The KWFT,
an affiliate of Women’s World Banking, was founded in 1981
by a group of Kenyan professional women to provide loans to women
in business without access to formal financial services. KWFT
currently operates in four regions, Mt. Kenya, the Coast, the
Rift Valley, and Nairobi, and serves over 16,000 clients.
Mission:
KWFT’s mission is to advance and promote the direct involvement
of economically active women in viable businesses to improve their
economic and social status.
Targeting
Tool: KWFT targets areas with above average population density
and high levels of small business activity. New clients must be
willing to organize into groups of approximately 20 members, guarantee
one another and save a certain amount each week. In addition,
individuals must receive a favorable business assessment from
both KWFT and other group members. Peer identification is central
to KWFT’s targeting process.
Results
of the Poverty Assessment of Clients: The figure below shows
the poverty level of clients relative to the population they are
in (non-clients). The population (non-clients) is divided into
three equal terciles – the poorest third, the less poor,
and the better off. 16% of KWFT clients were ranked in the poorest
poverty tercile, compared to 33% of the general population. Within
the middle tercile registering less poor households, both clients
and non-clients accounted for 33% of the total sampled. In the
better off tercile, 50.5% of KWFT sampled households were recorded,
compared to 33% of the general population.
The poverty
assessment results suggest a tendency for KWFT clients to be less
poor than non-clients. The poorest households are under represented.
However, about one-half of the clients fall into the two poorest
categories, which is remarkable considering the mission of the
institution to reach all women in business.
Percentage
of clients within the three poverty groups
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