Communications. Discovery also provided a grant to electrify the building WMI constructed in Buyobo last spring and we are pleased to report that the electrification has been accomplished. In addition to being a commuity center, the building also houses a Children’s Library, which will receive another 1,000 books this summer, all collected in Bethesda. The interns will also bring with them 600 math and reading textbooks for grades K-6, donated by the Williamsport School District in New York. The Buyobo program also has two student interns from Makerere University in Kampala who will volunteer with the WMI loan program this summer.

2010 Expansions: WMI, building on its success in Uganda, expanded to two new villages in Kenya this spring. Women in Siaya received their first sets of loans in April, and women in the village of Ol Moran received their first set of loans in June.

A Quick Look at the Villages

Siaya: Representatives from the two new villages in Kenya traveled 9 hours over dusty roads to visit Buyobo in January and see the WMI loan program in action. They were extremely impressed with the level of involvement of the village women in administering the program. Then, Olive Wolimbwa and two additional seasoned borrowers, along with WMI President Robyn Nietert, traveled to Siaya, Kenya to meet the new borrowers to whom WMI extended loans in April 2010. The Siaya ladies were enthusiastic and well organized. We believe they will be excellent borrowers.

Siaya, Kenya is home to President Obama's grandmother, Sarah Obama, who is a long time local activist. The women organizing the Siaya self-help group had grown up with her and arranged for a meeting with the WMI contingent. She was extremely interested in the loan program and cautioned against issuing loans without training. Of course, training is a critical component of the WMI loan program!

In Siaya district the population is largely rural with women forming almost 70% of the population. The causes of poverty in this area are diverse, but poor soil fertility is a major problem. The main activity is farming with women forming 80% of the farm work force, but own less that 1% of the family wealth, because land ownership is male dominated. Another challenge facing women in the Siaya district is HIV/AIDS. The district currently has over 40,000 orphan children. There are more than 5,000 child-headed households in the district. So, the women in the district spend most of their productive hours caring for the sick and the elderly.

The Siaya loan group, called SIKABU Self-Help, is composed of women who have been volunteering with AIDS orphan programs in the villages. They are extremely motivated and we believe they will be responsible borrowers. Ol Moran: Fran Cotter-Weaver, a WMI volunteer, had been working with a women’s group in Ol Moran, Kenya for the past ten years and traveled there in April to investigate the possibility of launching a WMI loan program. Ol Moran is in Laikipia West District, a rich agricultural land, west of Mount Kenya. It is the pre-colonial home for the Kikuyu (the largest tribe in Kenya), Kalenjin, Samburu, and Turkana.

The Nga’ru division is home to Ol Moran, an area with a population of 15,000 with women accounting for about 52% of the population. Out of this number, 20% of the women are single mothers and widows. More than 75% of the people in Ol Moran live on less than a dollar a day. Economic activity of Ol Moran is mainly agricultural, focusing on subsistence farming and cattle herding. The majority of women work as casual farm laborers, while educated women work as schoolteachers, nurses, and social workers. Some women engage in commercial sex as a source of income.

The name of the local loan group in Ol Moran is Ol Moran Women Heroes, which accurately describes the members. In the face of great adversity, they are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, and the WMI loan program will give them that opportunity.

Fundraising efforts: Run by volunteers and boasting very low overhead, the vast percentage of all WMI donations are cycled directly into the loan program. WMI’s efficient operation is continuing to attract an expanding pool of donors and WMI relies on these donations to operate the loan program. WMI hosted its annual potluck dinner in May, which raised over $15,000 for the women in Uganda and Kenya. At the potluck dinner, a representative from the IMF announced the award of a $10,000 grant this summer to WMI in order to implement its Transition to Independence Program. WMI has also received grants from a variety of non-profit organizations, including The Greater Contribution and the Towards Sustainability Foundation.

Going Forward: The WMI program is working. It is enabling women to break the cycle of poverty through their own hard work and determination. Women have been able to save money from their businesses and put it towards school fees, food, business expansion, medical care, and emergencies. WMI has also enabled the women to purchase fuel-efficient stoves and mosquito nets.

