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Building financial capability through small micro-enterprise

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Building financial capability through small micro-enterprise

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Content 1
Building Financial Capability Through Small Micro-Enterprise
DSW Grand Challenge Final Capstone Paper
Dr. Dawn Egan
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Social Work
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
University of Southern California
Degree Conferral Date: August 2021
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgement .......................................................................................................................... 3
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4
Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................................. 10
Problems of Practice and Innovative Solutions ............................................................................ 16
Project Structure, Methodology, & Action Components .............................................................. 26
Conclusions, Actions, & Implications .......................................................................................... 35
References ..................................................................................................................................... 40
Appendix A: Logic Model ............................................................................................................ 88
Appendix B: Budgets .................................................................................................................... 91
Appendix C: Data Tracking Logs ................................................................................................. 93
Appendix D: Custom Surveys ...................................................................................................... 95
Appendix E: Milestones .............................................................................................................. 100
Appendix F: COVID Response .................................................................................................. 101
Appendix G: Protoype ................................................................................................................ 104
Appendix H: Interviews .............................................................................................................. 114
Appendix I: Design Criteria ........................................................................................................ 133
Appendix J: Stakeholder Map ..................................................................................................... 158
Appendix K: Definitions of Terms ............................................................................................. 159

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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my friends, and family for all their prayers and support, dinners, words of
encouragement, uplifting texts, goody boxes, and believing in me to complete this program; my
heartfelt thank you. Thank you to my classmates who reached out to share articles, tips, and
support, the journey was better because of you. I want to thank all the professors who took the
time to spend with me and help me understand concepts and walk-through assignments,
providing feedback, support, critique, and insight that helped me along the way. Much
appreciation for those who extended grace and compassion to me during this long season and
showing up on a regular basis with love and support. I would like to thank God for making a way
where there was no way. I did not go back to finish my bachelor’s degree until I was 38, then
finishing an MBA, and here I am at 49 finishing a doctorate; I never thought it would be possible
for me. With much gratitude and appreciation.

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Executive Summary
Building Financial Capability – Solving for the Grand Challenges
Tackling the financial inequality of marginalized female populations in Kenya is
fundamental in solving the Grand Challenge of Building Financial Capability for All (Fong et al.,
2018). Unfair social norms and gender discrimination have caused a lack of financial inclusion
and equality among roughly half of the female population in Kenya, who need access to finances
and entrepreneurship opportunities to create a revenue stream to meet their needs (Afro
Barometer, 2017; Akudugu, 2011; Appiah, 2015; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017; One Acre Fund,
2020). These populations experiencing marginalization also lack access to education and job
opportunities (Abuya et al., 2018; Kimuna et al., 2018; Sarnquist et al., 2018). Nafasi Sawa, or
Equal Opportunity, is a Capstone Project designed to solve this Grand Challenge by providing
marginalized women in Kenya (MWK) access to financial resources and existing proven
curriculum in basic business skills to help launch a small micro-enterprise (SME) that will create
sustainable income. The founder will provide the funds, the model of combined components to
implement the program, data -collection, and design re-iteration, based on research and feedback.
Purpose of Nafasi Sawa
Statistics reveal that almost half of the Kenyan women entrepreneurs cannot get access to
loans and financial services; this is because they do not have income, assets, or collateral (Ganle
et al., 2015; Gichuki et al., 2015; Kimuna et al., 2018; Wawire & Nakukho, 2010). Those who do
qualify for traditional micro-loan (ML) programs are subject to ongoing debt-cycles, high
interest rates of 22-100%, collateral requirements, and digital device service plans which cost
money (Akotey & Adjasi, 2016; Angelucci et al., 2015; Beg & Bashir, 2017; Berner et al., 2012;
Engel & Pedersen, 2019). Women are forced to take out multiple loans because one loan is not
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enough to start a small business; children are often pulled out of school, sold for sex, or organs
harvested to help pay back the ML (Ali & Mughal, 2019; Attanasio et al., 2015; Banerjee &
Jackson, 2017; Crepon, 2015; Seng, 2018). Grants to launch an SME are better because they do
not push women further into poverty (Buera et al., 2016; Cull & Morduch, 2017; McKenzie,
2017).
Nafasi Sawa is a sustaining innovation program which improves upon existing models of
micro-enterprise as a tool for poverty alleviation (Satell, 2017). It provides access to training of
MWK in rural areas of Nairobi, in basic business and financial skills, grant funds, and mentoring
to launch a SME. It combines these components in a table-banking (TB) group, with a pay-it-
forward model where women will use a portion of their profits to fund a new group; it is
expected to increase income and self-efficacy (Belwal et al., 2011; Berner et al., 2012; Ellis et
al., 2007; Hennink et al., 2013; Refera et al., 2016; Shibia & Barako, 2016). Having levels of
high self-efficacy, the belief in one’s abilities has been linked to multiple benefits, including
improved job performance, and educational achievement (Lopez–Garrido, 2020). Program
outcomes of increased hope, self-efficacy, and income will be monitored through customized
surveys.
Over time, it is expected that the Nafasi Sawa program will provide access to training
material, equipping, and funds to help launch multiple SMEs through women’s groups within
their own community, creating sustainable income and improving financial capability. According
to the Center for Financial Inclusion (2021), financial capability is the combination of attitude,
skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy needed to make and manage money, within one’s own
environment, with access to appropriate financial services. Because the program requires the
women to TB their funds and, use a portion of their profits to pay-it-forward to help launch other
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women’s groups, it is expected to aid in adoption, assimilation, and diffusion organically. TB,
popular among MWK in Kenya, is where women pool and manage funds collectively. Based on
Banduras’ social exchange theory, the women should be able to accomplish more working
together than working independently, helping to shift cultural behaviors (Lawler et al., 2008;
Maine et al., 2017; Redmond, 2015). The new skills that these women gain will qualify them to
apply for larger government sponsored enterprise programs which provide greater opportunities
for larger business ventures (Advance Africa, 2020).
Problem of Practice and Solution
The Borgen Project (2018) defines poverty as living on less than $2 per day; it is also the
inability to pay for basic daily needs, lacking access to resources, education, training, and or
income. Over a third of Kenyan’s meet this category, with half being female; without
intervention The World Bank (2019) projects that by 2030 one in nine adolescents in sub-
Saharan Africa (SSA) will be experiencing poverty. Almost 80% of Kenyans are living near the
poverty line (Diwakar & Shepherd, 2018; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017). Lack of jobs in SSA is also
problematic (Asante et al., 2017; Gough et al., 2016; Littlewood & Holt, 2018). New financial
alternatives to traditional MLs, along with training, and enterprise, are needed to build financial
inclusion and capability for MWK (Bruton et al., 2015; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017).
Injustice in Kenya plagues a large segment of women, resulting in financial inequality
and dis-empowerment (Atems & Shand, 2018; Barsky, 2013; Bawa, 2016). Women are awarded
a fourth of the jobs and many who try to secure finances for business are exploited and denied
access to funds (Abebe et al., 2018; Alvarez & Barney, 2014; Kenya National Bureau of
Statistics, 2019; Sarnquist et al., 2018). Opportunities are needed to fund entrepreneurial
endeavors. Community-based SME offer the promise of mitigating poverty (Parwez, 2017;
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Parwez et al., 2018). Nafasi Sawa fulfills the World Banks’ (2018) Financial Access Initiative
for financial equality by providing the needed access to training and funds to launch an SME
without strict qualifications and debt burdens (Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017). It is expected to reduce
poverty one group at a time.
Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components
Nafasi Sawa, a collaborative micro-grant program, will provide access to a protocol and
training through in-country trusted expert partners, KEFSHA, micro-grants, and mentorship to
launch an SME to create income. KEFSHA has worked in Kenya with marginalized populations
for over 20 years and has a curriculum that has been effective in training this population in basic
banking, finance, and life skills. KEFSHA’s success in working with gender sensitivities has
awarded them grant funds from large foundations, reinforcing their role as experts in working
with marginalized populations and will be a partner to implement the program in-country
through its trained social workers. The design of the program makes it attainable, collaborative,
meet practical needs, be trusted, and easy to implement. Recruitment and selection of the women
will be from existing relationships through KEFSHA, in Kenya. The women will be required to
be in a TB group of 5-15, learn basic math and business skills, basic sales, cash flow strategies,
and launch an SME (e.g., sales of eggs, chickens, maize, and coffee). The grants will be paid out
in $50-$100 installments based on a performance-based distribution, based on group size and
enterprise.
Program Outcomes
The EPIS framework will be applied to the program (Aarons et al., 2010; Moullin et al.,
2019). The interviews conducted by the founder during the exploration phase revealed the need
for job opportunities, and the ability to create income, for women in Kenya; trusted partners
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KEFSHA and other indirect stakeholders in Kenya confirmed. Women in Kenya relayed the lack
of access to financial services, lack of jobs, and lack of income to pay for basic needs for their
children. Feedback from interviewing stakeholders confirmed the benefit of entrepreneurship for
the women to aid in mitigating poverty and providing an opportunity to earn income.
The preparation phase involves ongoing interviews with beneficiaries and stakeholders,
who will help implement and build adoption in the communities. Multiple stakeholders were
consulted for feedback on design and implementation. Research has been conducted regarding
EBPs in Africa and Asia confirmed the need for this program and its innovative components.
Agreements will be procured to delineate the expectations of the expert partners who, through
collaboration, will provide the training and support for the implementation of the program
(Lengnick-Hall et al., 2020). The leadership team will maintain sensitivity to the cultural climate
and needs. Stakeholders shared their readiness for change, willingness to adopt new behaviors
for women and support of the SMEs; it was clear that this opportunity was critical to alleviate
poverty.
The first year will be focused on launching 10 to 20 women’s groups, with five to 15
members in each group, in rural areas in Nairobi, where partners have existing access and
relationships. The partners will be in the field training the women using their existing proven
curriculum covering TB, basic business, and financial skills, and allocating of the funding. The
partners will provide ongoing mentorship for choosing, launching, and running an SME.
Sustainability requires the need for ongoing effective leadership, the women being
adaptive and supported through ongoing mentorship, and the success of sales from the SME’s.
Additional women’s groups will be trained and mentored allowing for implementation and
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diffusion into additional communities. Sustainability involves ongoing collaboration with
partners, private funders, stakeholders, and communities, and multiplying the groups.
The women will be provided with initial funds of $100 to $250; additional distributions
will commence following benchmarks of success at one, three, and six months. The first two
years will include continued design and re-iteration of the protocol based on feedback, along
with maintaining alliances with partners in Kenya, evaluating and revising existing curriculum,
continuation of raising funds, ongoing mentorship of the implementors of the program, and
reproducing the program in other locations. The women must use some of their profits to pay-it-
forward to a new group within 24 months of launching their SME; the newly funded groups will
also be required to launch an SME.
Opportunity for Impact
The vision of Nafasi Sawa is for thousands of MWK to be trained, funded, and launch
SMEs, producing sustainable income to meet their needs, within the next 10 years. Based on
launching 10-20 groups of women consisting of 5-15 women and paying-it-forward at 24 months
after launching their initial SME, it is projected that 2560-5120 groups will have been trained
and launching SMEs in 10 years. The impact is for thousands of women to create sustainable
income, and be contributors to their families, which can impact generations creating financial
capability and equality.

