
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 at Obaria Beach at Kendu Bay in Homa Bay County. The little she made was used to buy food to support her young family. “Life was really hard because sometimes the rains failed or there was no fish,” she indicates.
But in early 2017, she met an officer from Yawezekana Sacco who convinced her about the benefits she would get if she became a member. Knowing her struggles and being a single mother, she decided there was nothing to lose if she tried something new. She persuaded four friends, three men and one woman to join her and form a group which the gave the name Rebecca Self Help Group and they became members of Yawezekana SACCO.
“Immediately I started saving the little that I made from my small shop (Ksh 200 per week).”
In November 2017 she had managed to save KES 6,600 and was able to get her first Micro Business (MB) loan of KES 10,000 and a Health Insurance (INH) loan of KES 3,200 which covers her whole family. She used the loan to restock her small shop. “The good thing about Yawezekana Sacco is that we are given ample time to repay our loans and the interest is small compared to other groups we joined before.” The loans are repayable in one year at a rate of 14% per year.
Caroline’s business improved so much that she was able to finish repaying her loan already in March 2018.
She applied for a second loan of KES 20,000 after having added more savings in her account. She got her second loan from Yawezekana SACCO in March and was able to increase the stock in her shop. Although she has been struggling making it in life, she has been determined to educate the three children who are still at home after her firstborn daughter was married. Her son is sitting his end of secondary school exams this year while the other boy is in Form 3. Her younger daughter is in Primary 6. “I work hard to repay my loans so as to educate my children!”
Caroline is very happy with Yawezekana Sacco and is encouraging many poor families in Kendu Bay to join the SACCO.