In the fall of 2007, I volunteered with Action Now: Kenya (ANK), a Kenyan NGO formed and registered in 2001 by Irene Kamau. ANK’s mission is to build capacity of street communities and those at risk by developing innovative interventions in Micro-Enterprise Development, Health, and Education aimed at supporting sustainable livelihoods. I saw, first-hand, the positive benefits microfinance can bring to those trapped in the poverty cycle.
With the recent violence in Kenya, many of ANK's clients have had their businesses destroyed, their capital irrevocably damaged, or have found that they must re-locate their business. They no longer have the means to provide even a meager existence for their families. These clients, as well as many others who have come to ANK seeking assistance, have no means to re-start earning income now that the violence has subdued. Having lost in some cases everything, they are in dire need of a helping hand.This has given the organization an important push for capital to be used to fund emergency programs to help get their clients back on the road towards economic stability and ultimately, to improve living conditions. ANK is requesting a total of $5000 to fund two projects which will be instrumental in helping victims of recent violence in Kenya to realize at least some level of economic stability.
1) Emergency re-startup microloans. ANK is requesting funds to provide small microloans where the money is needed most. For example, microloans could be given to people to buy and sell inventory such as perishable food items, including fruits and vegetables. This is one of the only ways of maintaining a stable livelihood at this time due to the meltdown of the country's economic infrastructure, while simultaneously allowing quick and efficient distribution of food relief the current situation demands. Therefore, ANK is requesting a grant amounting to $4000 to distribute as emergency microloans to those lowest-class entrepreneurs whose businesses have been destroyed or rendered in-operational due to the political instability. These loans will be distributed in small amounts of about $30 to an upward limit of $300 to micro-entrepreneurs to buy inventory or equipment. Income generated from the interest on these loans will be re-invested into the capital loan fund to supply others in similar situations with microloans. Due to the unique nature and timing of these loans, and the continuing nation-wide instability, repayment details will be flexible and will be decided on a case-by-case basis as the businesses' redevelopments are carefully monitored. These loans will not follow the strict cold-financial approach of regular microfinancing, but will instead emphasize results instead of process. ANK, as a smaller and more community-focused organization than most of Kenya's micro-financing institutes, is perfectly suited to run such a program since its approach has always been more personable and development-centered than its larger counterparts can organizationally handle.
2) Cross-ethnic peace-building campaign. ANK is also requesting $1000 for the funding of a peace-building and solidarity campaign within targeted slum communities - the areas which have been most affected by post-election ethnic strife. With this money, ANK will be able to distribute over 500 shirts which loudly proclaim "We are better together" on the back along with the ANK logo on the front. These shirts will be distributed to all of its 500 clients, who will be instructed to wear the shirts on a set "Peace" day once a week (i.e. all ANK clients will wear the shirts every Tuesday), fostering a much-needed cross-ethnic community consciousness. In addition, these shirts will serve to increase ANK's name-recognition in the communities in which it works thereby helping ANK to better reach its target communities in the future.