Bread for Children
Nairobi, Kenya
Bread For Children-Kenya held a workshop in 2003 for guardians taking care of children orphaned by AIDS in Kangemi slum in Nairobi. The aim was to explore ways to enable families affected by HIV and AIDS to cope financially now and in the future.
As a result, Bread For Children-Kenya established a community micro-enterprise initiative. This grassroots project allows foster carers to set up small businesses to improve their living standards and provide for their families.
The credit-savings scheme started with 60 members. A grant from EngageHIV gave 300 people the opportunity to have a loan. Repayment rates are good and members of the scheme also receive training in entrepreneurship, HIV and AIDS and the psychosocial care of orphans.
The project leader, David, has a lot of experience in this area of work. He appointed Christine as Credit Officer in 2009 and in her first few months she was already making an impact:
1. Loan repayment rates have improved meaning that more families can be helped in the future.
2. She has revamped their record-keeping processes to further improve efficiency and reporting.
3. She has changed the way the support groups meet – a local hall is being hired and all groups are being asked to come together on the same day. This means that repayment rates improve because it creates more of a sense of community and shared responsibility. It also makes it easier to support and offer business advice to members of the scheme.
Here is just one example of how these loans are changing lives …
Sarah is a widow and has five children of her own. She is also caring for three of her sister's children. Thanks to a micro-enterprise loan she has built up a tailoring business and employs several trainees. She can now afford to meet the basic needs of the eight children in her care, including sending them to school and paying for health care. Her ability to employ trainees is multiplying the impact of her loan with more families benefiting from regular work. Read more stories from scheme members
Bread For Children-Kenya also runs an orphan-support programme to help orphans who are living in the community with guardians or foster parents. EngageHIV makes it possible to educate, clothe and provide nutritional support for 25 of these orphans.
> Kenya country profile
> Micro-enterprise accountability in action
> More about micro-enterprise
> Read more stories from scheme members