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Conceptual Framework
Addressing the financial inequality of marginalized populations of females in Kenya is
important in solving the National Association of Social Worker’s Grand Challenge of Building
Financial Capability for All (Fong et al., 2018). It also aids in the United Nations (2021)
Sustainable Development Goals of reducing gender inequality and forming partnerships to
achieve the goals. Financial equality through opportunity is needed to address this injustice.
Multiple tiers of challenges contribute to the inability of roughly half of the female
Kenyan population to build financial equality and capability, which could enable the escape from
cycles of poverty (Afro Barometer [AB], 2017; Akudugu, 2011; Appiah, 2015; Mugo, &
Kilonzo, 2017; One Acre Fund [OAF], 2020). Financial capability is defined as one’s attitude,
skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy needed to make and exercise money management decisions
that fit the circumstances of one's life, within their environment and includes access to financial
services (Center for Financial Inclusion, 2021); self-efficacy is defined as one’s belief in their
capabilities to maintain control over their own actions that affect their lives, which can provide a
foundation for motivation, well-being, and accomplishment, with high levels of self-efficacy
linked to benefits in daily life, including resilience to adversity, improved work performance, and
educational achievements (Lopez–Garrido, 2020).
Contextual layers include gender inequality, forced subordination, social norms, lack of
income and job opportunities, learned powerlessness, and a lack of financial services (Bawa,
2016; Gichuki, et al., 2015; International Development Resource Centre [IDRC], 2019; Turner &
Maschi, 2015). Social influences, such as insufficient education and training, religious
restrictions, and ineffective government policies, are attributed to roughly half of Kenyan women
feeling helpless, affecting their self-efficacy and self-esteem (Abuya et al., 2018; Kimuna et al.,
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2018; Parson, 2008; Sarnquist et al., 2018). These marginalized women in Kenya (MWK) lack
access to education, earn less income, lack healthcare, do not have financial resources, and
experience forced relinquishment of control of their time; they also remain underrepresented in
decision making positions in government (Akala, 2019; Appiah, 2015; Koski et al., 2018; Mwiti
& Goulding, 2018; Wawire & Nafuko, 2010).
Women in Kenya need access to education, training, and financial services to achieve
financial equality. Statistics report 60% of Kenyan women are illiterate and 40% of the women
entrepreneurs in Kenya lack access to financial services, such as loans or banking (Wawire &
Nafukho, 2010); most of those also lack education and do not own assets (Ganle et al., 2015;
Gichuki et al., 2015; Kimuna et al., 2018). Half of Kenyan women experience physical and
sexual violence, a fourth of girls are forced to marry before 18, and many are forced into
prostitution to earn income (Diwakar & Shepherd, 2018; Kimuna et al., 2018; Terredeshommes,
2019). Injustice and inequalities afflict a large segment of MWK resulting in dis-empowerment
(Atems & Shand, 2018; Barsky, 2013; Bawa, 2016). Only one fourth of jobs are awarded to
women; those who try to obtain loans for businesses are either refused due to lack of collateral or
income, or are exploited (Abebe et al., 2018; Alvarez & Barney, 2014; Kenya National Bureau
of Statistics, 2019; Sarnquist et al., 2018). These injustices affect the women, their communities,
and well-being of their generations (Abuya et al., 2018; Asanta et al., 2017; Kalil & Danzinger,
2013).
Small micro enterprise (SME) is a small business that employs a few people, is started
with limited capital, and provides goods or services to local communities (Investopedia, 2021).
Table-banking is defined as a group of women who create a small group and collectively
contribute a small dollar amount to be kept in a lockbox (Mwobobia, 2016). This lockbox stores
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the profits and give access to disbursements to two members who hold a key. These funds are
collectively managed through agreements, with the intention that they are not accessible from
outside persons. Funds will be disbursed among the members based on written agreements. This
is important due to husbands taking funds from their wives, not allowing them to spend the funds
on nutritious food, healthcare, or education for the children. Research over the last decade shows
that access to training, financial services, and business opportunities are some of the practical
solutions to poverty (Abebe, et al., 2018; Asongu, et al., 2018; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017; Sarnquist
et al., 2018). Research from the last seven years lacks results in reporting on financial inclusion
from existing solutions (see Figure 1). There are organizations working on the front lines which
relay more current information. Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFIF), Global
Giving (GG), Kenya Women’s Microfinance Bank (KWMB), Safaricom, Global Women’s
Water Africa (GWWA), Boma Project (BP), and Micro Save Africa Consulting (MSAC) are
working towards solutions that combine basic education and training, financial literacy, access to
banking services, trade skills, table-banking (TB) and access to loans to launch a small business,
also known as small micro-enterprise (SME).
These organizations have proven results of alleviating poverty and building financial
inclusion and financial equality for MWK. Their websites show the success stories of multiple
women’s groups who have trained, started a business, and are creating income, along with a list
of donors who have contributed to their organizations. They reveal consistent loan repayments
and an increase in financial capability on behalf of the women. There is limited reporting of
program failures and sustainability as only success stories are promoted on their websites.
Rise Up Africa, Joyful Women’s Organization (JOYWO), Rotating Credit Savings
Association, Plant with Purpose, Alliance for Financial Inclusion, and Association of
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Microfinance Africa are also training MWK with TB models and seeing positive results; women
are learning skills, selling items, and creating income streams. The TB and SME combined allow
women to reduce poverty and create FIn and Financial equality (Atems & Shand, 2018; Gichuki
et al., 2015; Grigsby et al., 2015; Postelnicu & Hermes, 2016; Sooryamoorthy, 2007). Research
shows micro-loans (ML) can reduce poverty by 30% and increase household income by 20%
(Hennink et al., 2013). Safe and reliable access to financial services, coupled with training, TB,
and SME are solutions to help impact the lives of marginalized groups by reducing poverty and
creating FIn (Abebe, et al., 2018; Amankwah et al., 2019; Atems & Shand, 2018; Dziwornu et
al., 2018).
Nafasi Sawa or “Equal Opportunity” provides a solution that combines the research of
several effective components, proven to address the needs of the women while building financial
equality to solve for the Grand Challenge of Building Financial Capability for All (Fong et al.,
2018). Research shows that a combination of basic business and finance training, access to
funds, while utilizing TB methods, helps lead to increased financial equality (Abebe et al., 2018;
Sarnquist et al., 2018); Financial equality has been linked to self-efficacy and entrepreneurship
(Matos & Hall, 2020; Osiri et al., 2019; Yasir et al., 2019). When microfinance is accessible in a
community, members are more likely to attempt entrepreneurial endeavors and entrepreneurship
mitigates poverty (George et al., 2015).
Social exchange theory (SET) helps explain the critical factors for changing decisions
and longstanding behaviors to align with those in a peer group for the benefit of mutual reward;
MWK must forfeit current limiting cultural roles to gain a needed exchange, like
entrepreneurship (Redmond, 2015). This is true in the context of social reward where groups
have greater benefit due to beliefs in equity and distributive justice; SET supposes that women
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who work in TB groups (TBG) will help women make changes collectively they would not have
been able to make as individuals (Lawler et al., 2008; Maine et al., 2017; Redmond, 2015).
Originating with the work of Homans (1958), SET reveals that exchanges within a group can
shift long-standing social norms because everyone benefits, versus an individual attempting to
change alone with greater cost and little reward (Muldoon et al., 2018); MWK can shift social
norms and accomplish more in groups.
Homans (1958) also discusses the benefits of group dynamics and the cohesiveness that it
creates in social behavioral exchanges. He shares these dynamics attract people to participate as
they experience a greater reward when working with others towards a common goal, while
overcoming behavioral conditioning, this can be applied to TBG. He further stated, the safety of
the group creates conformers who will agree to behave in the same manner as others within their
circle, deviating from social norms to receive social approval from their peers. Exposure to new
behaviors within a group context can shift social norms (Tankard & Paluk, 2016).
Social exchange theory applied to the Micro-grant Program (MGP) supposes that women
who work together in a group setting, towards financial equality will do better, and have more
favorable results than working alone (Adjei, 2018a). These women will be placed in TBG, and
trained by trusted expert partners, Kenya Federation of Self-Help Associations (KEFSHA), and
Community Resource Africa Nations Empowerment (CRANE) in basic banking, self-efficacy,
and financial services. These partners have over thirty years combined experience working with
women in Kenya, with results in helping build self-confidence, basic skills, and will help mentor
the women to launch a SME. They understand the social norms, the culture, the needs of the
women, and how to implement interventions successfully. They have learned how to
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successfully mentor MWK to participate in training that allows them to break out of social norms
and gain new skills.
The women will be placed in groups, trained, and given grant funds of $150-$250 to
launch a SME, with profits to be managed in TBG; this group model helps the women influence
each other to make decisions that benefit the group, versus making individual decisions based on
traditional social norms. The expected short-term results include the women being encouraged,
experiencing hope, and receiving income producing opportunities. The medium-term outcomes
include women gaining new skills, building self-efficacy and confidence, having the ability to
buy nutritious food, healthcare, and education for their children, and learning to create a
sustainable income stream. Long-term results expected include the women experiencing
increased financial equality, financial inclusion, and financial capability, access to financial
education and services, along with a shift in women’s roles. Using a logic model, it is expected
that the MGP, supported by SET, which includes women and trainers as social capital, will
provide the necessary framework for MWK to gain the skills, funds, and community needed to
create new social norms through the launching of SME (see Appendix A & Figure 2).
A full program launch is projected to cost between $25,000 and $145,000, paid out in
phases, for the first two years to support all the various components; this includes travel to and
from Kenya, and overhead for the launch and oversight (see Appendix B). There is a 20% to
30% overhead fee to CRANE and KEFSHA combined, to manage the funds and administer the
program. Additional costs include the renting of space to train the women, and the grants. The
majority of expenses are for KEFSHA’s trainers to implement the program in Kenya. KEFSHA
has over 20 years’ experience working with marginalized women in Kenya and has created
training and curriculum for these groups to learn business and self-efficacy skills. CRANE is
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founded by an indirect stakeholder who was born and raised in Kenya, works closely with
governments in Africa and has over 20 years’ experience working with marginalized population.
The founder of CRANE, Josh Kyallo, was referred to the founder of Nafasi Safa through a
mutual friend based in Africa who is an international attorney, works with marginalized
populations, and has successfully implemented entrepreneurship programs. Both KEFSHA and
CRANE leaders have provided valuable feedback for the design re-iteration of the program and
will continue to manage, provide feedback and assist with implementation and re-design of the
program.
Private donors connected with the founder have agreed to fund the first year of
operations. It is expected that through campaigning, additional donors will contribute to the
program. Without added revenue it is possible to continue the program through the pay-it-
forward model but onboarding new donors will insure sustainability and scaling to other areas.
The program will run through an existing S-Corp, but will partner with acting financial
intermediary CRANE, a 501c (3), which allows for tax donation write-offs for donors through a
seasoned account. The funds will be sent from CRANE to KEFSHA, in phases. CRANE will
help oversee the implementation of the grants and payments to and through KEFSHA, paid out
to the trainers, via installments, in accordance with agreed terms. CRANE has over 20 years
working with similar programs, as well as NGO’s and governments in six African countries, and
provided valuable input for the design.
Problems of Practice and Innovative Solutions
Nafasi Sawa is a collaborative micro-grant program (MGP) to launch SME for MWK
who do not have access to, or qualify for, traditional ML; it helps build financial capability for
MWK, in rural areas, who lack transportation and opportunity, access to training and financial
17
services, and the opportunity to launch a SME. This program gives women access, to build
sustainable income through enterprise, thus reducing poverty and building financial equality and
financial inclusion. The program requires the women manage the funds in a TBG and pay-it-
forward by launching an SME for another group of women, this will help women create income
for themselves to meet the needs of their children for nutritious food, education, and healthcare.
Entrepreneurship has been shown to reduce poverty (Attanasio et al., 2015; Chatterjee et
al., 2018; Katekhaye & Magda, 2017; McKenzie, 2017; Singh & Chudasama, 2020). However, it
requires self-efficacy, a belief in one’s abilities to achieve goals and perform tasks through
empowerment (Abuya et al., 2018; Bux et al., 2019; Fayaz & Rao, 2019; Yasir et al., 2019;
Yusuff et al., 2019). Entrepreneurship can develop self-efficacy which can be used to aid in
achieving success in business (Eijdenberg et al., 2018; Kazmi & Nábrádi, 2017; Prashar, 2017);
it is one solution to provide empowerment, helping women launch SME to create income (Van
Rooyen et al., 2012). Entrepreneurship by itself is not enough, training is needed for success
(Abebe et al., 2018; Berry et al., 2018; Calderon et al., 2019; Herrington & Coduras, 2019).
Women’s entrepreneurial abilities and sense of empowerment is directly impacted by
Self-efficacy (Baron et al., 2016; Maine et al., 2017; Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2019; Yusuff et
al., 2019). Entrepreneurship requires self-efficacy and is impacted by such conditions as social
norms and cultural expectations (Appiah, 2015; Osiri et al., 2019; Sarnquist et al., 2018, Shahriar
& Shepherd, 2019; Sossou, 2016). Running an SME can help build self-efficacy and
empowerment (Akotey & Adjasi, 2016; Fayaz & Rao, 2019; Prashar, 2017; Singh &
Chudasama, 2020).
Successful entrepreneurship is connected to self-efficacy, good social environments, and
support (Matos & Hall, 2020). Research shows that financial education and skills are needed
18
components for entrepreneurship; financial literacy teaches basic numerical components, how to
perform calculations, how to budget, and managing cash flow from day-to-day operations all
needed for entrepreneurship (Abebe et al., 2018). Additionally, education in Africa has been
linked to increased financial capabilities for women (Caplan et al., 2018). African women who
have financial literacy skills earn almost double the wages of non-trained women while
contributing to economic growth (Deliver for Good, 2019).
Nafasi Sawa requires women become trained in basic financial and business skills, and
launch an SME, which helps build their decision-making abilities, and reinforces self-efficacy,
providing the needed opportunity for entrepreneurship (OAF, 2020). Research shows that
marginalized women who obtain training and skills have more agency in their homes, which also
helps reinforce self-efficacy (Abuya et al., 2018; Herrington & Coduras, 2019; Matos & Hall,
2020). Self-efficacy has been linked to higher levels of learning and education, which is passed
onto children who carry these traits into their future (Abuya et al., 2018; Rasul et al., 2017).
Through entrepreneurship, self-efficacy is an important component of building financial
capability which mitigates poverty (Osiri et al., 2019; Yasir et al., 2019; Yusuff et al., 2019).
Self-efficacy is one of the crucial components of gaining financial equality and is needed by
MWK to overcome poverty; something that Nafasi Sawa provides.
Interviews with MWK in the fall of 2019 consistently revealed a need for job
opportunities; this was confirmed by multiple interviews with trusted male and female partners,
and leaders, including those in-country, and those who travel to Kenya regularly. Stakeholders
confirmed the difficulty in qualifying and obtaining ML and revealed a need for training to
launch a SME. When presented with Nafasi Sawa, the stakeholders and beneficiaries agreed that
it was an effective solution and would be implementable; this includes MWK, leaders in the
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communities, leaders of organizations that work with MWK, and friends of the founder who
travel to Kenya annually.
Various components of the program were designed due to feedback from these
stakeholders, training being an important component. Ongoing interviews with Executive
Director of KEFSHA, Nancy Gachoka, revealed the need for community leaders to be a part of
the trainings, and launch of the SMEs (personal communication, May 28, 2020); Nancy has over
20 years of experience training women in basic skills. This was confirmed by Executive Director
of CRANE, Joshua Kyallo, who was born and raised in Kenya, stating leaders need to train the
women in quality curriculum, such as KEFSHAS, and aid in launching the MGP (personal
communication March 7, 2020). The pilot programs were co-designed using their feedback and
implemented by leader Francis Thuku. Francis trained several groups of women in TB and SME
and is mentoring them as they launched several SMEs (personal communication May 10, 2020).
Stakeholders of the program include women in the community, families, spouses, leaders,
communities, and trusted partners who will be training, mentoring, and monitoring the women;
others include buyers of the products being sold by the women. Donors and volunteers are
indirect stakeholders. Women who will be part of the pay-it-forward SME are beneficiaries and
stakeholders. Feedback from the pilot programs confirms that Nafasi Sawa is a viable solution.
The MGP removes the barriers by providing the required training, the grant, mandating
the women keep the funds in a TBG, keeping the funds in a lock box which is stored in the home
of a leader of the group, and working together to launch an SME. The husband will not have
access to the funds; this makes it easier for women to maintain control of the funds and gain
autonomy. Women will be coached in domestic violence issues and will be asked to report any
incidents to their trainer for further action. If a woman is perceived to be in danger, alternative
20
