A hand up through savings
Overview
Approximately 72% of Kenyans live in rural areas where farming is the primary livelihood. These isolated communities do not have easy access to financial services such as savings or loans. The lack of such financial services makes it nearly impossible for families to escape the cycle of poverty.
Your donations help provide rural farming families in Kenya with saving groups where they can start to save and grow their money.Â
As money is deposited into a collective fund, families will begin to take loans to start new businesses, buy farm inputs, or help in times of crisis.Â
With our local church partner, group members are trained together and support one another. Villages with effective Savings Groups thrive.
Quick Facts
of Kenyans live in rural areas
0
%
saving groups have formed over the last five years
0
individuals have been impacted since 2015
0
Our Projects
In January 2020, Tearfund started a 3-year project to help rural farmers in ten wards of Kibwezi East and West Sub counties of Makueni County. Our goal is to create 240 new village savings and loans groups, which will provide 6,000 members a safe, sustainable way to save and grow their capital. Families will also be trained in conservation agriculture to help them increase their crop output, resulting in higher income.
Project 1
Makueni Savings Groups and Agriculture
Problem
Without access to proper financial services, families cannot start new businesses, expand their farms, or survive emergencies without selling valuable assets. This forces them to resort to loan sharks which keep them in a perpetual cycle of poverty with predatory interest rates.
Challenges
High population, environmental degradation, deforestation, recurring drought, and soil erosion cause food insecurity. In addition, lack of access to good seeds and other farming inputs have significantly reduced crop output. Pests and mould also lead to post-harvest losses.
Activities
Through local church partners, 240 new savings groups will be established, providing 6,000 individuals a place to save and take out loans. Members will also be trained in business skills, women’s empowerment, basic health and nutrition, and gardening. Additionally, 800 farmers will be trained in conservation agriculture to help increase their crop output in the dry region.
Project Details
- Location:Â Makueni County
- Timeframe: January 2020 – March 2023
- Total Budget: $634,736
Outcome
6,800 families will have the tools and training they require to grow their income, save their wealth, and climb out of extreme poverty in a sustainable manner.
Stories of Transformation
A new family
Juliana leads us through patches of wilting maize crops under the hot, Kenyan sun. It hasn’t rained for months, and the air is dry. We walk past patches of small, wilted bean stocks that gently sway in the hot breeze. Suddenly, we turn a corner behind Juliana’s thatch-roofed home and enter a lush, green patch of land brimming with healthy crops.
Expanding the great work
Jackline can barely hold back her excitement. For years, she struggled to feed her growing children, often skipping meals so they could have more. But this season turned out differently, and she can’t wait to show us the results.
The waterman
“This project changed our lives completely,” Mbuvi exclaims. Only a few short years ago, Mbuvi and his family lived in extreme poverty, unable to grow enough food. But through a Village Savings Group, he was able to build a new irrigation system!
Partners
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