Kenyan Leaders Have Completed the Foundation – Will You Be A “Monthly Builder”?

Country Director Josephine Chavaseki and The 1010 Network’s partners in Nairobi are moving and shaking; learning and saving. They are researching new business opportunities and writing strategic business plans; clarifying and setting goals.

In May, eighteen community entrepreneur-leaders completed an advanced 2-day micro-finance training course taught by long-time 1010 Network partner, Michael Nyangi, the founder and Director of Lomoro, a micro-finance organization. We extend a special thanks to the Patricia L. Kimball Endowment of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation for their partnership in funding the training. Click here for photos from the training.

The Revolving Loan Fund is ready to launch! Fifteen groups of five people save their own seed capital, which is then matched with a loan. This will kickstart or grow seventy-five revenue streams that will benefit the borrowers, their families, and their communities.

The 1010 Project is now a registered nonprofit in Kenya. It was no small accomplishment (it took us five years), and continues to lay the foundation for independence and strength.

Let’s move and shake with them – We really are Stronger Together!

We need “Monthly Builders” to keep this momentum going into the summer and beyond. We need YOU! Here’s our plan:

• 10 new partners commit to a gift of $1000/month (sustains one entrepreneur through all basic and advanced training courses and seed capital for a micro-business with macro-impact)
• 10 new partners commit to a gift of $100/month(trains one microfinance officer to lead a lending/borrowing team (100 x 12 = $1200 = enough for 10 loans/year)
• 100 new individuals commit to a gift of $10 or more/month (the average loan distributed is US$120 ($10 x 12 months); every gift – big or small - supports our entrepreneurs through capital and additional training and business mentoring)

Join us and ignite the next phase of growth for The 1010 Project.

We hope you are as inspired as we were by Josephine’s reflections from her visit to the US in March!

Josephine’s Reflections from Colorado:

My time spent in the USA was wonderful and full of learning experiences. My 10-day stay in Denver with my colleague and friend Melissa Schaap was great and exciting. We shared much about the strategic direction for The 1010 Project and met with lots of people. I treasure every moment spent together with the whole team.

It was amazing how much work we accomplished in such a short time. During this time I learned about the global perspective on sustainable development and I was encouraged that The 1010 Project is on the right track as we work to build stronger partnerships and increase our capacity; we are building economic empowerment and living out what it means to be stronger together.

During my visit in Denver, I was privileged to represent the Kenyan side of The 1010 Project and it was a joy to share the Kenyan experiences with partners who love Kenya and care about Kenyans.

Denver was very cold and beautiful with the snow sheet. I will never forget the visit the tips of the mountains – it was gorgeous. I think this is one of the most beautiful parts of God’s creation.

The Kenyan people are hard workers they have great ideas and if they have access to training, capital, and support, the poor communities can unlock their potential to become self-sustaining just like the Americans I met. The 1010 Project’s dream of breaking the poverty cycle and living in abundance is coming true.

My speech at the Stronger Together event on March 3 focused on a few key result areas:

• Promoting self-reliance through entrepreneurship
• Promoting sustainable change in the communities
• Strengthening partnerships and relationships which brings forth physical health such as better health, improved sanitation, food security and improved living standards

The following themes emerged for me during my time in Colorado:

• Transformation and Change is caused and does not “just happen”
• It takes a lot of people to accomplish God’s plan
• Love and Sacrifice can go a long way and can bring abundance in the lives of individuals, families and communities
• Nothing is too small to give for positive change to happen

Josephine is right – to make positive change, no gift is too small. Please join us. Click the GivingFirst button to make a fee-free gift directly to our programs, or send a check to the address below. As we continue to build our capacity and momentum, we thank you!

The 1010 Project
PO Box 9767
Denver, CO 80209

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