The Pride of Ownership: The Women Leading Change in Rural Kenya
The proudest moment of a Zawadisha loan isn't the day the water tank arrives. It's the day a woman makes her final payment.
"When the women get the loan, they are so happy," Margaret Mtuku told us when she was our Loan Technical Officer. "They feel proud. They can now help their families more."
That feeling of ownership, of having bought and paid for something valuable with her own money, is what our work is really about. And it's built by women: the women on our team, the women who lead their groups, and the women who borrow.
The short version: Zawadisha works through women's groups in rural Kenya. An all-Kenyan, all-women team delivers loans for household goods, and local group leaders bring in new members and help each other repay. Together they've reached more than 2,500 women in more than 100 women's groups. Every purchase from our shop funds this work.
Why does ownership matter so much?
When a woman owns a rainwater tank, a solar lamp or a new mattress, her days get more productive and her home gets safer. Her family saves money, and that money often goes to school fees. She also gains respect at home and in her community, because she's the one who made it happen.
Who delivers the loans?
Margaret's story shows what our team does. Before joining Zawadisha, she worked as a receptionist at a local hospital. As our Loan Technical Officer, she traveled to villages around Maungu, spoke to groups of 20 to 30 women about the household items they could finance, issued loans and collected payments.
The women she served weren't just clients. They were her friends, family and neighbors. Her job also let her pay for her own part-time studies in accounting and computer science, and send her son to a school with 10 to 15 children per class instead of up to 50.
That's the point of an all-Kenyan, all-women team: the people delivering the loans understand exactly what they mean.
Who are the women's group leaders?
Every loan goes through a women's group, and strong group leaders are the backbone of our model. A few we've been proud to work with:
- Susan Warombo, chairlady of the Mlangonyi Women's Group, is known as a strong, honest leader. When a member falls behind on a payment, Susan visits her and works with us to find a plan. Through her leadership, her group has grown and taken on new members.
- Betina Samba of the Miritini Raising Star Women's Group connects women who need loans with Zawadisha and organizes other groups in her area. Our Kenya Country Director, Monica Makori, calls her "a real star ready to help other women bring change to their lives."
- Loice Magingi introduced us to a women's group in Sagala, a new region for us, helping more women get access to loans.
- Eunice Kioko, a mother of five and chairlady of the Mama Safi Women's Group, encourages the women in her group, and her own children, to find their voices and lead. Monica calls her "a change-maker for her community."
How can I support women like these?
Every purchase from our shop funds our microlending program in Kenya, and so does every donation. Want to meet the women yourself? Join one of our trips to Kenya, where you'll visit the groups we work with.
Margaret's story was first written by Anne Marie Gattari.