Tiwi MidwivesAt Give Us Wings, when we refer to “Ukunda†we’re really referring to an area of the Kenyan coastline from Mombasa down through Likoni and Tiwi and down to the community of Ukunda. It’s an area of dichotomy– poverty and serenity. A travel website reads: “The beautiful Kenyan Coastline is lined with pristine white sandy beaches fringing the warm, inviting waters of the Indian Ocean.†True. Yet keep looking, beyond the tropical soft white sands and gentle sea breeze of Diani Beach, and meet the people who call “the coast†their home. Young and old, many tribes and religions, their eyes glassy, their feet and hands calloused, and their bodies weary and malnourished. Together they have designed a network that manages small loans for each other: the Tiwi Young Women, Tiwi Midwives, the Mawazwo Women’s Group, Malewano Women’s Group, and Family Group with their small business enterprises like cafes, poultry, kanga selling, small wood carvings, and tailoring, as well as health care and support.
Give Us Wings had staff here for years building groups, organizing business and group dynamics and leadership training. In 2005 it looked as if small loans and grants to each group could be managed by the people themselves. They requested autonomy – we tried it and it has been working well. Businesses have been expanding. We sponsor some students in this area – a few are in local training colleges, some in secondary. There is a longer way forward for some of the people than others but all were making strides. But the economic upheaval and civil unrest that they experienced subsequent to their presidential election at the end of 2008 was severe. Businesses were crushed and are they are just now starting to rebuild.
The process of developing their own revolving loan system was an interesting one. On the Kenyan coast near Mombasa, Tiwi and Ukunda there is lots of micro financing, but the interest is extremely high and the repercussions for defaulting on a loan are severe; officers of the loan go into the homes and take back furniture and belongings. When it came time for the people in the Ukunda area to come up with their own rules and regulations, we worked together carefully to make sure that a fair system was set up. After much thought the Network decided that a person would not be granted a second loan if they failed to repay the full amount of the first loan. When GUW visited in 2008 many people were already on their second loan, so they had indeed paid their first one and the system is working. The network is in charge of the money for the village bank loans. They give each group a certain amount of money, and it is up to the groups to decide how to dispense that money among the group members. Sometimes it is a per person amount, and sometimes a person will need to apply. Once a month the members meet with their passbooks and pay back part of the their loans depending on what their terms are for payment.
Tiwi Young Women’s Group
“When I heard there was a group forming for young women who were unable to continue their education and that we would get training on starting our own small business, I was so excited. I didn’t want to just sit at home and wait to get married. I wanted to make something of my life. 
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Tiwi Midwives Group
The Tiwi Midwives is a made up of a close knit group of elder women who deliver many babies each year using their training and birthing kits made by women in the USA. But that does not begin to yield enough money to sustain them, and the children they are raising—their grandchildren and daughters until…
Read MoreMalenwano Women’s Group
This is a small group (between 5-10 members) of independent business women who are developing small enterprises such as cafes, animal husbandry, selling kangas and wood carvings. One member has a successful new juice business that she built with her revolving loans. There is a small town market and where they can sell their goods….
Read MoreUkunda Family Group
The Ukunda Family Group project is made up of seven families, about 70 members total. Money is distributed by a community-run village bank, as loans, to groups depending on size and need. In many cases the family has a business that they want to expand or start up, but not always. Money is also used…
Read MoreUkunda Community
Together they have designed a network that manages small loans for each other: the Tiwi Young Women, Tiwi Midwives, the Mawazwo Women’s Group, Malewano Women’s Group, and Family Group with their small business enterprises like cafes, poultry, kanga selling, small wood carvings, and tailoring, as well as health care and support.
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