Empowering Resource Poor Women Through Micro-loan.

Dear friends,

On behalf of our beneficiaries allow me to wish you a late happy new year. I am sure you are very keen to know the impact of your much-appreciated donations late last year. Just before our project, Empowering Resource Poor Women Through Micro-loan went live on the globalgiving website, we used our existing resources to start a pilot microloan project. We provided a limited amount of money to five women to start a business of their choice. With advice and guidance from our project coordinator, the ladies opened a small shop in which they sell fruits, vegetables and other items of clothing.Their enthusiasm to make their business succeed with the limited funds and in a challenging business environment have made us more determined to support them and many other women who are in similar situations.

The pilot project has given us the opportunity to refine our training programmes, develop our monitoring and evaluation tools and establish contacts with Mandera county government's department of trade. We hope to nurture our relationship with the county government so that women who are benefiting from our project could access other services such as adult literacy classes and further financial support for their business.

Currently, we are in the process of selecting twenty-five women who will also receive between £340 -£400. The women will be in groups of five. Once selected, they will be supported to register their group with the department of social services, open a bank account and elect their leaders. After providing them with general business training, they will be supported to generate business ideas. The type of business they will choose will be determined by their actual business experience, their confidence and, of course, the small amount of loan involved. We shall respect and support their choice of business line.

Thank you for 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. I am very excited about this project, and I hope you will continue lending us your support along the way. Thank you for making such a dream a possible reality.