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Kafawe Women Group (KWG), an implementing partner of Care Kenya through Uraia Trust in Nandi has sensitised women groups representatives drawn from Nandi East Sub County on how to ensure quality management in self-help groups as a way to strengthen their capacity to manage their groups effectively.
The goal of the group, which is implementing a programme dubbed women voice and leadership, is to engage women and youth groups to strengthen their capacity to undertake various activities that will sustain the groups as well as to carry out leadership roles that can change the society for the better.
Speaking during the engagement held at Keteng, Nandi Hills, Kafawe women group coordinator Francis Ng’eny noted that they are working with rural women and youth groups to strengthen the way they manage their groups to ensure they achieve their intended goals.
Ng’eny divulged that self-help groups are a critical arena for rural development as they create a safe platform for discussing various issues affecting their community such us creation of employment, reducing poverty and handling gender-based violence adding that if well managed they can succeed in achieving all these in the society.
“Self-help groups are an important tool for rural development. However, a number of groups end up collapsing due to poor management. Most groups have poor leadership thus fail to achieve their goals,” pointed Ng’eny noting that a number of groups in Nandi have not been able to sustain their activities beyond three years.
According to the coordinator, some of the critical areas that make a group achieve their goals include well stipulated rules and regulations that should be adhered to by all members as well as officials, quality record keeping with a safe backup, registering their group to enable access to government funds, appointing leaders with integrity who have the vision of the group at heart among others.
Kafawe Women Group coordinator Francis Ng’eny and participants pose for a photo after an engagement on sustainability of groups at Keteng Nandi Hills. Photo by Ruth Mainye.
He advised the women leaders to ensure they come up with projects that can earn them more funds thus gear the groups towards achieving long term visions which will go a long way in uplifting the livelihoods of the group members who can in return give back to the society by addressing the issues affecting their communities.
“Ensure as self-help group you have key policies like human resource policy, procurement policy, and financial policy. Simple customized policies will aid in dealing with accountability issues thus enable success of the group,” said Ng’eny adding that Kafawe women group is looking forward to reaching over 200 youth and women groups and equiping them with necessary skills to manage their groups for long term sustainability.
Lena Agui one of the participants in the training lauded Kafawe women for the initiative of enlightening them on various issues noting that for a long time they have been conducting group activities in outdated ways due to lack of information.
“Now that we have been enlightened, we will transform our groups for the better and ensure their sustainability,” stated Agui.
Rispah Jemurgor who also attended the training, noted that through the initiative they realized that as a group they can champion for other issues like governance and fight gender-based violence.
“With the information we have received, we realise that we can go beyond table banking. Some members might be experiencing gender-based violence and it is our role to ensure we solve such issues amicably,” stated Jermurgor.