Widows in rural Western Kenya face unimaginable hardships. The majority of unions between a man and wife are ritualistic and not considered legal to the Kenyan government, causing many widows to be left with little to no rights over their deceased husband's assets. Furthermore, superstitions surrounding HIV AIDs are still prevalent in this part of the world, causing widows to often be ostracized by the larger community and even their families.  

 

Kenya Now's Widows Microenterprise Program helps widows of rural Africa achieve financial independence through one-time microenterprise loans, local industry skills training, and business mentoring. Over a 24 month period, a peer group of widows will work together in building businesses while receiving on-the-ground technical support from a local industry professional and basic business skills training from our partner NGO, Abundant Mercy of Jesus Ministries. After 24 months, each peer group of widows will repay a portion of the loan, which is then recycled into future microenterprise loans for new widow peer groups.  

 

The vision of this program is for widows of rural Kenya to not only achieve financial independence, but to also play a vital role in the economic success of their local communities.