actions will be decided for that member. Each group will decide how much of the funds are
accessed, will sign an agreement on distributions, decide how much is kept in the box, for what
allocated purpose, and when and how the profits will be disbursed.
In May of 2020, SME pilots were launched by the founder in conjunction with an in-
country respected leader in Bungoma County, Kenya at the request of several beneficiaries who
were desperate to have income during the lockdowns due to the COVID pandemic. Pilot funds
were wired through an attorney friend of the founder, Mr. Incorvaia, to an in-country trusted
leader Francis Thuku. Mr. Incorvaia travels to Kenya bi-annually to train leaders in business and
leadership skills. Francis trained the women in basic leadership, business, and math skills,
received the grant funds of $100 per each 5-10 women group, and administered modified surveys
that measured income levels, perceived hope, and basic business skills. Each group includes a
chairlady, secretary, and treasurer nominated by its members. The chairlady, secretary, and
treasurer are signatories of the account and manage the funds.
The first three-month period, the women reported that they were able to launch SMEs
and create income; surveys from the women revealed increased hope, self-efficacy, an increased
ability to pay for items for their family, and an increase in savings (see Figure 3). The women
revealed husbands are supportive because the women are now able to contribute financially to
the family and provide nutritious food and healthcare for the children. Increased levels of joy and
unity in the family are also reported. Communication has been ongoing through email, What’s
App, and Messenger.
It was reported via email, phone calls, and surveys, that the women were excited to be a
part of the program, were grateful for the opportunity, and appreciated the ease of participation.
The leaders reported the women were doing well in their sales. Valuable feedback resulted from
21
the pilots, including the need for access to items to sell during a pandemic, a need for someone to
administer the surveys due to illiteracy, and the need to have trusted in-country partners that can
administer the grants. In-country collaboration helps mitigate challenges such as women sticking
to the program, effective training, proper use of funds, and best practices to solicit support.
The reason this design was chosen was based on research which revealed traditional ML
programs have shown to bring promising results to the poor in multiple countries, but with mixed
outcomes. Many who meet requirements to obtain ML will use the funds to buy food or to make
it through tough seasons when there is no income due to drought or drops in sales, not launching
a SME (Akotey & Adjasi, 2016; Banerjee & Jackson, 2017; Ganle et al., 2015; Kinnan & Breza,
2018; Seilan, 2020; Tarozzi et al., 2015). A majority of MWK still cannot qualify for or access
ML to launch an SME (Gichuki et al., 2015); ML have been called a poverty trap creating debt
burdens and taking years to repay and many are unable to repay the multiple loans required to
launch an SME, with high interest rates of 20-140% per year and loan repayments starting within
30 days of receiving first funds (Akotey & Adjasi, 2016; Angelucci et al., 2015; Banerjee &
Jackson, 2017; Beg & Bashir, 2017; Berner et al., 2012; Engel & Pedersen, 2019; Karim, 2018).
One ML can be too small to launch an SME, requiring multiple loans (Augsburg et al., 2015;
Bruton et al., 2015); this plunges women into further poverty and impedes entrepreneurship (Ali
& Mughal, 2019; Bruton et al., 2015; Crepon, 2015; Seng, 2018).
According to Karim (2008), well known ML programs, like competitor Grameen Bank,
boast of high repayment rates, close to 100%, but fail to mention the hidden costs and greater
long-term costs, upward of 40-60% including cancellation fees, late fees, and savings
requirements (see Figure 4). Many of these programs do not require training or skills
assessments. The women are also expected to give their loan funds to male family members upon
22
request, according to social norms. The women often apply to multiple NGOs to gain several
loans, applying to multiple programs, because they are forced to forfeit funds to family members.
Some positive results from Grameen are the requirement of group responsibility to repay the
ML, which aids in collective responsibility for the financial soundness of the group.
Many times, ML come with unethical practices and can increase depression (Banerjee &
Jackson, 2017; Beg & Bashir, 2017); ML alone cannot eradicate poverty (Amankwah et al.,
2019; Banerjee et al., 2015c; Calderon et al., 2019; Cull & Murdoch, 2017; Van Rooyen et al.,
2012). They can be a useful tool when combined with training, but many of the institutes and
NGO’s that implement ML programs have been profiting off the poor (Angelucci et al., 2015;
Cull & Murdoch, 2017). These programs have been connected to shame-debt, which harms
women financially, physically, and psychosocially (Engel, 2017; Engel & Pedersen, 2019); the
inability to repay ML has been connected to estrangement from communities, selling children for
sex, and selling one’s own organs to repay the loans (Banerjee & Jackson, 2017).
Grants have an advantage over ML because they do not create added burdens, there are
no high interest rates, and there is no negative impact on income, growth, or profits (Buera et al.,
2016; Cull & Morduch, 2017; McKenzie, 2017). Finances must be made available to women
who do not qualify for or have access to traditional ML, so they are not hindered from launching
SME (Bruton et al., 2015; Eijdenberg et al., 2018; Fayaz & Rao, 2019; IDRC, 2019; Mwiti &
Goulding, 2018). Nafasi Sawa provides a more effective solution to build financial capability.
Training, curriculum, and mentorship will be provided by trusted expert partners and
social workers from KEFSHA, who will help women in Kenya, experiencing marginalization, to
gain needed self-efficacy and knowledge of skills to choose and launch an SME. Five to 10
groups of five to 12 women will be trained in TB and other skills at local venues, in rural areas,
23
given grant funds, without the need to qualify via income or assets, and monitored for progress.
Women will be given performance-based fund distributions to augment their SME after
benchmarks of success have been reached at three, six, and 12 months. The groups are required
to pay-it-forward, launching SMEs for other women’s groups to sustain and diffuse the program.
Short-term outcomes include the women gaining increased knowledge in basic business
principles including financial skills. Intermediate results include the ability for women to launch
an SME. The expected long-term results include women experiencing increased financial
inclusion and financial capability, increased ability to create income, increased hope, an increase
in the ability to earn income and gain confidence in their ability to pay for nutritious food,
healthcare, and education for themselves and their children, and an increase in confidence, self-
esteem, and self-efficacy. Long-term outcomes also include an increase in confidence in the
ability to run an SME.
The SMEs can provide the women with funds for meeting daily needs. The performance
distributions will help the SMEs grow. It is expected that within 12 to 24 months a SME will
earn enough profits to take care of the basic daily needs of the women’s TBG and their children
and provide seed funds to pay-it-forward for another women’s group to launch a SME. This
multiplication effect will help fulfill outcomes and create financial inclusion with other groups.
Qualitative and quantitative surveys will be used to track the data, implementation, changes, and
improvements; measuring basic business knowledge, perceived hope, self-efficacy, confidence,
and income levels (see Appendix C-D), (McKim, 2017; McNeill & Chapman, 2005).
Intervention is needed due to the combination of problems contributing to financial
inequality for women in Kenya. Women in Africa fulfill strong gender roles within the social
system. Females in Africa are expected to marry and have children and in many parts are not
24
seen as worthy to be educated (Bisung et al., 2018). They are expected to work in the home and
fulfill the duties of a stay-at-home wife (Jones & Chant, 2009; Sossou, 2006). Women who do
not comply with strict social norms can be ostracized by their families (Bawa, 2016). These
social norms keep women uneducated and confined to their homes to meet the needs of their
families (Amoakohene, 2004).
Men in Africa tend to be the leaders, the gatekeepers, and control decisions in the family
system, political system, educational system, religious circles, and the marketplace (Appiah,
2015). Men tend to be the gatekeepers of finance (Bawa, 2016); this restricts women from shared
roles of responsibility and financial empowerment (Moyer et al., 2014). These cultural norms
reinforce men as the income earners leaving little room for women (Appiah, 2015).
Conformance to cultural norms have caused some women in Africa to be passive, lacking
equal rights (Arku et al., 2008). Women in Africa have lacked access to educational and financial
matters, dependent on their community and religious leaders (Arku et al., 2008). Lack of respect
for women’s needs has reinforced their limited agency in the community (Arku et al., 2008).
Many African girls do not believe that there are opportunities outside of their social
norms, so they do not get educated, thus they have higher unemployment rates due to lack of
literacy and skills (Clark et al., 2018; Jones & Chant, 2009). Lack of access to education, a key
component of financial literacy, has kept some women from developing confidence and skills yet
financial literacy is needed for running a business (Berry et al., 2018; Chowa et al., 2014).
Legislation, society, and the educational and financial systems, cater to men in many
African nations (Koski et al., 2018). Access to entrepreneurial opportunities and financial
services, along with reframed educational policies requires political support. A predominantly
patriarchal society, policies have restricted females from obtaining critical job skills necessary to
25
build and maintain financial capacity through the marketplace (Appiah, 2015); this impacts the
entire continent. Women who do work receive 73% of what men earn in equal roles (Awumbila,
2006); without the revised legislation that supports women obtaining education and financial
skills, this cycle is expected to get worse (World Bank, 2019) (see Figure 5).
The application of TBG and SET is expected to help shift this cycle and impact these
cultural norms by creating acceptance of entrepreneurship for women. Studies in ten countries
show women entrepreneurs tend to rely more on social networks and they collectively influence
each other and their societal conditions (Moreira, 2019). Combined with SET, this implies that
women who are working within these TBG will be able to have a greater influence working
together in a TBG than individually. Based on SET, changes to social norms are expected to be
more easily adopted when women practice new behaviors them together, influencing each other
and experiencing mutual benefits of SMEs and financial equality.
Studies show TBGs help build mutual trust, capacity, and leads to empowerment (Parwez
et al., 2018). MWK are more likely to pull themselves out of poverty and gain financial equality
if they solve their issues working collectively, such as in a TBG (Eagly & Johannesen‐Schmidt,
2001; Ellemers et al., 2004; Parwez, 2017; Parwez et al., 2018). Research shows that
entrepreneurial endeavors that combine working together in TBG do better in business and
profits, versus working independently (Eijdenberg, 2018; Ganle et al., 2015; Kuriakose &
Joseph, 2020). Nafasi Sawa can provide an opportunity for group success; success includes
increased levels of hope, confidence, increased business skills and financial knowledge, ability to
generate income, and new learned behaviors, such as working outside the home to run a SME. It
is expected the groups will multiply locally within 12 to 24 months, and regionally within 10
years.
26
Research of SME in multiple countries, including India, Ghana, Egypt, and Kenya, shows
promising results through entrepreneurship which has a positive relationship to economic growth
(Aghion, 2017; Ali et al., 2019; Altanasio et al., 2015; Angelucci et al., 2015; Augsburg et al.,
2015; Banerjee et al., 2015b; Blattman et al., 2016; Lafuente et al., 2016; Szerb et al., 2018).
Some researchers say it is a critical component to reduce poverty, especially in economies that
lack jobs such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (Bruton et al., 2015; Herrington & Coduras, 2019;
Sutton et al., 2019). Successful entrepreneurship requires funding, which has been lacking in
SSA (Herrington & Coduras, 2019). Nafasi Sawa provides these needed funds.
Traditional ML programs have brought solutions to the poor in many countries, but
research shows that the impact is mixed; funds are being used for daily needs, not launching an
SME (Akotey & Adjasi, 2016; Banerjee & Jackson, 2017; Ganle et al., 2015; Kinnan & Breza,
2018; Madhani et al., 2015; Tarozzi et al., 2015). Many MWK cannot access ML and have
inadequate training to sustain an enterprise (Gichuki et al., 2015). Existing solutions are also
advocating technology and geared towards those who have access to services and can qualify for
the programs. The beneficiaries of Nafasi Sawa cannot access these programs, and do not qualify
for the loans. The MGP will be successful because it eliminates the obstacles to the lack of
training, the qualification requirements for a loan, and the high debt-burdens, while providing an
opportunity to participate in a process that empowers women to learn skills and run a SME.
Project Structure, Methodology, & Action Components
Based on Galbraith’s Star Model (2002), the program design includes strategies based on
research, the right people to implement the program; the decentralized structure offers shared
responsibility amongst the founder, partners, and trainers (see Figure 6). The program includes
training the women, the funding of the TBG, mentorship for launching the SME, and the ongoing
27
collaboration with cultivated partnerships to implement the MGP effectively. The collective
action of skills and knowledge can ensure greater success, with coordinated behaviors of
evaluating the program for needed adjustments (FSG, 2021); collective impact can affect four
areas: governance and infrastructure, strategic planning, community involvement, and evaluation
and improvement (see Figure 7). This helps with facilitation and refinement of the design and
the program itself. It can provide better support working with experts who have experience
working within the scope of the strategies. Through co-design and feedback, collaboration helps
facilitate buy-in and advocacy for the program, while helping to track the process and results.
The EPIS framework will be ongoing for design reiteration (Aarons et al., 2010; Moullin
et al., 2019). The exploration phase included interviews with MWK who experience poverty,
revealing the need for opportunities. Communication with leaders who are working in Kenya,
further confirmed the need to create an opportunity for women to create a sustainable income.
The feedback was positive, revealing that a MGP was necessary, desirable, and adoptable by the
population being served as it would benefit women and their communities. Preparation included
designing the protocols, continued interviews, and implementation of feedback. Implementation
of pilot programs provided needed input for future launch of the full-scale program. Sustainment
will be maintained through partnership, ongoing interviews, evaluation, and design reiteration.
An innovations trends analysis of over 30 companies offering programs in Kenya
revealed current solutions of training in financial literacy skills, introduction of technology such
as laptops and cellular phones, agricultural skills, mobile banking, and micro-loans (ADFIF,
2020; BP, 2020; GG, 2020; GWWA, 2020; KWFB, 2020; MSAC, 2020; Safaricom 2020). Some
implemented fintech, such as e-commerce platforms, POS card machines, mobile payments, and
cell phone deposits (Accion, 2020; IDRC, 2019; Opportunity, 2020; Sokowatch, 2020; Quona
28
Capital, 2020; Yoco, 2020; Zoona, 2020). The most common solutions combined several of the
above components in a TB setting. A majority focused on loans, rotating credit, and community
training (Atlantic Microfinance for Africa, 2020; CDC Financing, 2020; JOYWO, 2020; Rise-Up
Africa, 2020; ROSCA, 2020; VSLA, 2020). Some focused specifically on agricultural loans,
financial education via mobile devices and tablets, specialty software, and biometric smartcards
(FINCA, 2020; IDRC, 2020; Onyejekwe, 2011) (see Figures 8-10).
In general, the concentration of intervention from other agencies is on micro-financing
through cloud-based banking apps, partnerships with non-profits, agencies and alliances, and
information communication inclusion for women (Diwakar & Sheperd, 2018; Hafkin & Taggart,
2001; IDRC, 2019). Additional attention has been given to offering business to consumer help so
women can have better responses in selling items (Hafkin & Taggart, 2001). Mobile app services
for agriculture have aided in building credit scores, providing weather information, and helping
women farmers become more visible to potential buyers (IDRC, 2020). These programs seem
effective but have access restrictions, are funded by large donors, have qualification
requirements, and can cost money. They also have limited options for enterprise, usually
requiring the women to work in agriculture or water projects, sometimes in remote areas. The
use of ML within the program continue to create debt cycles for women, who must use profits to
pay back the loans. There is virtually no reporting of problems or program failures directly from
these organizations, but academic articles continually report the ongoing debt-burdens, hidden
costs, and the need to pull kids out of school to repay loans.
Design criteria for Nafasi Sawa includes attainability, collaboration, meeting practical
needs, trustworthiness, and is user friendly. It is attainable because it is does not have strict
qualifications nor require spousal signature. It is collaborative because it involves women
29
working together to create sustainable results. It is practical, providing a simple solution for
starting small and building in skills and income. It is trusted, there are no hidden fees or negative
consequences. It is friendly, instilling peace and hope, towards those who may lack education or
financial literacy and providing tools to mitigate stress and build financial capability. The MGP
is reliable and sustainable, managed collectively by experts who understand MWK and their
needs, while providing empowerment and support through training and mentorship.
According to CRANE and KEFSHA, the best process of TB will be for each women’s
group to include two to three trusted women to serve as a bookkeeper and manage the cash box;
two keys are given to women in the group and both women with keys must be present to open
the box; this insures that no one member can access the cash without another being present. Cash
is counted and stored in the safe box in front of all group members. The safe box is locked and
stored at any of the woman’s homes as agreed by the group. The cash box might be kept at the
home of one of the women with the keys, or at the home of a third woman, often the group’s
chair. This means that at any given time, two women must agree and be present for the safe box
to be opened. An accounting book is stored in the cash (safe) box and updated whenever cash
deposits or withdrawals takes place. If some use a mobile money wallet, like M-Pesa, the women
can also store their funds on their mobile phone account and transact based on group agreements.
The groups will be formed by members who have close bonds and high levels of mutual
trust. The women must need income, be experiencing marginalization, lack access to traditional
financial services, not be currently employed full-time, and not qualify for traditional programs.
They are further reinforced by strong social and community-defined collateral agreements in the
event of financial default. The selection criteria will consider the women’s social and domestic
