Building the Savings for Life livelihoods programme from the ground up

Finance that leaves people out

Many households in Mathare had little access to formal financial services, and women faced wider gaps in digital finance. The programme set out to promote financial inclusion by starting with what communities could already do: save together.

Built the department and the partnerships

• Established the Livelihoods Department and implemented a savings-led microfinance programme.
• Mobilised and supported 2,000+ community members in savings groups that lent pooled savings to members at a 10% interest rate.
• Initiated partnerships with Postbank and Movert Technologies, enabling 100 savings groups to open bank accounts.
• Provided business mentorship and financial literacy training to 1,500+ beneficiaries.
• Managed 4 Field Officers and 30 Community Agents, along with planning, budgets, mobilisation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.

Savings that became an institution

Within five years, the groups had collectively saved over KSh 10 million and earned over KSh 2 million in interest. Fifty groups registered as self-help groups, and I coordinated the formation of the Grow as One Association to give them recognition, advocacy and representation.

I contributed to the MCO Savings for Life Strategic Plan (2016–2020), and shared the programme's practice at regional savings-group conferences in Zambia and Rwanda and through the Bright Hope International Microfinance Working Group. In 2018 I received MCO's Best Employee Award (Social Work).