Empowering Resource Poor Women Through Micro-loan.

Dear friends,

It has been a very busy start to the year for as at GENCAD International. In our last post, we shared with you, our excitement regarding the successes being achieved by the five women we provided a micro-loan late last year.

It has been six months since and I am glad to report that the ladies have made remarkable progress in their businesses! Would you believe within such a short period of time they have repaid 45% of their loan?  And that their small shop is thriving?.  In addition to Nuria who is in-charge of the shop and Abdia who is selling milk, the other three ladies have also started selling firewood, milk and clothes. Our wise investment is already making a difference to the lives of these five women and their families.

Let me share with you just one story to illustrate the impact you have enabled us to make. 

Nuria's Story

Nuria, the shop keeper for the group has four children under the age of 18 years. Her husband was a casual worker in the town. Since 2014 due to slow economic activities in the town he couldn't find work. Nuria was faced with the harsh reality of providing for the family single-handedly. In the past, Nuria's income from selling milk was able to supplement her husband's income. Since the husband doesn't have an income anymore her previous meagre income from milk sales couldn't have been enough to cover the family's daily needs let alone pay school fees for daughter who is in secondary school. Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters, Nuria was able to keep her daughter in school by using some of the profits generated from the shop.   

Because of the successes we have witnessed, early this month we officially launched the project, Empowering Resource Poor Women Through Micro-Loan. In attendance during the launch was the local member of Mandera County Assembly Hon Warseso. During the launch twenty-five, women were provided the initial loan instalment of Ksh. 15,000 (£110) each. During the presentation, the existing loan recipients (Nuria and her friends) were also invited to share their experiences with the new loan recipients.

Thanks to your generous donations twenty-five women are now economically active or had their existing businesses boosted. Without your support, this wouldn't have been possible. Thank you.

As with the existing women loan beneficiaries, the twenty-five women will receive continuous support from our staff. They will be supported in registering their groups with local social services department. The County Trade and Industries Executive Committee member has promised to work with us to enable these women to access County Trade and Development Funds which is currently been finalised.  We shall continue working with these women so that their groups are ready to handle additional funds.

In addition to the twenty-five women who have received the funds, we have selected further seventy-five women from five villages with the support of the local leaders and the women themselves. They will remain on our books until we have raised adequate funds for disbursement.

Thank you for your generous donations, and I am sure our partnership in this endeavour will see many women on the road to developing a sustainable income for their families. We appreciate your kind support and with your help , we can reach many more women and families. We welcome your suggestions and enquiries in order to better serve this needy segment of our society. Thank you and may God bless you.