WASH
Preserving her family’s dignity
Phoebe Ndinda is a hotelier and a shop owner in Musumaa area, Kivaa Ward in Machakos County. She joined Kenya Women Microfinance Bank (KWFT) in 2009 to acquire a loan to boost her businesses and in turn improve her family’s standards of living.
Her previous toilet and bathroom facility were made of mud and she used a sack as a door which would easily be blown away by the wind which made it embarrassing while using the toilet. The bathroom floors were also difficult to clean as they would get muddy. This also meant that they got muddy after taking a bath.
To curb this issue, Phoebe acquired a loan facility from KWFT to construct a proper sanitation facility where she has constructed a modern bathroom and two toilets which have been instrumental to her family’s needs as well as her own. Since the area she resides is dry and has water shortage, she decided to acquire financing to procure 2 water tanks of 5,000 litres each from KWFT. These have to helped her store water, have adequate water for domestic use, clean her toilets and prevent her from travelling long distances to fetch water in the river.
To enhance hygiene Phoebe has stationed a handwashing unit outside her toilets for people to wash their hands after using the toilet. Phoebe is happy to have these solutions because she is assured that her family’s dignity, privacy and sanitation needs are covered.
Phoebe’s photos are as follows:
Turning Water Challenges into Opportunities
Safia Ali, a determined chairlady of her KWFT women’s group in Garissa, joined KWFT in 2009. As a grocery shop owner and a mother, Safia faced many struggles related water scarcity. This is a recurring issue in Marsabit, Kenya where droughts can last from six months to a year.
Every day, Safia would leave her home early in the morning to fetch water from a water source owned by the city council. Sometimes, she spent the entire day there, only to return home empty-handed. The water supply was unpredictable and waiting in line meant spending hours under the hot sun. When she could finally secure water, she would fill up jerrycans and even basins to try store some water even though it was not enough for home use. Her family’s access to clean water was never guaranteed and they frequently battled waterborne diseases due to the inconsistent quality of what was available.
Safia’s hardships reflected those of her community. Livestock farmers, reliant on water for their animals, often had to travel deep into the forest in search of any available supply. The scarcity of resources sometimes led to conflicts, as people and animals competed for the limited water.
Determined to improve her situation, Safia decided to invest in a sustainable solution. Using proceeds from her grocery business, she obtained a 10,000-liter water tank through KWFT, securing a steady, clean water supply for her family. Inspired by this success, she acquired a second 10,000-liter tank, this time with a vision to support her community.
Safia now harvests rain water and sells it to her neighbors, selling it by the jerrycan. She makes the most fortune during the drought season as some of her neighbours do not have storage facilities. In a day she makes Ksh 2000 but during the drought seasons the sales peak to Ksh 3000. Other frequent during this dry season are livestock farmers. Their animals require ample supply and she has provided water during their dire need.
This dual-purpose approach has turned her investment into a profitable venture which supports her family while ensuring her family and community have access to a reliable water source. She has since bought two additional tanks for her mother and brother. Safia’s story is one of resilience, showing how this impactful solution can create both stability and opportunity amidst the harshest conditions.
From Drought to Prosperity: A Journey of Resilience
Fatma Sora, has been an avvid livestock farmer and treasurer of her group, living in Marsabit Town, where she has endured the severe challenges of drought that can last up to a year. Accessing water was a daily struggle for Fatma, as she had to travel long distances to buy it from local authorities. The journey was arduous, often requiring her to transport the water using a donkey and sometimes a wheelbarrow, all while balancing the responsibilities of caring for her young children at home.
At this source, managed by the local authorities was the primary source of water for the entire local community. There were long queues which meant that she would sometimes return in the evening, exhausted and hungry, after multiple trips to meet her family’s needs and provide water for her livestock—camels, donkeys, cows, and goats—all of which depend heavily on a reliable water supply.
Determined to improve her situation, Fatma invested in two 10,000-liter tanks from KWFT to harvest rain water. This transformed her life and her business. She uses the first tank for her household, ensuring a steady supply of clean and safe water, which she actually used to build her home.
The second tank has become a vital resource for her community members, who lack their own storage solutions. By selling water from this tank, she supports her neighbors and earns additional income. She sells a jerrycan at Ksh 30 and during drought seasons the price increase to Ksh 40. Some of her customers come from far distances so they have to incur transportation costs to their homes.
Fortunately for Fatma this is no longer her story. She makes Ksh 2000 and during drought Ksh 3000, daily. She has available water at her compound and she makes income from providing clean water to her neighbours especially in times of need.
Over the years, she has expanded her enterprises. With a dependable water supply, she has added more livestock to her farm, opened a grocery store and established rental properties whose tenants also buy water from her. All her ventures benefit from the consistent water supply from her tanks, which has not only eased her daily burden but has also paved the way for her entrepreneurial growth and community support.
Enterprise Financing
The story of Phylis Ndambuki
Phylis Ndambuki is a revolutionary woman. Her story is characterized by resilience and hard work and it was led by the dream of creating a comfortable life for her and her loved ones. It started off when the newly wed lady she moved to Machakos County. She was a rope weaver making very little when started a posho mill to meet the needs of her growing family.
