As part of SI Centenary celebrations, (re)discover every month a project from the last ten years, carried out by SIE Unions and clubs.
Soroptimist Union of Kenya - SI Club of Milimani
The SI Club of Milimani was involved in reshaping women’s livelihood following the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya. Their aim was to enhance women’s capacity to acquire and promote entrepreneurial skills and start generating their own income. The Milimani Club began by rebuilding 40 women’s houses and businesses which were destroyed in the conflict. The initial project involved providing the funding of Ksh 23,000 to achieve this goal (of which they were expected to repay Ksh 50 every week, over a period of 5 months). However, over the past few years, the Club has been able to provide much more than just financial support.
Following the Soroptimist mission of advancing women’s empowerment, the Club of Milimani not only provided these women with funds to rebuild their homes and businesses, they also administered business management training to improve their competencies and teach them how to run a formal business within the requirements of the law. Forty women over a two-year period (2008-2010) proved that they were capable of running sustainable small-scale businesses; the Club had a 95% repayment rate. Thanks to the Club’s efforts, these women are now able to cater for their families’ living expenses, contribute towards their daughters’ secondary education, and maintain the homes that the Club had rebuilt. The Club is now seeking to obtain legal registration under a microfinance institution. This will hopefully enable the project to access further financing, incorporate more women, and expand more businesses.
