Strengthening Communities through Micro Finance
Project Humanity is seeking to strengthen communities by enabling the men and women on Rusinga Island to start their own businesses through a microfinance strategy. Microfinancing is a source of financial servicing in areas where access to traditional banking is limited or non-existent and has become a viable option for assisting to tackle poverty.
In 2014, Project Humanity entered in an agreement with Weba International for the development of a microfinance program on Rusinga Island in southwest Kenya. Based in Nairobi, Weba International is a consulting firm that works to support local and international microfinance institutions to access needed resources and technical expertise to assist them to grow effectively and with greater impact. A focus of Weba is to work with grassroots organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in East Africa to identify small business opportunities and to provide the technical expertise and financial literacy training necessary for microfinanced businesses to succeed.
The agreement with Weba International has provided the means for Project Humanity to further meet its goal of women’s empowerment by identifying business opportunities, which can be started through small loans. Initial funding for program was provided through a Chase Community Giving Grant that Project Humanity was awarded in 2013 and through private donations.
Weba International and Project Humanity provided training and established the first Rotating Saving and Credit Association (ROSCA) on Rusing in 2014. Performance of the ROSCA has continued through 2015 and we expect to begin establishing additional ROSCAs in 2016.
Currently 18 small businesses are benefiting from a Project Humanity-sponsored ROSCA on Rusinga Island. With your support we can help even more small businesses owners.