In April 2010, WMI also launched another loan program in Uganda, this time in Bumwalukani in the Bududa district. That program is supported in part by the Arlington Academy of Hope, a model school in the area. Two pilot programs in the Ugandan villages of Konakoya and Tororo are next in line to be launched.

It all depends on you! Thank you for your continued support of WMI! Our projects truly impact the lives of women in rural East Africa and provide them with the means to support themselves and their families in the formal economy. Your donation has facilitated the implementation of the loan program and other community development initiatives, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue expanding with your support.

Robyn Nietert, WMI Pres., helps with 2010 loans

The WMI staff with Robyn Nietert

Kids checking out books at their new library

Blue Group leads the parade of borrowers

PostBank comes to collect loan applications

Women arriving to pick up PostBank loans

Links:

Women's Microfinance Initiative

Robyn Nietert — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:15:34 GMT

The new building opens its doors to the Buyobo community.

The loan program is continuing to expand rapidly and currently has over $60,000 in outstanding loans to women in 50 rural villages around Mbale, UG. The loan repayment rate is 100%. Local Coordinators visit the borrowers on a rotating basis to talk about their businesses. We thought you might like to hear about some of their reports on the borrowers' progress:

NABAFU PHOEBE – BLUE (TAILORING)

"The business is growing, there is new stock but she says the customers are scarce. nevertheless she is hopeful that in the next month when the harvesting coffee begins and as we draw near to Iddi day and x-mass time she will be having more. The family health is good and family helps in minding the home and the elder son helps in marketing. He moves round with pieces of clothes so that those interested may buy on the price he’s instructed. Phoebe says the loan programme has benefited her a lot, she has been able to acquire furniture (chairs), and mattress and she pays school fees without stress, all this is from her profit. The book keeping has been managed."

NAMAROME ALLEN – BLUE (PRODUCE AND SHOP)

"Both businesses are running smoothly Allen is involved much in the buying of maize and the husband helps in shop keeping. She says when the maize season will be over she will be trading in coffee. The family health is good and living happily. The WMI programme has helped her in meeting school dues and improving on the standard of living for this reason she is happy and appreciative for the programme. Record keeping is being handled properly."

ALLEN NAMBOZO – LIGHT BLUE (SHOP)

"The business is doing well. She says she has been staggering in the first weeks but as per now she is stabilizing. Her shop is new in the community where by she did not have the customers and did not have the experience in managing a shop. She says the knowledge given during the training helped her a great deal and she is grate full for the work WMI has done for her. She says she begun slowly using the skills taught and she is improving day after day. She says, long live WMI. The family health is good and she has a plan of involving the elder daughter so that when she is away the daughter can help her."

WMI is very fortunate to have 2 interns in Buyobo for 6 weeks to work on educational issues and tutoring. They are Margot Vandervossen, who just graduated from Leiden University with a degree in International Relations, and Brian Miller, who is in the Master's in Education program at Binghamton University in NY.

Business success and education go hand in hand. The interns are tutoring village children who are on school break and recommending improvements to the daily school program, as well as adult education options.

WMI shipped 1,000 donated children's book to the village in November. Margot and Brian reported that hundreds of children turned out to watch them unpack the books and shelve them in the library the women have started in the building WMI constructed this past spring. There were big smiles all around.

In October, WMI hosted a World Bank Training to Train program in Buyobo. Ten village women met for 3 days of intensive business training. They live in the villages alongside borrowers and will be able to provide ongoing business training to ladies in the loan program.

I will be traveling to Uganda in January, 2010 and will interview several local widow's associations and community outreach groups that have asked for WMI's help in starting a microloan program. Next year we are looking forward to launching even more rural women on their way to establishing businesses, including a group in Kenya.

The loan program has had a profound impact on borrowers’ lives. It has allowed them to improve the standard of living for their entire family in a very short period of time. WMI has posted results from its semi-annual borrower surveys on its web site: wmionline.org

Thank you for your ongoing support of WMI's microloan program. With your help, we are changing the face of poverty, one loan at a time.

