Rinchi
TechInAfrica – Chamas has been popular for over the years, especially in Kenya as it has changed the lives of many Kenyans for the better. In the beginning, chamas was only linked to women who used it for social welfare. However, due to its significant success, now men and youth have joined it.
Today, chamas in Kenya has turned to a major savings and investments initiative. Surprisingly, there are more than 300,000 chamas found in Kenya with approximately 300 billion Kenyan Shillings of asset under their management.
Before it became popular, chamas were used by many Kenyan women as the welfare of their families. Chamas was live savers of them because it helped them to save money then use the savings to buy something worth selling and profitable. In short, women joined chamas in order to make their own investment which further led them to improve their livelihoods. The investment has enabled them to obtain financial freedom, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged or with low incomes.
One good example of this is the Bidii Mothers Self-Help Wishes from Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. It is a group of women consists of 15 people. They shared the same issues such as lack of financial resources which later motivated them to support each other by making group savings. However, the savings will take long enough for them to invest in a dream project—goat rearing. Goat rearing is a profitable business which is why the group chose the project.
These group of women realized that it would take them quite a lot of time to start their business project. Therefore, two of the women applied for the Safaricom Ndoto Zetu initiative. They were lucky enough that their application accepted and they were able to secure Ksh250K to fund their business project. With the funding, they could buy 11 Toggenburg dairy goats and made profits out of them.
The goats are well-known for producing five liters of milk a day. This means that the women will have a consistent source of incomes from milk sales. Besides milk, the goats also produce manure which worth selling to farmers in the area. That is another source of income for the women in the group.
The project would not possible without the help from the Safaricom Ndoto Zetu initiative. The initiative helps to change the lives of people in the communities across the country for the better. The initiative supports Kenyans who bring positive impacts to the communities, which explained why the Bidii Mothers Self-Help Wishes got selected.
Source: hapakenya.com