dynamics and such social filters are used to ensure that risks are mitigated. The women often
30
invite their husbands to some of their selected group meetings to create awareness and promote
support for their work. The group gets to know the husbands in each other’s lives and discuss the
decisions on who has access to the cash box. The system is designed to protect each woman
against pressures from their husbands. Because no woman can open the cash box alone, it limits
access to the husbands, making it difficult to take funds from the women.
Based on KEFSHA and CRANE’s experience, gender-based violence is usually driven
by men who think their wives have access to large amounts of cash and are refusing or failing to
prioritize their families. One driver for gender-based violence in the past has been women’s
absence from home and away from other family domestic or economic livelihoods activities
while attending various meetings. The women groups will address this by a) inviting husbands to
some of their open group meetings to create awareness and support, b) scheduling meetings at
times later in the day that do not conflict with the women’s core family responsibilities and
priorities, and c) involvement of local government administration in cases of gender-based
violence because of strong anti-gender-based violence laws in Kenya. This will help ensure the
safety of the women and reduce problems.
In addition to business development and cash management, each group will receive
extensive training in all aspects of group management dynamics, including challenges such as
gender-based violence and male dominance/interference, and how to address them. KEFSHA
shares that there is a variety of government led anti-gender-based violence campaign efforts and
NGOs dealing with domestic violence in the community. Overall, the women will have multiple
areas of accessing information and protection on gender-based violence outside their
participation in the women’s groups.
31
The leadership of Nafasi Sawa should embody the transformational leadership style
(Kark et al., 2003). They will be encouraged to operate from inspirational motivation, be
intellectually stimulating, and should influence and impact others. The leaders should be
altruistic embodying excellence, virtue, with attention to development (Northouse, 2016). They
should be generous, honest, and promote justice, maintaining integrity, humility, and maintain
consistency and ethics in their actions. Managing change and uncertainty strategically will be
important for implementing the program and building up the team (Tichy, 1982).
Nafasi Sawa will initially be funded through private donors who have committed to
$145,000 for the initial launch of the program; this is expected to cover the first two years. The
program is expected to grow organically through the pay-it-forward model. Funds will be sent to
CRANE who has extensive experience with working with MWK, grant-writing, government
contracts, wiring funds, and has a long-term relationship with KEFSHA. This helps eliminate
delays and concerns about money laundering as the funds are sent through trusted partner via
Sendwave, Transferwise, or Western Union, offering reduced fees and better exchange rates.
Additional donors will be contacted after initial implementation. It is expected that the
results of surveys for the first few months will show the success of the program, and through the
Heartfelt Connector funding model, tap into a donor’s desire for social impact (Foster et al.,
2009). Communication through campaigns will be emailed out that include videos, survey
updates, and a prototype. Government agencies and NGOs will be pursued for potential future
alliance. Once additional funds come in, additional groups will be launched through KEFSHA,
and or through additional alliances, such as Oasis Trauma Center. Without the pay-it-forward
model, the next five years could be funded with a maximum of $290,000, including two full
launches. The majority of expenses will be for KEFSHA’s program implementation costs.
32
Implemented in-county through trusted partners, data will be collected through continued
interviews with the women and the field workers, ongoing surveys, and through observation by
those in the field. Surveys, interviews, and data will be collected and evaluated at one, two, three,
six, nine, 12, 18, and 24 months. The surveys will help map benchmarks of success that will
trigger additional performance-based distributions to augment the initial grant funds.
Quantitative and qualitative survey methods will be used, via survey tracking logs, to monitor
growth, capability, and changes in income (McKim, 2017; McNeill & Chapman, 2005).
Measurements and fidelity of the innovation will be managed and maintained by the
trusted partners in the field, KEFSHA, and their staff, who will be working directly with the
women in the field, tracking results with customized data tracking logs (see Appendix C),
(Emmons et al., 2012; McNeill & Chapman, 2005). These tracking logs have been adapted from
the work of Stein et al. (2015), Training Evaluation Measure, Helmond et al. (2014)
Measurement Instrument Program Integrity EQUIP (MIPIE), and the United Nation’s ([UN],
2012), Effective Monitoring for Pro-poor Cluster Development Guidelines for Practitioners
(EMPPG), monitoring the training provided, implementation consistency, and adherence to
curriculum by the trainers (see Appendix D). The results will be shared with donors.
Collaborator, KEFSHA will be responsible for administering the training, surveys, and
tracking logs. Surveys will be provided before the training for a baseline of the women and
trainers and will continue after the issuance of initial funds. KEFSHA trainers will continue to
interview the women making sure the curriculum being taught is practical for real life situations.
The Program Director will monitor the trainers and the implementation of the curriculum, the
program, SMEs, and monitor the survey process; the surveys and findings will be reported
monthly and discussed with the founder. The surveys include data checklists of completed
33
duties, reports of consistency of implementation, and written personal observations, issues,
needs, and suggestions by the trainers. Weekly What’s App meetings between KEFSHA leaders
and founder will commence prior to and after implementation to discuss surveys and findings.
The performance results of the women’s groups will be tracked through the surveys on a
tracking log; results will be discussed by the Program Director and founder. The women will
maintain written agreements with the trusted partners, and each other, to manage the funds
amongst themselves, outlining the terms of financial disbursements from their TBG. Based on
research of multiple countries, it is expected that the innovation will be effective in mitigating
poverty, based on the needs of the women, the current opportunities, and the data that supports
entrepreneurship and SME as a solution for populations experiencing financial exclusion and
marginalization (Osiri et al., 2019; Yasir et al., 2019; Yusuff et al., 2019).
Test pilots that were implemented in 2020 with women in Kenya have reported positive
results, within months, through interviews and surveys (see Figure 11). Trusted male community
leader, Francis Thuku, initially implemented the pilots in Kimilili, Kitale, and other Bungoma
County areas; Francis was referred to the founder by trusted friend and attorney Mr. Incorvaia
who regularly travels to Kenya training leaders in business and leadership skills. The pilots were
started with four groups of women in 2020, who were trained in basic TB and business skills,
and provided $100 for their TBG. Each group completed surveys at one, two, three, and six
months with promising results; after initial success additional groups were added later in the
year. Reported information included the type of items being sold, the income levels, savings
levels, and how the women were doing overall. As a result of the outcomes, additional women
have requested to be a part of the program. Email reports to date are that the women have hope
34
and are excited to have the opportunity to create income. These surveys validate that the SMEs
have been effective in increasing hope, self-efficacy, and income levels.
The founder will continue ongoing communication via What’s App, Messenger, and
email with all stakeholders to encourage and inspire efforts (see Figure 12); better insights,
outcomes, and results are expected with collaborative efforts. Trainers, leaders, and beneficiaries
will be asked for feedback of the curriculum, grant amounts, distributions schedules, and results.
The stakeholders will be asked about positive and negative experiences, which will be
incorporated into future iterations of the MGP. Surveys and feedback will be tracked and stored
on an Excel file for sharing purposes. Growth milestones will also be tracked (see Appendix E).
The founder will follow action plans to continue fostering connections, promoting the
SMEs, and following up with stakeholders (see Figure 13). This includes keeping the
beneficiaries and partners engaged, inspired, and motivated through weekly voice and text posts
in a What’s App group chat, as a part of ongoing connection; this is due to the lack of Wi-Fi,
computers, and consistent internet in Kenya. Additional emails, using simple language, will be
sent to indirect stakeholders to provide updates regarding funding, tracking logs, and updates to
the surveys and or curriculum. Phone calls will be made bi-weekly to connect with the relevant
stakeholders to discuss feedback and make changes. Protocols will be followed through three
phases, pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation for the founder’s role, the
trainers’ role, and the beneficiaries’ role (see Figures 14-16).
Campaign efforts will create awareness of the program, and be geared towards eliciting
empathy in the viewer, with hopes they will be concerned and commit to make a difference in
the lives of the women through support (Waters, 2017). It will be made with intentional effort to
influence funders and stakeholders, impacting the way they see the problem, inciting viewers to
35
act (Perloff, 2008). The message and implications of the impact will be best shared through
existing networks (Liu-Thompkins, 2012). This direct campaign will be a combination of short
videos, including sharable social media slogans such as #FinancialEqualityForAll, along with an
innovation portfolio which includes an infographic (see Figure 17).
The video campaign will include data points, pictures of MWK impacted by lack of
financial inclusion, and projected statistics if nothing is done to bring relief. It will use
emotionally charged verbiage, with photos of the impacts of poverty. The campaign will seek to
utilize a “sticky message” employing the characteristics of SUCCES: a) a simple message
focusing on the needs of women to gain access to financial opportunity, b) an unexpected offer
to provide an alternative to traditional programs, c) a concrete message that the viewer can
understand what is offered and explain it to others, d) credibility which comes from the
research, credentials, and connections of the founder, e) causing an emotional response of
empathy and compassion for the need, and 6) a story that can be created via program adoption
(Boster & Carpenter, 2021).
Negative unintended consequences may result from the implementation of the program.
Women may experience an increase in marital strife working outside the home or jealousy from
the community in their efforts to launch a SME. There is a potential for sabotage from those not
in the program. The women who are in a TBG can be perceived as “exclusive” if others are not
involved in the program. Inclusion into the meetings and process will help mitigate fallout.
Conclusions, Actions, & Implications
Research confirms that a combination of components to solutions have proven the
greatest results for women in Kenya, and other countries, who launch SMEs (Abebe et al., 2018;
Belwal et al, 2011; Berner et al., 2012; Ellis et al., 2007; Karim, 2018; Refera et al., 2016;
36
Zielenkiewicz, 2015). These SMEs have provided improved skills, higher income than
traditional jobs, benefits to the local economy, and increased status in communities. More
importantly they have shown to provide financial inclusion and empowerment, poverty
reduction, and financial capability; these programs show multiple long-term benefits of SME
(BOMA, 2020).
Grants are better than loans because they do not create added burdens, negatively impact
income, or reduce profits (Buera et al., 2016; Cull & Morduch, 2017; McKenzie, 2017). Similar
offers, such as capital and asset grant transfer programs (CAGTP) have proven to be successful
in multiple countries improving income, physical and mental health (Bandiera et al., 2017;
Banerjee et al., 2015a, 2015b; Blattman et al., 2016); the downside is the misuse of funds, such
as giving to spouses or relatives, and meeting basic needs, instead of starting an SME (Angelucci
et al., 2015). When managed in a TBG, funds can be used for needs or reinvested into the SME.
Nafasi Sawa is better than traditional programs because it makes funds available to women who
do not qualify for or have access to traditional programs and has positive compounding effects
that impact health, education, and their community’s economy (see Figure 18), (Bruton et al.,
2015; Eijdenberg et al., 2019; Fayaz & Rao, 2019; IDRC, 2019; Mwiti & Goulding, 2018).
Current limitations of the MGP include the dependence on in-country leadership to train
and mentor the women, and the inability to monitor the implementation of curriculum first-hand.
Ethical considerations will be made for the funds being released to the partners to ensure proper
use of funds; written agreements, reporting, and audits will help maintain integrity of the use of
funds. The COVID pandemic in 2020 restricted the access of items to sell, which forced some
pilot groups to change the items they were selling; some switched to selling maize and coffee
beans instead of fresh produce due to the lockdowns which prohibited them from accessing re-
37
sellable items. Other concerns include increased government regulations for permits or taxes on
the SMEs that are launched, which would greatly reduce the income for these impoverished
groups. Ongoing relationship building with agencies is important to keep a pulse on new
programs and changes in the region. The pandemic revealed the need to be flexible and prepared
to implement different items for sale, with additional training to the women in how to be creative
and innovative to provide alternatives during a lockdown.
Additional potential limitations for the program include regulations, limited access to
product or buyers, or reduced profits decreasing the motivation of the women to work. If certain
communities perceive that they have been left out of the intervention they could raise a concern
that certain tribes have been favored to their exclusion. Ethical concerns include the partners
utilizing the funds for things were intended, which could impact the financial sustainability of
the program. Additional concerns due to program challenges, such as pandemic conditions, will
be continually monitored with adjustments made as needed (see Figure 19 and Appendix F). If
cost drivers, such as the cost of implementing the program and the required training component
through expert in-country partners, increases dramatically it could impede scaling.
If the women are not successful in their sales, or the community refuses to buy the
products they are selling, it could impede the growth of the SME and directly impact the pay-it-
forward model; this would reduce the diffusion and scaling. If there are limited profits from
sales, it could hinder the women’s ability to create sustained income; augmentation or adding on
new items to sell would need to be considered. Funds being managed in a group setting may
prove to be challenging for some who want instant access and consideration must be made for
those who may be married and need support in feeling safe working outside of the home.
38
Ongoing pilots will continue to be monitored for feedback and problem areas. The
completed surveys will be shared showing the progress of the women. It will show donors how
small amounts of money can change a person’s life who has not previously had access to funds,
training, or the ability to launch a SME. The TBG has shown that working in community
produces positive results.
The storyboard prototype was based on interviews with stakeholders and has been shared
with partners, beneficiaries, and donors, with positive feedback and support (see Appendix G).
These interviews and subsequent feedback resulted in the re-iteration of aspects of the original
design (see Appendices H-I). It includes three separate sections that comprise the elements of
the program including the program dynamics, the formation of TBG, and the role of the founder
collaborating with collective impact partners. It conveys the protocols and processes of what
components comprise the MGP, and how the components are implemented. The prototype is
ready to be shared with additional donors and stakeholders, redesigned as needed.
Next steps action plan includes obtaining the latest survey results, compiling in a tracking
log to show committed donors, launching a social media, email campaign using a two-minute
video, infographic, and prototype, planning the launch phase with KEFSHA, and fine tuning the
curriculum. There will be ongoing monitoring of the pilot programs, along with the continuation
of interviewing the stakeholders, beneficiaries, and leaders who have piloted the programs to
incorporate feedback (see Figure 20). It also includes connecting with donors regarding the
initial contribution of $25,000 to launch the first phase of the program; videos and surveys of the
pilot program will be shared. Ongoing interviews with the direct and indirect stakeholders,
alliances, beneficiaries, leaders, and expert partners will continue, to discuss the curriculum,
training, and survey results, along with feedback based on their experience and perception of the
39
results (see Appendix J). Ongoing communications will be critical to launch and maintain the
forward momentum of the program. Written agreements with trusted partners and the women
will be fine-tuned, reviewed, and revised (see Figures 21-22). Ongoing connection with future
potential partners will be pursued to aid in scaling to other areas.
In conclusion, poverty can be defined as living on less than $2 per day, according to The
Borgen Project (Merchant, 2018); this includes the inability to pay for daily basic needs, lacking
access to resources, education, job training, and or income (see Figure 23). Over a third of
Kenyan’s population meet this definition, with half being female, and without intervention The
World Bank (2019) projects that by 2030 one in nine juveniles in SSA will be experiencing
poverty (Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017). Almost 80% of Kenyans are living close to the poverty line
(Diwakar & Shepherd, 2018; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017). Lack of jobs in SSA also continues to be
problematic (Asante et al., 2017; Gough et al., 2016; Littlewood & Holt, 2018); with gender
discrimination an ongoing issue that impacts the economy. Governments in SSA are focused on
high growth solutions (Murimbika & Urban, 2020). Alternatives to traditional ML are needed to
fund small business, which helps build financial capability and mitigates poverty (Bruton et al.,
2015; Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017). Nafasi Sawa provides the needed access to training and funds to
launch an SME, without strict qualifications and debt burdens, fulfilling the World Banks’
(2018) Financial Access Initiative for financial equality (Mugo & Kilonzo, 2017); validated by
research that community-based SME shows promise of mitigating poverty (Parwez, 2017;
Parwez et al., 2018). Nafasi Sawa’s ongoing SMEs are expected to multiply through the pay-it-
forward model, creating financial inclusion, financial equality, and financial capability, reducing
poverty one group at a time, while providing a financial and social justice solution for women in
Kenya (see Figure 24).
40
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Figure 1
Banking on Women

