May 2022
2022 has been a busy year so far at Just Small Change. Early in the year we carried out, with our Kenyan partners, a review of our Kisumu project. Over the past ten years, the project has provided basic business training and loans to over 350 clients, enabling them to establish and grow their micro-businesses. You can read more about how this has improved incomes and standards of living in our impact report, available here. Over 50 local community groups were set up, so clients can support each other and run informal savings groups to help with cash flow and money management. The savings which clients have been able to accumulate have been essential in helping them to weather the difficulties of the past two years.
To allow clients to access the larger loans needed to scale up their businesses, we worked in late 2021 with our partners to help them establish and run a licensed credit co-operative. Now clients who graduate from the project have a friendly and familiar financial institution to support them for the long term. This was the final step required to complete the project.
Therefore the time came at end March 2022 to hand the project over fully to our Kenyan partners, who will use their intimate local knowledge to run it for the benefit of existing clients and the local community. We will very much miss our involvement, but are delighted that our partners are now able to take this important work forward.
Meanwhile, new opportunities are on the cards for Just Small Change, and we hope soon to begin a project in Uganda. More details to follow!
Following the closure of Virgin Money Giving, we are now able to receive online donations via Stewardship.org. Thank you so much for your generosity, which has continued throughout these difficult months.
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Kenya:
Mali: newly trained lady with her two goats |
November 2021 Kenya After a 13 month suspension due to coronavirus restrictions business training restarted in March with a group of 20 ladies.18 more were trained in August, and a further 17 in November. All have received their first loans to start or expand their small businesses. Kisumu has suffered two waves of coronavirus, and the restrictions imposed (overnight curfew, closure of schools, universities and of many businesses, throwing many out of work) affected most of our clients very badly. To make matters worse, the City authorities began removing the informal markets and trading pitches used by most of our clients. Many have had to relocate their businesses, and some have had their stalls destroyed. Roselyne and Emily are working hard to support clients through community groups, open air meetings and also visiting individual clients at their homes. Many of our clients and their families have been ill, some have been bereaved.Few medical facilities are available, and those that are must be paid for; these are very difficult times for the communities where we work. Nevertheless, our clients remain committed to their businesses and work hard to succeed. Thank you for your continued support and interest as our clients work to overcome multiple challenges. The support offered throughout the pandemic by our two workers, Roselyne and Emily, has been essential in enabling many of our clients weather the difficult circumstances of the past two years. . Mali In an exciting new venture, Just Small Change this year began a microcredit project in South Mali. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, where 43% of the 20 million population live in extreme poverty. Rapid population growth and climate change pose major risks for the country’s agriculture and food security. By enabling very poor women to raise goats, the project will improve livelihoods and help to reclaim impoverished land for food production. Almost 100 women and girls have now received training in goat rearing, and a small loan to buy 2 goats each to get started. Feedback so far is very positive Read more detail on Where we work
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2020: training was suspended because of Coronavirus restrictions. Existing clients who repaid loans were able to borrow again.
Autumn 2019: 26 new clients were trained in October and another of similar size took place from 2-6 December.
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| New clients trained October 2019 | New clients trained December 2019 |
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October 2019: a short trip to Kisumu. In over 30 meetings with individual clients, we saw and heard how the project has strengthened their incomes and households. We also saw the great impact of the group leader training has had, in making groups more effective. Here are some members of the newly trained Molem group at their weekly meeting, where they track their loan repayments and run a group savings club, as well as discussing their businesses and enjoying social time together. (P.s. this trip was funded by the trustees, not from charity funds:-)) |
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May/August 2019: 27 new clients received training in May, and a further 26 in August.
A two day leadership training course was also held in August for 50 group leaders.
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| Group leaders training August 2019 | |
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| New clients trained in May 2019 | New clients trained in August 2019 |
June 2019: We published our second Impact Report. It's available to read or download from our Reports page.
May 2019: A 5 day training course was delivered to 34 new clients. They received their first loans in July.
January 2019: Our new Project Coordinator, Ms Roselyne Okanda, joined the project.
Training courses in May and July 2018: the participants with their completion certificates.
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Training courses June and July 2017: the participants, with their training certificates.
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