Buyohildren reading from the donated books in the new building.

Links:

Attachments:

Margot helps a borrower record a payment in her account book. (DOC)

Postcard from WMI

Alexis Nadin and Brian Banks — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:54:55 GMT

Alexis and Brian visited this project on May 7th, 2009. They write:

The first thing we noticed about WMI was the brilliant smiles and joyous expressions on the faces of the nearly 200 women who greeted us. Shortly after our arrival, we were whisked off to see how construction is coming on the soon to be opened WMI office. This space, funded in part by GlobalGIving, will provide an office for WMI, a location for loan disbursement, and a much needed meeting space to replace the tent they now use. We paraded, en masse, out of the hall and down the main street to see the borrowers’ businesses. With nearly 200 women, parade is no overstatement; there was singing, dancing, and even crowds lining the street to watch the commotion. We tasted chapatti (a local snack) at one woman’s restaurant, we eyed the selection of another woman’s used clothing store, we peered into yet another woman’s general store, and so much more. All of these businesses have benefitted from the loans GlobalGiving has supported.

In talking to several of the women, we began to see the impact GlobalGiving funding has had on their lives. Camida Wasukira, one of the first women to receive a loan from WMI, runs a restaurant with her husband. In January of 2008, she took her first loan of just $100. She invested her loan in her business, and doubled her monthly income. She has reinvested some of her business’ profits by buying a cow, whose milk she uses in her restaurant. Aside from newly started savings, the rest of her profits have benefitted her family. Her 4 children used to go to school barefoot and hungry. Today, she is able to pay school fees, purchase shoes, and feed her children three nutritious meals a day. Other women told us they can now afford medications for their children, employ others (in so doing extend the impact of WMI), and for the first time in their lives, they can even buy personal items, such as shampoo. There is no doubt that WMI is making a substantial impact in the lives of these women, and through them, their community as a whole.

During our visit we came to find that WMI is a very special organization. Unlike many similar projects, WMI provides valuable training on saving, record keeping, and budgeting. The success of the organization can be seen in their 100% repayment rate among the 200 members. WMI hopes to expand their program, and provide these invaluable loans to many more women. Be sure to keep your eyes out as they post more on GlobalGiving.

When asked what they would tell their friends about this project, Alexis and Brian said, “Incredible: You need to see this!”

Trip to Uganda - progress of borrowers

Robyn G. Nietert — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:02:43 GMT

Olive Wolimbwa, WMI Manager,leads the borrowers in song

In a January 2009 trip to Uganda, WMI Board Member Trix Vandervossen and I visited many of the borrowers in the WMI loan program and also issued another round of loans. We have much good news to report!

At the end of March, WMI will have 200 borrowers and all of their businesses are thriving. We toured individual business operations and talked and ate with virtually every borrower in the program. They are so proud of their progress. Many of them showed us their records and were extremely proud of their book keeping. They are using their profits to buy medicine, pay school fees, improve their households and expand their businesses. Entire families help with the businesses the women have created. Most are requesting even larger follow up loans every 6 moths to expand their businesses. The women were clearly self-confident and determined to succeed.

WMI is concentrating on expanding the loan program to first time borrowers in near-by villages so that the cycle of poverty can be broken for more and more women in rural Uganda. WMI broke ground on a small building in the villages it serves, and with this permanent home WMI will be able to increase its lending operations. WMI borrowers reside in over a dozen villages and will hopefully spread throughout the entire Sironko District in 2009.

WMI still maintains a 100% loan repayment rate. For these women, their word is their bond, and they have honored their pledge to repay and to cross-guarantee each other's loans. The enormous effectiveness of microloans in combating chronic poverty is clearly visible throughout Buyobo, Uganda. It is a humbling experience to be welcomed into the lives of the women of Buyobo and to be part of a program that is changing the face of poverty one loan at a time.

WMI Board Member, Trix Vandervossen, helps fill out loan forms

Kamida Wosukira, WMI borrower, caters lunch for a group meeting

Links:

Slide show of WMI loan program in action, Uganda 2009