(International Monetary Fund, 2020)
Note: This image shows the participation of women in financial services in sub-Saharan Africa
and other nations.

64
Figure 2
Benefits of Social Capital and it’s Impact on Sustainable Livelihood

(Google charts, 2020)
Note: This chart shows the value of providing value to the women using funds and social capital,
helping to build trust and affect social norms, to provide sustainable livelihood.

65
Figure 3
Pilot Groups launched in 2020

Note: Survey of pilot groups in Kenya from 2 to 6 months of the program.
Pilot Survey Results
2 months 3 months 4 months 5 months 6 months
Income ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Savings ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Skills ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Self-efficacy ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Confidence ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Hope ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
66

Figure 4
Indirect and Direct Competitors

(Egan, 2020)
Note: Competitive Analysis of direct and indirect competitors. Nafasi Sawa provides grants
instead of loans, requires the women to table-bank the funds, launch a SME and pay-it-forward
by providing seed capital to another women’s group who will also launch an SME.

67
Figure 5
Economic Cost of Gender Disparity in SSA Labour Market

(Google charts, 2020)
Note: This shows that there is an economic cost directly corelating to gender and financial
inequalities for women in sub-Saharan Africa.

68
Figure 6
Galbraith Star Model

(Egan, 2020)
Note: A Galbraith model (2002) showing a combination of strategy, people, structure, rewards,
and processes that will help introduce financial services to impact women by providing
opportunities and financial access.

69
Figure 7
Collective Impact Efforts

(FSG, 2021)

Note: The four key phases of collective impact efforts. Nafasi Sawa sill take a similar approach
through collaboration for greater impact. Key participants in the collective impact for Nafasi
Sawa include direct and indirect stakeholders including but not limited to the founder, KEFSHA,
CRANE, co-designers of the program and other alliances of the founder. The founder and
alliances will monitor and manage the processes and implementation of the program.

70
Figure 8
Competitive Analysis Current Solutions – High Level of Innovation

Note: Competitive Analysis: Current Solutions – High Level of Innovation includes multiple
aspects being addressed focusing on unbanked women living in poverty, training & education,
financial services through digital platforms, partnerships & policy reform.

Safaricom - M-
Pesa
Foundation
Improves the social & economic status of Kenyans. Invested in large scale health, environmental
conservation, education & integrated water projects. The M-PESA Foundation integrates the use of
mobile technology in its investments while focusing on areas of greatest need & impact.
Does not provide grants,
provides access for digital
financial services for loans to
launch SMEs
H
Africa Digital
Financial
Inclusion
Facility
Builds digital inclusion platforms that aid in gender equality, growth, micropayments &
microfinance, including banking services via mobile phones.
Works with alliances & tech,
implementing digital
platforms to aid in poverty
reduction & gender equality
H
Kenya Women's
Microfinance
Bank
80% of clients live in rural areas, reduce inequalities, enhancing financial inclusion, provide equal
opportunities to women. Financial services include loans for agriculture needs. KWFT has a
network of 245 offices in 45 of 47 counties in Kenya. Uses multiple money systems including M-
Pesa, Airtel, Western Union, Moneygram, Pesa-link for banking & micro-loans.
Provides loans, no grants,
creates debt burdens, has high
level of mobile adoption &
access in rural areas
H
Global Giving
Connects nonprofits, donors, & companies in most countries around the world. Helps nonprofits
access funding, tools, training, & support to become more effective. Providing education &
financial literacy though technology.
Partners with non-profits to
provide training, education, &
tech, to aid in poverty
reduction & gender equality
H
Boma Project
Targets ultra-poor with cash transfers, mentorships, life lessons, education, & financial skills.
Implements financial services with banks that benefit women, helps to set up bank accounts &
credit lines via mobile phone & M-Pesa direct pay.
Excellent program of training,
adoption, & mentorship,
works with digital platforms
to increase access, loans only
H
MicroSave
Africa
Consulting
MSC is a global consulting firm that enables social, financial, & economic inclusion for everyone
in the digital age. MSC has been at the center of the digital finance revolution since its early days.
Increases membership by offering 97% of banking outside of the branches. Customers initiate 70%
of banking transactions via mobile phones.
Focuses on partnership,
enhancement of financial
benefits, digital access for
women, no grants
H
71
Figure 9
Competitive Analysis Current Solutions – Medium to High Level of Innovation

Note: Current Solutions – Medium to High Levels of Innovation includes a combination of
several aspects, but not all, being addressed focusing on unbanked women living in poverty,
training & education, financial services through digital platforms, partnerships & policy reform.

Women's World
Banking
Designs & invests financial solutions & policies in emerging markets to create greater economic
stability & prosperity for unbanked & underbanked women, their families & communities. Building
executive leadership in solutions & removing barriers to digital financial services for low-income
women.
Provides financial services &
banking but no grants or SMEs
M-H
Microfinancing
Partners in
Africa
Grassroots microfinancing offering training, support, & reliable methods of saving, borrowing, &
growing SMEs to extreme poor. Strategic microfinance projects to develop & advance SME
opportunities centered around microfinancing to help women. Living Loans through animal
husbandry & pay it forward models.
Provides loans, does not
provide grants, creates debt
burdens
M-H
Caritas
Catholic organization that works to enhace sustainable development through bringing training &
business plans to the poor, offering financial assistance, & advocating to create policy reform with
the gov't on behalf of the voiceless.
Small scale, works with one
business at a time, versus
collective group SMEs
M
CDC - Financing
A social enterprise connecting & informing 1 million development, health, humanitarian, &
sustainability professionals through news, business intelligence, funding & career opportunities.
Networks with multiple companies, agencies, etc to help solve poverty, & create reform.
Provides awareness about
issues & partnerships but no
grants or SMEs
M
ROSCA -
Rotating
Savings &
Credit Assoc.
ROSCAs play a major role in savings mobilization in developing economies. Roscas create
organized groups that meet regularly. Members contribute funds that are given in turns. Once every
participant has received funds, the rosca can disburse to members or begin another round. Long-
term commitment required, no access to withdrawals outside of time-frame.
Provides loans based on buy-
in shares, does not provide
grants
M
Rise Up - Africa
Global movement of visionary social entrepreneurs advancing gender equity. Investing in leaders
to strengthen their organizations & lead change. Advances impact through improved laws,
programs, & funding for women & girls. Focus is on training, introduction of digital platforms &
shifting social norms.
Does not provide loans or
grants, no SMEs
M
Kiva
Provides crowdfunding loans, from $25 pay-in increments, to provide the underserved, improves
access to financial services, & addresses the barriers to financial access around the world. Kiva
provides: tuition for students, loans for women to start a business, farmers with loans for
equipment, families with funds for emergency care.
Loans not grants, creates debt
burdens, if loans are not 100%
funded on crowd platform it is
not given
M
Grameen
Removed the need for collateral, created a bank system based on mutual trust & participation.
Provides credit to the poorest of the poor as a catalyst in the over all development of socio-
economic conditions of the poor. Provides services outside the bank to the unbankable.
Provides loans, does not
provide grants for women to
launch SME, 20% interest per
yr, creates debt burdens
M
Jamii Bora /
Enterprise Bank
Fast growing bank, focusing on SME & MME, innovative products & services to the poor, through
local branches.
Provides loans, no grants,
creates debt burdens, must
have access to a bank branch
M
Inuka Africa
Microfinance
Loans for working capital, serviced over various periods. Loans are offered for agriculture but
livestock is needed as collateral and insurance is required.
Provides a variety of loan
services & training for women
but no grants for SMEs
M
Atlantic
Microfinance
for Africa
Offers a range of individual credit lines for micro-entrepreneurs, focused on existing clients &
previous borrowers who wish to create a micro-enterprise to finance their working capital or
investment needs. Does not focus on the poor and underbanked. No focus on women.
Provides loan services but to
those with existing loan status
& track records, no grants or
SMEs
M
Global
Women's Water
Africa
Grassroots training programs that equips women with skills to bring sustainable water solutions,
create income & educational opportunities. Multi-year training program to transform women to be
WASH providers. Women gain the expertise to become social entrepreneurs.
Provides job opportunities &
training, does not provide
funding for women to launch
SMEs
M
African
Guarantee Fund
for SMEs &
MMEs
Develops & assists in the obtaining & scaling of SMEs, increases exposure & offerings of SMEs.
Does not focus on specific womens groups.
Works to create policy &
adoption of SMEs but does not
provide grants
M
JOYWO
Improves livelihood of women in all counties in Kenya through economic empowerment. Helps
provide food security, implements table banking groups, partners with market cooperatives,
launches SMEs in poultry farming.
Combines training, table
banking, loans, & creates co-
ops but does not provide
grants
M
72
Figure 10
Competitive Analysis Current Solutions – Low to Medium Levels of Innovation

Note: Current Solutions – Low to Medium Levels of Innovation includes a couple aspects
being addressed focusing on unbanked women living in poverty, training & education, financial
services through digital platforms, partnerships & policy reform. Low Level: includes a couple
aspects of training & education, partnerships & policy reform, but does not usually include
digital banking or technology.

CARE Int'l
Fights poverty for women in many African countries, especially in emergency situations & after
disasters, creates economic empowerment projects for women, gives women access to bank
accounts, trains gender equality
Works with training & access
to loans, does not provide
grants for women to launch
SMEs
L-M
UNICEF
UNICEF works to promote & protect the rights of children & women in Kenya. One of the longest-
serving international organizations in the country, working to bring relief to the poor through aid &
programs.
Cash payments to women, no
loans & grants or SMEs for
women
L-M
Association of
Microfinance
Institution
Lobbies the government & promotes advocacy & creates initiatives & policies that build gender
equality, training & empowerment.
Does not provide grants for
SMEs but helps with gov't
policy reform & advocacy that
impacts communities
L-M
United Nations
Development
Programme
Aiming to eradicate poverty, violence & hunger, by assisting African countries translate economic
growth into sustainable development inclusive of all. Working with gov'ts, businesses,
communities & org's, developing capacity, sharing knowledge & mobilizing funds for sustainable
development.
Does not provide loans or
grants direct to women in
poverty, no direct SMEs
L-M
USAID Africa
Provides egional activities designed to complement & enhance country-specific programs. Support
regional development in agriculture, energy, trade, governance, environment, health, & stability.
Focuses on partnerships,
policies, aid, & programs, no
direct focus on grants & SMEs
for women
L-M
Womens Global
Connection
Promotes learning & leadership capacity of women, particularly in the least advantaged regions.
Partnership with others to provide training, online mentoring & farming projects.
Does not work with loans,
grants, or SMEs
L-M
Village Savings
& Loan (VSLA)
VSLA is a group of people who save together & then take loans from these savings. The cycle is one
year, after which the accumulated savings & the loan profits are distributed back to members.The
purpose is to provide simple savings & loan facilities in a community that does not have easy
access to formal financial services. Decentralized, flexible terms, table banking style.
Provides platform, does not
provide grants or SMEs
L-M
Oiko Credit
Partners with KWFT, network of over 200 offices across the country. In addition, it uses service
delivery channels such as mobile banking & ATMs to increase its outreach.
Provides access to financial
services through partnership
but no grants
L-M
Kenya National
Safety Net
Program
The NSNP cash transfers improve welfare of disabled, orphans, hungry, & elder persons, increasing
their resilience. More than 500,000 households are receiving cash transfers on a regular basis &
an additional 374,806 households in the case of extreme weather events. Works with UNICEF, DFID,
World Bank. Does not target women or work with SMEs or loan programs.
Cash trasnfers for select
group, no loans or grants, no
SMEs
L
Solidarity
house
Partners with workforce, empowers women to advocate for better working conditions, pro-
economic policies, fair wages, & shared prosperity.
Does not work with loans,
grants, or SMEs
L
73
Figure 11
Founders Role to Connect with Expert Partners

Note: The role of the founder: connection with partners, ongoing leadership, mentorship, alliance
building, re-iteration of design through communication of feedback and survey reviews.