This is when she joined Kenya Women Microfinance Bank (KWFT). She was hesitant about acquiring finance because she had to repay her loan with what she made from weaving ropes. Nonetheless, she got Ksh10,000 from KWFT and started her journey. She invested her money in the posho mill and gradually she was able to support her family.
As her business was growing, she needed more funds to educate her children. Also, she experienced difficult times fetching water from far and carrying it on her back. It was tiresome, time consuming and it was unclean for consumption. She also aspired for a decent home for her family and fortunately she had the support from KWFT because she applied for loans to suit her needs.
Through KWFT, Phylis has been able to educate all her children who she has also mentored in business. She has also acquired water tanks to provide safe water to her home. She has also built a modern home through KWFTs nyumba smart loan. With these conveniences she has ventured in additional businesses because she has been able to direct her time and energy in them.
In addition to weaving sisal ropes, Phylis has acquired additional business loans. She has a butchery, a barber shop, and shop that also offers mpesa services all which serve her immediate community. She is very proud of her successes. She has greatly inspired her peers and moreso earned her influential leadership positions in her community.
Agribusiness
Scaling new heights with a thriving fishing enterprise
Jacinta Oduor is a remarkable entrepreneur from Port Town in Funyula. Despite not having attended school, Jacinta and her late husband started their fishing business. 20 years later, Jacinta’s business has expanded to four boats, employing 15 young men and women from the community. She started by selling omena in 2004, having bought from suppliers, to fend for her family of six.
Gradually she acquired more loans to buy more stock. In 2016, she ventured into omena fishing, investing a KWFT business loan and her savings to buy a boat, fishing nets, fishing lights and a motor, employing a team of three fishermen. In 2018, she discovered the lucrative business of supplying fish gut matter. She acquired a business loan from her domicile KWFT branch in Funyula to invest in a second boat, employing three fishermen.
In 2019, she saw an opportunity for expansion and acquired two additional loans bringing her fleet to four boats, now employing twelve fishermen. During processing, fish gut matter is separated from the fish then undergoes cleaning where the fat is removed, weighed on her digital weighing machine and stored in freezers. After a week of accumulation; it is sold to a local company for further processing of surgical threads.
She has a shop in Port Town, serving as the storage and selling point of the fish. It has four freezers from business proceeds. She has employed two of her daughters, who she has educated through KWFT’s school fees loan to manage bookkeeping.
Her son oversees fish transportation to markets in Kisumu and Nairobi. She has also acquired a phone loan from KWFT enhancing communications with her customers and payment of loans.
Jacinta has formalized her activities by obtaining both fishing and a boat license. She also contributes to conservation efforts by paying a monthly fee to the beach management, which handles initiatives like beach clean-ups.
Meved Farm:A story of resilience and agricultural Innovation
Starting with a modest vegetable farm in Sagana, Mr.James Mwangi and Mrs. Anne Mwangi’s story is one of resilience, vision and growth. Initially focused on supplying fresh vegetables to local supermarkets, their journey took a transformative turn after they relocated permanently to their farm following the 2006/2007 post-election violence. In those early days, obtaining fresh milk for their family was a challenge, requiring a trip over 40 kilometers to Karatina. Recognizing this need, they purchased a single cow to meet their household’s requirements, not knowing that this would be the start of a much larger venture.
As they adapted to their new life on the farm, the Mwangis began to see the unmet demand for fresh milk in their local community as a business opportunity. Though they faced challenges such as a dry climate and the threat of pests like the tsetse fly, they remained undeterred and bought a crossbreed cow to start. Gradually, they added six more cows, which eventually doubled in number. This growing herd allowed them not only to serve their community’s needs but also to produce surplus milk, which led to the idea of milk processing.
With KWFT’s financial support, the Mwangis were able to expand their operations significantly. They invested in machinery to process milk on a larger scale, allowing them to diversify their products to include yoghurt, sour milk, Kefir and eventually bread . KWFT’s financing enabled them to turn their farm from a small dairy operation into a full-fledged production facility. Today, they own 150 cows, producing high-quality dairy products that reach a wide customer base.
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Mwangis to diversify further, leading them to venture into poultry farming and goat rearing. They now sell eggs, chicken, and goat meat alongside their dairy products, creating additional revenue streams and building a more resilient business. Today, their farm operates as an integrated system, employing a significant number of people from the community, who are able to support their own families through this opportunity.
Mr. and Mrs. Mwangi are dedicated to running their farm with high standards. They invest in the best animal feed, grow Napier grass, and maintain hygienic, well-designed shelters to ensure the health of their livestock. Their farm has become a model for agricultural excellence, attracting farmers from across Kenya who visit to learn from their success.
The Mwangis also engage their children in the business, adding their valuable skills in operations and human resources to secure the future of their farm. By engaging their children early in various roles, they ensure that the next generation understands the operations, values, and vision of the business. This prepares their children to eventually take over management responsibilities, creating a smooth transition for future leadership and helping to sustain the family legacy for years to come.
Their dream is to expand further, increasing their dairy output and broadening the reach of Meved Farm products and also continue to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for the local community.