Our Mission is to assist our members to get out of poverty and build a better life for their families.
Our experience is that any family, however poor, miserable, and hopeless, is capable of getting themselves out of poverty. We want to strengthen and utilise all the skills, determination and hard work of the people of Kenya to build a better nation through better families.
Our Values
We love every person that comes to us for help. Our members love each other no matter what they look like or whatever their physical condition and we demonstrate this constantly by hugging each other and by sharing each other’s joys and tribulations.
We believe in self-discipline and stress that we can only help a member to get out of poverty if she first learns how to help herself. We provide the ladder she can use to climb out of poverty, but the climbing she has to do herself.
We encourage a savings culture among our members. Members can borrow twice as much as they have saved and in case of death our Health Benefits will provide the next of kin twice the members savings.
We respect that our members have different needs at different times. We have therefore made it a core value to be flexible and to respond to members needs immediately. We review loans in 24 hours and members can borrow any time they need to borrow.
We began with nothing, except street mothers with a desire to get out of poverty. These mothers became our most important recruiters of new members and continue to form the core of our organisation
We employ all our staff from families who are already our members. Our staff are members themselves and they are burning with enthusiasm and determination to bring more members out of poverty.
In Jamii Bora we have no clients or customers - everybody is a member.
The most important lesson we have learnt is that once a poor mother understands and believes that it is possible to get out of poverty there is nothing that will stop her from achieving that dream
Our History
Established in 1999
Jamii Bora Trust was established in 1999 at the initiative of 50 street beggar families in Nairobi. Jamii Bora was registered as a charitable Trust in Kenya on 22 November 1999.
Our Mission is to assist our members to get out of poverty and build a better life for their families.
Our experience is that any family, however poor, miserable, and hopeless, is capable of getting themselves out of poverty. We want to strengthen and utilise all the skills, determination and hard work of the people of Kenya to build a better nation through better families.
Our Members
By 30 September 2007, the Trust had over 170,000 members. Many of the members are street beggars or ex-street beggars. Thus, nobody is too poor to become a member of Jamii Bora.
Some members are on their way out of poverty, a few would even say they are not poor any more. They are now the mentors of those who are still very poor. Our mentor members help a lot by being an example. They are living proof that however poor you are, you can get out of poverty if you are determined enough.
Our Organisation
The headquarters is located in Nairobi. The operations were, by 30 September 2007, carried out in 23 branches. The branches are responsible for registration of new members, receipt of savings and loan repayments, monitoring timely loan repayments and review of loan applications. Members are organised in credit groups with five members in each group. The group members guarantee each other’s loans and provide important moral and social support to each other.
Years since inception
No. of people through our programmes and assisted out of poverty
Yawezekana Sacco branches countrywide
Business & consulting awards won over world.
Ingrid Munro - Founder
Ingrid MunroMama Ingrid Munro, was born on 25 March 1941 in Norrköping, Sweden, she is a Swedish architect who is the founder and manager Jamii Bora Trust a microfinance organization based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Life
Mama Ingrid trained as an architect and graduated at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 1964.
From 1979 to 1984 she headed the Swedish council of building research, a government agency and the first woman in Sweden to do so at her age.
How it all started
Jamii Bora Trust came into being in 1999 and was set up to function like a bank for the poor, a place where people could save money and take out loans without having collateral or even a regular salary, the only one of its kind in the country.
Years since inception
No. of people through our programmes and assisted out of poverty
Yawezekana Sacco branches countrywide
Business & consulting awards won over world.
Our Inspiring - Stories
From Street Beggar to Paralympic
A skilled and speedy cyclist rounds the corner of Enterprise Road and Funzi Road in Nairobi's industrial area.
From the Streets to Riches Story
She left her matrimonial home in Siaya, Komenya, Rabar in 1988 when her husband chased her off after marrying a second wife.
The Story of roofing tiles
Born In 1959,she has a friendly demeanor very simple in nature, extremely hard working and always ready with solutions.
Being needy yet helping the needy
Though not trained as a teacher, Rael Otanga, 45 has chosen to keep children busy in her small room at Kingstone slums by teaching them simple life skills.
Member No. 1
Hanna Njeri Gacheru , a street mum, when she met mama Ingrid, she helped her mobilize other street families to form Jamii bora, her role was trusted street daycare
A Hard working widow
Caroline Anyango 38 lost her husband ten years ago. Having given birth at age 15 and left with four children to take care of, life wasn’t easy. She struggled working in farms and selling fish
Therefore when I was presented with the prospect of Yawezekana Sacco which I learnt had a relationship with Jamii Bora, I joined immediately. The day I bought that vehicle, my heart was overwhelmed with joy.
The day I received some MPesa money from Ingrid I was overjoyed. I went to the shop and bought foodstuff which will last for some days. I hope we will get some more in future. It was unexpected and I saw a miracle for I haven’t met her.
This money has come in handy as added it to the little I had and bought foodstuff that we have been feeding on for the last couple of days. You only buy what is necessary and do away with frivolous wants.