74
Figure 12
Insights and Outcomes of Partnership

(World Economic Forum, 2020)
Note: Sample of positive effects of partnership, bridging, and collective impact.

75
Figure 13
Action Steps Completed and Yet to be Completed

Note: Other duties of the founder in conjunction with alliance Africa Coalition Group and trusted
partners. Implementation dates have been extended into 2021-2022 to accommodate for COVID-
19 lockdown and the existing financial needs for launching.

76
Figure 14
Protocol for Founder

Note: This shows the protocol of the founder through the three phases of the program.
77
Figure 15
Protocol for Trainers

Note: This shows the protocol of the trainers through the three phases of the program.
78
Figure 16
Protocol for Women Beneficiaries

Note: This shows the protocol of the women beneficiaries through the three phases of the
program.

79
Figure 17
Infographic of Women in Kenya

Note: Infographic that will be used for campaign purposes.
80
Figure 18
Compound Effects of Gender Equality

(Google Charts, 2020)
Note: This shows how gender inequality can be shifted to impact women and their income by
providing equal earnings and opportunities that benefit their families and the economy.

81
Figure 19
Project Challenges
1. Women sticking with the program
2. Women being properly trained in business and cash management
3. Women using the money for consumption and not growing the SME
4. Men not supporting the program
5. The businesses is not thriving or creating income for the women

Discovery Skills Plan to Address the Challenges – 1 Women sticking with the
program
Questioning Question the trainers to see who is committed to the process and program
and potential issues, written agreements in place
Observing Ask for feedback from their point of view for reasons some women may
not stay with the program (i.e. childcare needs) – address the needs
Networking Make sure the women are connected in the community with support and
the trainers are accessible
Experimenting Try out the program based on what the trainers think will work with their
group of women, get feedback, and reiterate the design to meet the needs
of the women in the community
Associating Connect training and services from other communities to piggyback ideas
and successful components for adoption
Discovery Skills Plan to Address the Challenges – 2 - Women being properly
trained in business and cash management
Questioning Question the trainers of the women who have trained the women where
they are lacking in skills and target focus classes and training to boost
knowledge and experience through mock exercises
Observing Have trainers do mock exercises – like a Monopoly game and log where
there are gaps in knowledge
Networking Make sure that the women in the community are reaching out to see where
the needs are for SMEs and learn skills based on the business that will be
launched, potentially partnering with other women’s groups who have
those skills and can share their knowledge
Experimenting Do a mock business where women can practice on each other to make sure
they understand the skills and training they have learned, use fake money
(or real) and practice buying and selling, as well as table banking
Associating Connect training and services from curriculum to for successful
components for adoption
Discovery Skills Plan to Address the Challenges – 3 - Women using the money
for consumption and not growing the SME or launching a pay-
it-forward SME
Questioning Question women who will be launching SMEs to see if they have pressing
consumption needs so that they have their immediate emergency needs
met and will not feel like they are in survival mode
Observing Make sure that the women are feeling comfortable leaving the funds
within the table banking group and not wanting to take the funds to bring
home, making sure they understand that the profits are used for growing
82
and launching SMEs and not just to deplete, written agreements for fund
disbursement for TBG
Networking Connect women with other groups who have successfully launched an
SME for support and feedback.
Experimenting Provide mock exercises so the women understand the point at which they
are profitable and can distribute profits for personal needs – make sure
they have distribution agreements in place.
Associating Partner with other groups to mentor in how to meet the temporary
consumption needs of the women
Discovery Skills Plan to Address the Challenges – 4 - Men not supporting the
program
Questioning Ask the trainers, leaders in the community of the women being trained to
see what they need to buy in for their successful support.
Observing Ask the trainers, leaders to observe other communities or models of male
support and how it launched and became successful with their support.
Networking Network with men in other communities that are supporting women and
micro-grant or micro-loans and how they came to be supportive and active
participants in the women’s success. Invite to meetings.
Experimenting Do an anonymous survey to see what men need to support and test for 30-
60 days to see how they respond to the launch of a program. Involve them
in open meetings
Associating Bring another male champion or leader to the community who can speak
to the men and influence their decision to support the women and the
SMEs
Discovery Skills Plan to Address the Challenges – 5 - The businesses is not
thriving or creating income for the women
Questioning Question the women and trainers on what would do well in the
community, what the women’s skill and desires are to launch a business
and what they see would be most profitable for their group (some do not
like to sew, others do not like chickens, so the business needs to be catered
to their personal desires to insure adoption and follow-through). Have the
women interview their communities for needs and items they would
purchase.
Observing Track the business sales, marketing, and sales abilities of the women to see
who is selling and how, where there is a failing business and if it needs to
be replaced or added training on how to sell their specific item i.e. not
everyone knows how to sell a cow to another village, they may need
training in husbandry etc.
Networking Partner with others in the community to provide feedback to the trainers
and women’s groups on what they see would be profitable, get feedback
from other women’s groups being launched on their opinion of the SME
decision.
Experimenting Do a focus group within the communities and an anonymous survey to
elicit feedback on what the community would buy or think they would buy
if the women were to sell it and why they are not buying currently offered
items.
Associating Share success stories with the women from other groups who have done
well in similar communities and with similar barriers or issues, and SME
choices
83
Figure 20
Gantt Chart for Completed and Next Steps

Note:. This shows a Gandtt chart of ongoing next steps of implementation of Nafasi Sawa.

84
Figure 21
Memorandum of Understanding, KEFSHA
Redacted
Note: This shows the MOU between the founder and KEFSHA.

85
Figure 22
Memorandum of Understanding, CRANE
Redacted
Note: This shows the MOU between the founder and CRANE.

86
Figure 23
Poverty Rate

(Google Charts, 2020)
Note: The chart shows that a majority of Kenyan’s are poor and live on less than $2 per day and
or near the poverty line.

87
Figure 24
Multiplication of table-banking groups through the pay-it-forward model

Note: This shows how the groups can multiply through the doubling of groups every year if
each women’s group launches a new group through providing seed funds from their profits
through the pay-it-forward model, to launch another women’s group.

Multiplication of Groups Through the Pay-it-forward Model
Year 1 -Starting with 5–10 groups
Year 2 - Multiplied to 10-20 groups
Year 3 - Multiplied to 20-40 groups
Year 4 – Multiplied to 40-80 groups
Year 5 – Multiplied to 80-160 groups
Year 6 – Multiplied to 160-320 groups
Year 7 – Multiplied to 320-640 groups
Year 8 – Multiplied to 640-1280 groups
Year 9 – Multiplied to 1280-2560 groups
Year 10 – Multiplied to 2560-5120 groups

88
Appendix A: Logic Model

INPUTS
What we invest What we do Who we reach
Why this project: short-term
results
Why this project: intermediate
results
Why this project: long-term
results
• Coalition of 3-4 in US to
manage trainers in Kenya
• Provide MGs through
performance-based
distribution to women to
launch SMEs
• Women in Kenya in rural areas who
do not have access to banking and
financial services, lack transportation,
are escaping domestic violence or
need to create income due to lack of
job opportunities
• Provide skills to women in
Kenya who lack education and
training, teaching basic banking
and cash flow
• Women will build business
skills, money management
and banking skills, and be
able to run an SME
• Improved financial equality,
capacity, & self-efficacy
• 2-5 Trusted Partner Groups
in Kenya to implement
• Affiliate with trusted
partners in Kenya to
implement training and
processes
• Workers in Kenya already training
women in table-banking methods
• Create self-efficacy, build self-
esteem and confidence in
women
• Women will make
decisions on what works and
what does not in their
communities
• Improved financial inclusion
and decision-making skills
• 5-10 trainers in Kenya for
table-banking, basic finance,
money management
• Train & provide MGs
to launch SMEs to
create sustainable
income for small
women’s groups of 5-12
people
• Leaders & champions of women’s
financial inclusion & equality
• Encourage & support women
to learn and grow a small
business in their community
that will be sustained for 12
months or more
• Women will learn table-
banking methods that work &
create policies that build
financial strength & equity
amongst each other
• Reduction in girls not being
allowed to go to school due to
lack of finance or needing to
work
• Funding $150-$500 each
women’s group (including
overhead) start with 2-10
groups
• Work with partners &
alliances to adopt, train,
& scale
• Provide hope and opportunity
to those who have felt
disregarded and forgotten
• Women will realize that
they are worth educating and
stop taking loans and getting
into debt
• Shift in social norms
regarding women’s roles
• Access to business skills &
materials to launch SMEs
• Women training other women
in learned skills and financial
management, helping them to
launch an SME & providing the
funds to launch
Name: Dawn Egan
Date: June 11, 2021
Capstone Project: Micro-Grants (MG) for Women in Kenya to Launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME)
Goal: To build financial capacity and equality for marginalized women in Kenya to create sustainable income and mitigate poverty directly impacting their children and communities
ACTIVITIES OUTCOMES
Assumptions
• There will be SMEs to launch, the women will know how to operate them, and the resources
will be available to start.
• Men will allow the women to launch the SME
• Women will keep the profits within their table-banking group and not succumb to pressure from
men to turn the funds over
• Women will use the profits to grow the SME, launch new SMEs, or provide for other women
versus use the profits for consumption
External Factors
• (+) Table-banking has been successful in Kenya, is easily adoptable, and has proven to create
financial independence
• Government has acknowledged the need for financial equality and is reforming outdated policies
that will facilitate in shifting the social norm
• Women have confirmed in the interview process that they are ready & able to launch an SME &
have chosen which would be best for their community
• (-) Relying on trusted partners to implement the plan and make sure the funds are used to launch
an SME
• Women will want to continue & grow the SME after 12 months
89
Logic Model Narrative
The MG of $150-250 is paid out to a group of women on a performance-based
distribution through trusted partners KEFSHA, who will implement and provide the curriculum
and training in basic banking, numeracy, and business skills, and help the women launch a table
banking group (TBG), and small micro-enterprise (SME), based on their existing 20 plus years
of experience and successful results of working with marginalized women in Kenya (MWK).
The partners will work in rural areas with these women to train them in basic math, banking,
business, table-banking, and self-efficacy. They will mentor the women to launch an SME
appropriate for their community: such as selling eggs or maize. KEFSHA curriculum includes
gender sensitive initiatives that have been used, revised, and adapted over the last 10 plus years,
with results of increased self-confidence, self-efficacy, and knowledge. The trainers and leaders
of KEFSHA will review the successfulness of the SMEs and make additional grant fund
disbursements available to the TBG, as women meet specific goals and benchmarks at three, six,
nine, and 12 months. The women will learn basic banking and business skills and grow in self-
confidence and financial capability ultimately paying-it-forward by helping another women’s
group launch an SME with business resources, such as assets, or starter funds between 12-24
months. The social norms of women should begin to shift after 12 months when women become
more confident and gain self-efficacy in their entrepreneurial abilities to run a business and
manage funds. The program will improve financial equality and allow women to build and make
decisions for themselves and their children, providing them the ability to have finances for
education, healthcare, and nutritious food. MGs promote financial equality, fair process, social
justice, access to financial services, and ongoing collective participation; this helps build
financial capability and inclusion.
90
Logic Model Assumptions
Assumptions regarding the logic model are that women will work well together within
the TB groups, that the funds sent to Kenya will be used specifically for the grant-program,
launching of the SMEs and overhead to train and manage the program, including follow up with
the women. It is assumed that the SME chosen will be successful and last for longer than 12
months, while creating sustainable income and profits within the women’s group. It is expected
that the husbands will allow the women to work and run an SME, the women will desire to run
the SME, grow in sales, and pay it forward by helping other women’s groups launch an SME
program. It is also assumed that the women will be able to manage the cash flow properly,
keeping the right amounts in the box and disbursing appropriate amounts to each member
without conflict or issues; some of these issues could include impediment of spouses who may
want the women to bring funds home. It is expected that if there are issues with the women and
their spouses that additional training and counseling will be provided to the women in domestic
violence mitigation, how to stay safe and maintain their position in the TB group, while keeping
their home life safe. The women should build financial capability, entrepreneurial skills, and new
behaviors that support new social norms within 12-24 months. It is assumed that the groups will
multiply and spread throughout Kenya.

