Agriculture & Microenterprise Development
Success Story Mwanahawa Makongolo
Mwanahawa Makongolo, a beneficiary of USAID Kenya's Microfinance Program tells her story
The K-Rep Development Agency is a micro finance research and development
institution engaged in development of micro finance products. USAID/Kenya's
Micro Private Enterprise Development project (MicroPED) has supported
K-Rep to establish rural based Financial Service Associations (FSAs)
with special lines of credit for HIV/AIDS affected and infected
families that are involved in income generating activities either
in small scale farming or micro and small enterprises. Initiated
in 2001, the project, called 'FAHIDA,' is a two-year pilot activity.
It has adopted village banking and group based lending models to
advance loans to target groups. As of March 2002, FAHIDA had supported
a total of 17 groups with a membership of 457 clients. KSh. 1,806,000
have been disbursed as loans and KShs. 195,282 accumulated as savings.
The repayment rate is estimated at 95%. A total of 218 members have
received business skills training. FAHIDA is jointly managed by
USAID/Kenya's Economic Growth program and the Population & Health
program. The Population & Health program supports a consortium of
NGOs that oversees group formation and provision of HIV/AIDS services.
At the age of 60 years, I was looking forward to a quiet "retirement,"
where I would be provided for by my son and enjoy occasional visits
from my grandchildren. I had spent all I had on his education and
expected his support, as my only child, in return. But my son brought
four wives home, claiming that, as a Muslim, he had the right to
marry all of these wives and to bring them to my house.
My son contracted HIV from a Ugandan woman, who became sick and
died. After some time, my son also became sick and required two
operations to treat his ulcers. But after the operations, he became
even more sick and eventually died. My heart was crushed and my
hope was nearly gone. Yet I consoled myself with the knowledge that
at least he had left behind his wives and children to continue the
family lineage. Little did I know that the worst was still to come.
All of his wives later died and I was left to care for all of their
13 children! This was more than I had asked for. The weight of the
responsibility was crushing in on me. Even through my best efforts,
I was unable to send the younger children beyond primary school.
Mwanahawa Makongolo with some of her grand children.
A member of the Society for Women living with AIDS
in Kenya (SWAK) asked me to join the Tumaini Support Group here
in Mumias to see how I could help my grandchildren. Through this
group, I heard of USAID's K?Rep FAHIDA project. With a loan of 5,000
Kenyan Shillings, I was able to start a small kiosk. K-Rep also
trained me in small business management. The business is doing well
and I have been able to repay my loan. However, it is small and
still struggling because it has to support the family and pay school
fees. I hope to receive more loans from K?Rep so that I can nurture
and educate my grandchildren, and save them from being infected
with HIV.
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