Mandera women groups get Sh6m for running businesses
Mandera Woman Rep Amina Gedow helps a woman on a wheelchair on July 2, 2018 when she distributed funds to women groups. She asked local women groups to start small businesses instead of distributing funds amongst themselves. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- According to Ms Gedow, even though women start businesses all the time, few run life-changing investments.
- She said women form the largest population in society and forming groups will help them prosper.
- Mrs Fatuma Hassan wants women groups or individuals offered low or zero interest rates.
Women in Mandera are the latest beneficiaries of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) after Sh6 million was distributed for their economic empowerment.
While launching the programme at El-Wak town on Tuesday, Mandera Woman Rep Amina Gedow advised women to use the funds for the intended purposes.
“We are being funded by the national government and we have to use these funds for the right projects that will uplift our lives,” she said.
She discouraged women from distributing the funds amongst themselves which leads to closing of businesses.
“We have a habit of distributing what we get from government or donors amongst ourselves but that has to stop. Invest (the money) so that it keeps us going in the coming days,” she said.
LIFE-CHANGING
According to Ms Gedow, even though women start businesses all the time, few run life-changing investments.
“Let us take advantage of government funding and compete with men,” she said.
She said women form the largest population in society and forming groups will help them prosper in business even better than men.
“We need to agree that we can make it on our own and compete well in the business world but we need determination and focus in whatever we are doing,” the woman rep said.
Mrs Fatuma Hassan, a local women group leader challenged the government and other donors sponsoring women entrepreneurship to relax rules on funding women enterprises.
“Terms and conditions to be funded by government or other donors are so stringent that (they) discourage many of us to seek funds to venture into business,” she said.
She wants women groups or individuals offered low or zero interest rates when repaying government loans.
