At least 200 women in Lamu East Constituency will benefit from a Kshs 7.1 loan facility from The Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) to enable them start up small business ventures tailored to uplift their livelihoods.
The loan facility by the NRT trading subsidiary that will be disbursed through women groups in Lamu East will entails that each member of the selected groups receives between Kshs 25,000 and Kshs 50,000 depending on their savings from ongoing revolving fund to boost their businesses.
The Kshs 7.1 million will also be disbursed through the women groups on the basis of their timely savings and repayments and will be a revolving fund through which they can grow their loan qualifications based on their repayments.
Speaking to KNA in Faza NRT deputy coast director Yusuf Hassan stated that the launch of the programme is aimed at economically empowering the women ensuring financial independence for women through small business initiatives.
“So far the women groups are participating in building octopus closures mangrove conservancies and grocery shops to diversify their revenue streams,” Hassan stated adding that so far 166 women in Lamu East have benefited from the initiative aimed at promoting economic empowerment among families.
He added that the idea is to ensure families in Lamu East have multiple revenue streams to deter dependence on one breadwinner.
Lamu County Fisheries Director Jamila Mitami hailed the programme as an affirmative action initiative that will aid in improving the plight of women in Lamu East constituency.
“Women in Lamu East are mostly unemployed and largely dependent on their husbands to earn a living for their families either through fishing or mangrove harvesting, and the move to provide alternative revenue streams,” she added.
Sentiments echoed by Lamu East MP Athman Shariff who urged the women groups to make use of such initiatives to improve the quality of lives in their homes.
“Such an empowerment initiatives are key to resolving joblessness and rampant divorce rate in Lamu East and more women should join the women groups in order to benefit from initiatives such as table banking, merry go round and grants for marginalized communities,” he added.
By Amenya Ochieng