91
Appendix B: Budgets
Pre-Operating Budget

92
First Year Operating Budget

93
Appendix C: Data Tracking Logs

Adapted from:
Stein, L., Clair, M., Soenksen-Bassett, S., Martin, R., Clarke, J. (2015). Training evaluation
measure. PsycTESTS. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t41797-000
Helmond, P., Overbeek, G., Brugman, D. (2014). Measurement instrument program integrity
EQUIP (MIPIE). PsycTESTS. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t37930-000
United Nations. (2012). Effective monitoring for pro-poor cluster development guidelines for
practitioners. https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/15/a5/15a557e7-0543-40b6-b658-
0d11ff19e368/272_m_e_guidelines_compressed.pdf
Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:
The Lead Trainer Data Tracking Log
Please rate the trainers in regards to their adherence to implementing the program
On a scale of 1-4 with 1=no adherence, 2=very little adherence, 3=average adherence, 4=strong adherence or N/A
1st month of
the Program
How closely have the trainers adhered to the content of the curriculum OVERALL
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the bookkeeping curriculum
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the math/numeracy curriculum
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the table-banking curriculum
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the building teamwork curriculum
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the running an SME curriculum
How closely have the trainers adhered to the training of the managing stock items curriculum
What have you noticed about the interactions between the trainers and the women?
Have you noticed any inconsistencies that stand out?
Is there anything noticable out of the ordinary that would influence the program?
Do you believe the trainers are equipped to do their job properly?
Is there anything you have observed that would influence the outcomes of the program?
94
Trainer Tracking Logs

Adapted from:
Stein, L., Clair, M., Soenksen-Bassett, S., Martin, R., Clarke, J. (2015). Training evaluation
measure. PsycTESTS. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t41797-000
Helmond, P., Overbeek, G., Brugman, D. (2014). Measurement instrument program integrity
EQUIP (MIPIE). PsycTESTS. https://doi-org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t37930-000
United Nations. (2012). Effective monitoring for pro-poor cluster development guidelines for
practitioners. https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/15/a5/15a557e7-0543-40b6-
b658-0d11ff19e368/272_m_e_guidelines_compressed.pdf
Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:
For trainers to fill out when the training is administered
Please log the training provided by marking the correlated box for that section of the training program curriculum
On a scale of 1-3 with 1= little amount of training, 2=somewhat amount of training, 3=great amount of training
Provided Training In:
Session
1
Session
2
Session
3
Session
4
Session
5
Session
6
Session
7
Session
8
Session
9
Session
10
Basic self esteem, self-efficacy, self-awareness
Basic teamwork, time management, & table-banking
Basic math & numeracy
Table-banking & cash flow training
Bookeeping, records, disbursements
Choosing & launching an SME
Maintaining, growing, and benchmarks of an SME
Tracking changes, growth, pay-it-forward model
Please provide feedback about the implementation of the curriculum?
Are the women able to learn the information easily?
Are there areas that need more training or attention?
Would you change the training and if so in what ways?
Is there anything you have observed about the trainers that would influence the outcomes of the program?
95
Appendix D: Custom Surveys
Knowledge of Business Principles Survey

Adapted from:
CTB Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. (2011). Tests of adult basic education work-related foundation
skills. In Education Letter (p. 39–). NewsRX LLC.
Raelin, J. A. (2010). The work self-efficacy inventory.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=loh&AN=test.8618&authtype=ss
o&custid=s8983984
United Nations. (2012). Effective monitoring for pro-poor cluster development guidelines for
practitioners. https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/15/a5/15a557e7-0543-40b6-
b658-0d11ff19e368/272_m_e_guidelines_compressed.pdf
Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu Group Name:
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:
Please list your knowledge of business principles
On a scale of 1-4 with 1=no knowledge, 2=very little knowledge, 3=some knowledge, 4=knowledgeable
Before the
Program
Basic Bookeeping
Table Banking Skills
Math/Numeracy Skills
Building Teamwork
Managing STOCK (items)
Running a Small Micro-Enterprise
Do you have any current experience with running an SME?
Do you have any existing knowledge or skills (see list above)?
What do you need to learn more of to launch an SME?
96
Hope Survey

Adapted from:
Krafft, A. M., Martin-Krumm, C., & Fenouillet, F. (2019). Perceived hope scale [Database
record]. PsycTESTS. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t74017-000
Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T.,
Yoshinobu, L., Gibb, J., Langelle, C., & Harney, P. (1991). Hope scale [Database
record]. PsycTESTS. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t00088-000

Please rate the following statements about your perceived hope
On a scale of 1-4 with 1=disagree, 2=somewhat disagree, 3=somewhat agree, 4=agree
Before the
Program
In my life, I currently have hope
I have hope for a better future
I have hope for my children to have a better future
Hope improves the quality of my life
In difficult times I am able to remain hopeful
I have hope about providing nutritious food, education, healthcare for my children
Tell me about what contributes to giving you hope in life .
What makes you feel hopeless?
What would give you more hope?
97
Survey of Self-efficacy

Adapted from:
Décieux, J., Sischka, P., Schumacher, A., Willems, H., (2020). General self-efficacy short-scale
French version [Database record]. PsycTESTS. https://doi-
org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t73891-000
Schwarzer, R. (1995). General self-efficacy scale [Database record]. PsycTESTS.
doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t00393-000

Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu Group Name:
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:
Measuring Perception of Self-efficacy
On a scale of 1-4 with 1=strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree
I have the ability to manage my work
I can rely on my own abilities in difficult situations
I am able to solve most problems on my own
I can usually solve challenging tasks
It is easy to stick to my goals
Do you feel confident that you have the knowledge & skills to operate an SME? (if not why not)
Describe if you believe you have what it takes to launch & operate an SME? (why or why not)
Do you believe you are able to run an SME for more than 12 months? (why or why not)
Do you believe there are external forces that may interfere with your ability to launch an SME?
98
Confidence Survey

Adapted from:
de Bruijn, E.-J., & Antonides, G. (2020). Financial worry and rumination questionnaire
[Database record]. PsycTESTS. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t75690-000
Raelin, J. A. (2010). The work self-efficacy
inventory. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=loh&AN=test.8618&
authtype=sso&custid=s8983984
United Nations. (2012). Effective monitoring for pro-poor cluster development guidelines for
practitioners. https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/15/a5/15a557e7-0543-40b6-
b658-0d11ff19e368/272_m_e_guidelines_compressed.pdf

Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu Group Name:
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:

Measuring CONFIDENCE levels in the ability to pay for items
On a scale of 1-4 with 1=no confidence, 2=very little confidence, 3=some confidence, 4= high confidence
Healthcare for Self (ability to pay for)
Healthcare for Children (ability to pay for)
Food for Self (ability to pay for)
Food for Children (ability to pay for)
Education for Children (ability to pay for)

Do you feel confident that you can meet your financial needs?
Do you feel confident that you can meet the financial needs of your children?
Regardless of income, do you have access to healthcare, nutritious food, education
Do you have confidence in your financial future?
99
Income Level Survey

Adapted from:
Duffy, R. D., Gensmer, N., Allan, B. A., Kim, H. J., Douglass, R. P., England, J. W., Autin, K.
L., & Blustein, D.L. (2020). Economic constraints scale [Database record]. PsycTESTS.
doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/t75729-000
United Nations. (2012). Effective monitoring for pro-poor cluster development guidelines for
practitioners. https://beamexchange.org/uploads/filer_public/15/a5/15a557e7-0543-40b6-
b658-0d11ff19e368/272_m_e_guidelines_compressed.pdf
Zyphur, M., Li, W., Zhang, Z., Arvey, R., Barsky, A. (2015). Subjective financial well-being
measure. [Database record]. PsycTESTS. doi: https://doi-
org.libproxy1.usc.edu/10.1037/t52521-000
Nafasi Sawa - "Equal Opportunity" - Dawn Egan - Dtegan@usc.edu Group Name:
Micro-Grants to launch Small Micro-Enterprise (SME) Date:
Income Levels
Current Financial Situation Pre-Implementation
Current Amount in Savings $
YOUR Monthly Income before starting the program $
Desired Monthly Income $
Expected Monthly Income from SME sales after 1 month $
Expected Monthly Income from SME sales after 6 months $
Expected Monthly Income from SME sales after 12 months $
Sources of Current Income (other than SME)
Goals with the program (Please give examples)
Things you like about the program or would change
Type of SME/business started (ex. chickens, coffee?)
100
Appendix E: Milestones
Achieved Milestones
• Partnerships have been acquired and MOUs are in place which was the first milestone.
• Connecting with enough women in Kenya during the interview phase to gain quality and
credible information and feedback has been the second milestone.
• The next milestone was agreeing to a curriculum that will match the focus of the program
while maintaining the integrity of what the trusted partners have already been doing over
the last 20 years successfully.
• Pilot programs have shown positive results.
• Next milestone was donor agreement to fund the launch of 5-10 groups of $25,000-
$145,000.
• Next milestone will be to do a launch of 5-10 groups who are completely trained and
ready to launch an SME, even a small pilot program to move forward and provide
feedback.
Milestones after Implementation
3 months – partnerships are productive and fruitful, women are being trained and are competent
and comfortable with table-banking, choosing the best SME and launching with profits being
realized.
6 months – women know what is expected of them and have received max funding in the
performance-based distribution and are looking to grow the SME, launch a new SME and are
operating their enterprise with profits that can be disbursed. Review feedback and revamp,
redesign, and reiterate the prototype based on feedback from women’s groups. Interview men in
the community for feedback and input. Review persistent obstacles and barriers. Review needs
of the women and their families and communities.
12 months – women are successfully managing the funds in the table-banking group, are
wanting to continue working and grow their SME. They are considering growing the existing
SME, launching a new SME and can afford to “pay-it-forward” to another women’s group. The
women and trainers are realizing what is needed, such as additional training or funding to ensure
successful expansion and continued cash flow. The women can take profits out of their group to
meet their personal needs and meet the needs of their children. The men in the community are
completely on-board and are championing the women in their communities to continue to launch
and grow their SMEs.
24 months – the women are confident, have built self-efficacy, have realized that together they
can successfully run an SME and create a sustainable income on their own, they are able to
launch a new SME for a different women’s group as part of the “pay-it-forward” requirement.
The women are aware of potential new opportunities to start new SMEs and have identified
resources needed to start the new business. All women are proficient in skills and basic banking
and understand cash flow.
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Appendix F: COVID Response
Covid-19 Response
1. Challenges during the COVID lockdown included he feedback from pilot programs that
food is an ongoing need during lockdown, and so the SMEs may need to be more geared
around selling food items. Resources may be scarce to launch the SMEs as transportation
is limited and lockdown has been enforced for a long period of time, limiting resource
acquisition and the ability to interface with other communities. Some of the groups that
were working with one of the trusted partners, Oasis, had reduced their meetings from
once per week to once per month, then every three months, and were not able to obtain
the training and table-banking skills on a regular basis to launch pilot programs due to the
lockdown. Other women from launched pilot programs were not able to obtain items to
sell due to lack of transportation due to lockdown and pivoted to selling firewood and
maize.
2. Changes affecting the design and implementation of the capstone included the need to be
more patient and consider how to get resources to the women so they can launch a
business directly within their community without the need for transportation. Because
many of the women lack internet and cellular phones there were challenges with
connecting with the women during lockdown. There was a lack of consistent meetings
with regularly reporting to leaders and could potentially impact working with trainers if
additional lockdowns are implemented. The ability to report on surveys, meet with their
trainers for mentorship and have access to items to sell was impeded and could be
impeded moving forward. Emailing back and forth, and increased communicating via
102
What’s App and Messenger were vital to gain valuable input and insight and will need to
be implemented for any future lockdown.
3. New opportunities emerging for the design and implementation phase for the capstone
include providing opportunities and resources through asset grants to the women, versus
cash, since it is hard for them to leave their communities and acquire items for sale in
some areas during lockdown. Coffee beans seem to be doing well in the pilot programs,
and the ongoing need is there for the community. Livestock such as pigs, chickens, and
goats are also potential grant assets that can be given.
Resources Toolkit for clients with information about COVID and how to access services.
Resources for COVID help vary by communities and are not all accessible to women in rural
areas who lack transportation. Listed below are several options for those in Kenya directly
dealing with the illness itself but not necessarily connected to providing food or water services
which are needed in these impacted areas before COVID’s impact.
http://cities-rise.org/covid-19/
Nairobi Local Resources
• Kenya Medical Association (KMA) COVID-19 Resources
• Ministry of Health Kenya COVID-19 Public Mental Health Education Resources
• Kenya Daily Nation – Tracking the coronavirus
• Kenya MOH Guidance for implementing home care of people not requiring hospitalization for
coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Tracking the progression of COVID-19 cases in Kenya
103
• Kenyan MOH Comprehensive Guide on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
• COVID-19 Public Health Infographics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nIiAvYvfIk - Coronavirus: Banks to offer one year relief
on personal loans as Gov't seeks to cushion Kenyans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DslUJ6T8Efg - What Kenyans need to do to help curb
Coronavirus spread?

