A heartwrenching note from some of our borrowers in Kenya…
The following letter comes from one of the Kiva partners we have supported in Kenya. It’s a sharp reminder of the real issues facing some of the people that we’re trying to help from the comfort of our cozy homes…before we think that we’re in some way the heroes in this story. Please take the time to read, and reflect, this is a crazy world but we CAN make a difference.
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I wish to thank you for your continued concern and support during this
very difficult moment in Kenyas history. We have been a peaceful
Country in a generally troubled region and people sort of took the
peace for granted.
The country is now battered almost to a pulp and blood spilt with
vengeance, senseless killings and wanton destruction. Markets, food
stores and shops have been looted. Hospitals are dysfunctional and
health centers incapacitated by riots and barricades. The violence,
death and destruction witnessed in the Country for the last couple
weeks has jolted the Nation into conscience and every body is now
craving normalcy.
While peace is slowly returning to all affected parts of the Country,
the impact of the riots has been devastating. Hundreds of people have
been killed turning thousands of innocent children into helpless
orphans and over one million people have been displaced, becoming
internal refugees over night.
The impact of the riots is most felt in the micro and small business
sector. Over 1 million small businesses were looted and or burnt down
destroying the only source of income to millions of Kenyans. Most of
the fighting and destruction occurred in slum areas in Nairobi,
Mombasa, Nakuru and Kericho in Rift Valley. These regions are home to
over 70% of Ebony Foundations clients and as you can imagine almost
all of our clients in these regions have been affected by the riots.
Only one region- (Mount Kenya) which is home to about 20% of EbFs
clients was spared the violence. The economy in this safe region is now
getting stretched as the residents have to now house the displaced
population.
We have recently completed auditing the riots impact on our clients and
as of yesterday about 4,900 of our clients had been badly affected by
the riots:
– About 1,532 of our clients were displaced and both their homes and
business premises burnt down. This population is currently housed in
church compounds and police stations.
– Another 2,479 clients had their business premises burnt down or
looted leaving them with no source of income at all.
– 833 clients had their homes looted or burnt down and about 56 clients
are missing and feared dead or critically injured.
We arrived at these figures through a survey being administered at
holding grounds, police stations, and through reliable reports from
groups and community leaders. Our staff and local group officials have
also been committed to conducting field assessments. I am sending a
photo today which you may share with the lenders. The biggest tasks at
the moment are to feed and house the displaced people, and to finance
the reconstruction of the small businesses that were affected in order
to enable the people to reclaim their source of income. In addition,
Ebony Foundation is now helping other MFIs audit their clients.
Eb-F has formed the following committees to address the above issues:
– A humanitarian committee that is working with the International Red
Cross to provide food, shelter and medical care to the victims.
– A business reconstruction committee that is working with the affected
clients to re finance and rebuild the small businesses that were looted
and/or burnt down.
– A compliance committee that is studying the legal and contractual
aspects of the affected loans to arrive at the best policy action.
Thus, we ask for your continued patience as many loan repayments will be
late, and it even may be impossible for some loans to be repaid in full
at all. Thank you for your patience as we work hard to address all of
these difficult issues, to serve our borrowers and help them recover,
and to repay loans as quickly and as much as is possible in the coming
months.
Sincerely,
James Maina
Executive Director
Ebony Foundation
Kenya
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These are the 7 borrowers, people, that we’ve helped that are affected by the previous story:
Naomi Waitherero Macharia – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=20709
Zachary Mwaniki Macharia – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=20716
Cecilia Mwende Njogu – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=20724
Jennifer Muthoni – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=20743
Kune Rukia Wako – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=20746
Christine Karabu – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=22454
RUTH WANJIRU GACHIHI – http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=22475
