Kenya’s Western Province is characterized by hilly terrain covered in lush vegetation. The province receives adequate rain all year round.  For generations, the inhabitants have lived off the land, in harmony with nature. But things have changed rapidly in recent years. The land is barely adequate for the increased population in the area.

In order to strengthen further the coping mechanisms of poor people in Western Kenya, IIRR through the Kenya Microfund Project is supporting establishment of viable income generating initiatives for community groups. The aim of the Project is to reduce rural poverty by working with community groups to support small-scale livelihood options. It provides technical, financial and institutional support to organized groups involved in agricultural activities.

To access credit, the group first identifies a viable agricultural enterprise.  Members can also apply for loans as individuals, but the activity to be undertaken must be agreed upon by the group. Early in the project, IIRR developed a plan jointly with the groups to train them in revolving fund management and development of business plans. The project has also assisted groups to develop indicators for monitoring the progress of their micro-projects. Simple formats are used to record household income and expenditure from the micro-enterprises and to keep track of loan repayments.

The project emphasizes continuous mentoring of the technical committee and group members through training as well as supervisory and exposure visits.  The project also assists groups in marketing their produce and in networking with resource organizations. This together with training they receive is seen as critical to their sustainability.

Download Kenya Microfund Project Partner Profiles (in pdf format).