104
Appendix G: Protoype

105
Appendix G: Protoype

106
Appendix G: Protoype

107
Appendix G: Protoype

108

Appendix G: Protoype

109
Prototype Narrative: Nafasi Sawa, “Equal Opportunity”
Women in Kenya Experiencing Marginalization
The prototype for Nafasi Sawa starts with the program for women. With little or no
education, job skills, or access to financial services, the women need opportunity to gain freedom
from social norms and ongoing cycles of poverty. Traditional micro-loans are not effective as
most women do not qualify due to lack of income, assets, collateral, or spousal signature. Those
who qualify may take out multiple loans to start a small micro-enterprise (SME), or small
business, and will pay 22-140% interest per year. Many pull their children out of school to work
to pay back loans. These women want opportunity to earn income and create financial capability.
Partnering with trusted in-country expert partners KEFHA and CRANE, Nafasi Sawa
will offer women aged 18-65 in rural areas, who lack access to financial services, access to
proven training curriculum, grant funds, and mentorship, to launch a SME to create income. The
women will be required to table-bank the money in groups of 5-15 women, in one lockbox, with
keys given to leaders; this is collective management of funds within the group so that the women
build agency. They will learn basic business, math, and financial skills, and will receive initial
grant funds of $150-$250, with additional funds being paid out on a performance-based
distribution. The women are required to help pay-it-forward to another group within 24 months.
The Program
Partnership and collaboration with existing experts in Kenya will allow for the training
and equipping to be handled by leaders who understand the cultural needs and social norms
(Bicchieri, 2017). The curriculum provided has been successfully implemented and used through
partner’s existing programs. It will be adapted and include training in basic math, sales, and
numeracy, as well as cash flow, and table-banking. In-country leaders will select the women to
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participate in the program based on convenience and the commitment of the women to complete
the training, TB funds, and abide by the rules. The women must be aged 18 to 65, have a valid
Kenyan ID, be low income, and be willing to work (see below list of criteria). The expert leaders
will train, educate, and mentor the women through the process of choosing a SME to launch in
their community, issue the funds, and coach them in management of the SME. Surveys will be
provided to trainers and women to track results. These results will be evaluated on a monthly
basis and used for making adjustments to the curriculum and protocols.
Founder’s Role in Collective Impact
The role of the founder of Nafasi Sawa is to maintain and build alliances with the various
partners who are part of the process. This includes trusted in-country partners, leader Josh
Kyallo, who receives and manages the donations through his non-profits, forwarding funds to
KEFSHA in Kenya, and oversees the program. Communication will be consistently maintained.
The founder will provide research-based design of protocols and introduce the program to
trusted partners for implementation. Surveys from the women and trainers will be reviewed for
feedback and implemented into future design of the protocol. Continued revisions of the
curriculum and or funds payout will be adjusted as needed.
The ongoing mentorship and partnership with in-country leaders will ensure that the
protocols are maintained, and the training and grants issued properly, per the terms of the
agreement. The founder will continue to build partnerships and alliances with additional
agencies, leaders, and partners, to scale the protocol and program to other regions. Funders will
be pursued for additional donations to aid in the scaling of the program.
Current pilot programs in Kenya have proven successful results based on surveys. Six
groups of 5-6 women have resulted in profitable SMEs including sales of eggs, coffee beans,
111
maize, and firewood. The in-country leaders have proven to be successful in providing ongoing
mentorship and training of the women. The need for consistent leadership and mentorship is
apparent during Covid, as the women learned how to pivot from items that were available to sell
in their communities before the lockdowns, to items that were available during the lockdown.
Table-banking Requirements & Rules
• Must be 18 or older, with valid Kenyan ID
• Must be known by others in the group & complete curriculum/training
• Must attend all weekly & monthly meetings
• Group sets the rules for the use of funds
• Members of group sign a document agreeing to terms
• Must be actively engaged in actions to support the group & the SME
• Fund is owned by group equally, managed by 2-3 leaders
• Funds are locked in box with 2 keys given to leaders of group
• Funds are kept in leader’s home or agreed upon location
• Participants cannot be in more than 1 group
Quality Curriculum/Training Includes

• Types of business that can be launched/what is a SME – this will allow the women to
determine what is the best SME to launch for their community.
• Table-banking / cash flow – this will help the women learn how to manage incoming and
outgoing cash and how to budget accordingly.
• Value chains – this will help the women learn the flow of the item being sold from start
to finish and what role they play in that chain. This will allow them to see how many
people are involved at what levels, and what the profits are at different levels.
112
• Business records – this will help the women learn how to track items bought, for how
much, when they are sold, to whom, and their profits and costs.
• Marketing – this will help the women learn how to sell items within their own
community so they can be successful.
• Mentoring – this will help the women learn how they can provide mentorship to others
and help empower other women.
• Risk management – this will help the women learn what to avoid in the process of buying
and selling items, and possible challenges and how to overcome those challenges.
• Business plan – this helps the women learn how to see their SME, how to promote it, and
how to keep track of their mission and goals for their group as a small business.
• Management tools – this will help the women learn how to manage their business, their
work-life, and balance their team in how they spend skills and time at home and in their
mutual endeavor together.
• Group dynamics, group savings & disbursements – this will help the women learn how to
work together as a team, how to save money as a team, and how to disburse funds to the
group.
• Launching a new group (pay-it-forward) – this will help the women learn how they can
save a little bit of money to provide seed capital to aid in launching another women’s
group who will also start an SME and sustain the model to help women adopt and diffuse
the program organically.

Women’s Requirements (Beneficiaries)

• Will be ages 18 to 65
• Live in rural areas
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• Must be low income
• Be experiencing marginalization
• Lack access to traditional financial services
• Not be currently employed full-time
• Does not qualify for traditional programs
• Willing to be trained, work in a TBG, and run a SME
• Able to sign an agreement regarding duties and fund management
• Not currently involved in other similar programs
• Know at least one other member of the program or have a community reference
• Must not be at risk or experiencing GBV

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Appendix H: Interviews

Target Interviews – Key Takeaways

Name Organization Title Expertise/
Reason
Key Takeaways
(Section 6)
1 Christina
in Kenya
MBA living in
the slums of
Kibera,
Nairobi, Kenya
User,
Beneficiary
Wants to start a
micro-business
and is eyes and
ears for women
living in the
slums, will also
be a user of
solution and has
multiple friends
who will be
users who will
be reporting
back
• Women need
job
opportunities
• Women do not
have
transportation
to travel to
jobs in Nairobi
• Business
licenses are
required to sell
small items on
the streets
• Having a
degree does
not help if
there are no
jobs

2 Ms. S.,
PhD.
Private
practice in
Florida
Adjunct
professor,
published
author, wants
to help start
micro-
businesses
for women in
slums
Specializes in
gender abuse
and
marginalized
women in
Africa, travels
to Nairobi
multiple times
per year, has
been connecting
me to women in
Africa to discuss
solutions
• Social norms
are strong but
women in the
slums are
stronger
• Women in the
slums want to
work, they are
not lazy
• Tribal rules
are very
prevalent in
Kenya and
communities
abide by
unspoken
tribal rules
3 Mr. S. Redacted International
Consultant,
Specializes in
developing and
• Women need
training,
115
President,
Author
structuring
social franchises
in 3
rd
world
countries
education, and
job
opportunities
• Men will buy
beer instead of
paying for a
malaria tablet
for their sick
child
• Clinics and
water are
needed and
should be run
by women

4 Mr. B Corp Owner,
President,
Gatekeeper,
potential
funder of
solution
Actively
involved in
humanitarian
and disaster
relief in Africa,
has experience
in international
project
implementation
• Men in Africa
can be lazy
• Women are
subservient
because the
“religion”
reinforces the
social norms
that the
women should
stay home and
raise kids
• Men will
become
corrupt and act
badly due to
extreme
hardship and
lack of
employment
• Women need
opportunities
for jobs based
on their skill
level

5 Lesley,
nurse
Secretary to
Attorney who
travels to
Wife of
doctor who
travels to
Has direct
contact with
vulnerable
• People in
Nairobi are
grateful for
116
Nairobi
regularly
Nairobi
regularly to
provide free
clinics to
undervalued,
stakeholder
populations and
has awareness
of direct needs
in the slums
free medical
services,
women
especially
• Men will not
pay for their
wives to get
help at the
clinic, and
then use the
money for
beer and
prostitutes
• Many women
have
infections that
go untreated
due to lack of
access to
health care
and social
norms

6 Ms. K. K., Multiple
small
businesses,
trains other
women in trade
Entrepreneur
in Nairobi,
Kenya, User,
Beneficiary
Has direct
connection to
community
needs and
possible
solutions for
women to help
overcome
poverty
• Women need
training and
job skills
• Masai women
need to have
micro-loans to
buy beads so
they can
“bead” and
sell
• There needs to
be more
marketplace
opportunities
to sell
products that
women make

7 Ms. O. Runs
orphanage in
Nairobi - Int’l
Scholarships
Non-Profit,
User,
Beneficiary
Works with
children and
other women,
will be user and
help provide
• Making rugs
does not pay
the bills and
they are sold
for $150 US
117
makes rugs and
sells
input regarding
solution and
design for best
results
dollars which
many Kenyans
will not buy
• Some women
buy pre-paid
M-Pesa
cellphone
cards for $50k
shillings and
resell for $70k
shillings but
the float time
is hard in-
between
• Some women
want to start
small
businesses but
need money
(micro-loan or
grant)
• Most women
are living
paycheck to
paycheck
8 Mr. &
Mrs. M.
Pastors in
Nairobi, Kenya
Leaders in
community
and
connected to
non-profits
and relief
agencies,
works with
Attorney,
Wife is a
user and
works with
users and
beneficiaries,
husband is a
beneficiary
and a
gatekeeper
Works with
organizations
that teach
leadership skills
to Kenyans, has
direct
connection with
community
needs and a
possible facility
for use to
educate and
train vulnerable
populations,
Sally works
directly with
women groups
teaching
entrepreneurship
skills at their
church
• Water is
available but
agriculture is
not happening
since the
ground is hard
– women need
something to
happen with
land (or
hydroponics)
to farm and
sell
• Tailoring
could be a
business
solution, but
they need
sewing
machines
118
$150 each and
training
• Daycare is
needed for
women if they
are going to
work during
the day
• They would
like to scale
up and bring
more women
to train and
equip with
businesses but
need resources

9 Mr. I. Attorney Travels with
HIM 2 x per
year to teach
leadership
skills to
Kenyans,
stakeholder
Works directly
with potential
stakeholders in
Kenya who may
be good contacts
to help
implement
solutions, has a
strong
knowledge of
the tribal
community
social norms
and is aware of
potential
challenges and
opportunities,
has experience
in international
project
implementation
• Leadership
training and
business skills
are needed
• Many people
receive funds
and use the
funds for
something
other than
what it was
given to them
for (money for
a business idea
is used to pay
for the aunt’s
hospital visit)
whatever is
the most
pressing need
is where the
funds are
spent
• Most people in
poorer
communities
do not
understand
basic
119
bookkeeping
and business
skills

10 Ms.
K.(N.–
husband)
Wife of
leader/pastor in
community
User,
beneficiary
Lives in
Mombasa and
works with
women in
community – 15
in small bible-
study group, can
be a user and
provide valuable
input on
solution and
needs from 15
women
• Clinic is
needed and
could produce
income for the
community
• Water is
purchased and
brought into
the
community,
but they have
nowhere to
store it – they
could use a
tank at $1k US
dollars to store
the water once
purchased and
then sold to
others
• Aquaponics
could produce
income for
women
• A fund could
be created to
pay for the
clinic for
women to go
to (social
fund)
11 Ms. C. Redacted Dev.,
Leader in India
& Africa
CEO and
leader,
extremely
well
connected to
world leaders
&
government
officials as
well as
vulnerable
Sustainable
international
business
training &
launching for
the poor in
Africa & India.
Understands
community
dynamics &
social norms.
• Women are
the lower caste
and need to be
given
opportunities
• Social norms
and corrupt
government
officials keep
many people
from rising-up
120
populations,
beneficiary
Has direct
connection and
possible input
for solutions
from direct
contact with
communities,
has experience
in international
project
implementation
and
succeeding
• Small
businesses
(coffee,
tailoring,
school) could
help pull
people out of
poverty
• Business
schools could
help people
learn skills

12 Mr.P., Jr. Hospital-
Mental Health
worker
Born and
raised in
Ghana,
Africa,
family lives
in Ghana,
gatekeeper,
works with
users in his
community
Has direct
connection with
potential
beneficiaries
and stakeholders
in Ghana with
direct feedback
from potential
users
• Girls need to
be educated
• Men dominate
in their home;
the culture
supports the
men behaving
badly
• Women are
good at trade
and can make
many items to
sell but need
money to start
their ideas

13 Ms.
WWM
Former worker
at redacted –
Left to live in
community to
help change
social norms
and affect
Masai tribe,
runs a school
for K-2
User,
beneficiary
Will be able to
provide
feedback to
solution and
help with input
from
community
users as well
• The
community
has no water –
it floods 2
times per year,
if they had
their own
water source,
they could
create some
agriculture
and sell
• Women are
refused access
to the local
121
level 3 clinic
because the
men will not
give them
money for
visits (they use
the money for
beer and more
wives)
• Most girls and
women have
STI’s but go
untreated
• FGM is still
practiced and
the girl’s rebel
after the ritual
– being
married off to
old men (older
than their
fathers), they
are sold for a
cow by their
fathers
• Husbands beat
their wives,
take the
money they
earn, and
resist
community
changes
• Table banking
works best in
this
community
14 Mr. A. Consulting
Whiz
Founder of
mobile app
builder,
technology
solutions,
stakeholder
Has built mobile
apps for other
countries
successfully.
Understands
dynamics of
interfacing
technology with
• An app costs
$15-50k
depending on
needs,
logistics,
interface
• Most bank,
money apps
require
122
limitations in
other countries
different
layers of
interfacing
• Government
approval and
contracts are
required for
app
integration in
other countries

15 S. K. Pastor in
Kenya
Works with
NGO to
provide
leadership
skills to local
leaders
including
women,
stakeholder
Provides
training for
women, is a
possible
stakeholder to
provide training
regarding basic
numeracy and
financial skills,
understands
local
preferences and
how to
implement
projects in his
community
• Most of the
poor cannot
afford food
• Nutrition is
critical for
childhood
development
• There are no
opportunities
and no extra
funds
• Water is a
problem
16 J.K. –
lives in
San
Diego,
born and
raised in
Kenya
CRANE –
Community
Rising Africa
Network,
Director of
Global
Business
Development,
works in 6
African
Countries
African
NGO
working with
vulnerable
female
populations,
sustainable
development,
Clinics,
water
projects,
governments,
specializes in
scaling up,
stakeholder,
gatekeeper
Stakeholder
working with
beneficiaries in
Africa and is a
potential
alliance to roll-
out solutions,
help adopt,
diffuse, and
scale in Africa,
understands
local social
norms, has
experience in
international
project
implementation,
expert
• Leadership
skills are not
enough, they
have focused
on providing
training, but
business
solutions are
needed for the
women
• The
community
needs to have
ownership of
the ideas
otherwise they
will not be
sustainable
123
• Men use
religion to
oppress the
women not
realizing that
the men are
the ones who
ruined the
continent and
women are
needed to
bring
correction

17 Ms. B.,
Leader,
volunteer
R
Transformation
Ministries,
Mission
Coalition
Travels to
Kenya
regularly and
has a heart to
help
Africans,
working to
build-up &
strengthen
women,
helping train
communities
with
leadership
and business
skills,
stakeholder,
works with
users &
beneficiaries
Stakeholder
currently
working with
beneficiaries,
and a Masai
tribe, in Africa
and is a
potential
alliance to roll-
out solutions in
Africa,
understands
local social
norms, has
experience in
international
project
implementation
• Social norms
are very strong
and tribal
norms are
even stronger
• Kenyans will
use money for
what they
need (she gave
money to a
man, and he
used it to put
in a new floor
in his house)
• Women need
skills, one
woman she
knows wants
to attend
university to
learn fabric
and design
skills to create
a business for
women
• Money is
needed to help
start small
businesses

18 Dr. Mark
Kuckalow
UNICEF,
Zimbabwe,
Leader for
UNICEF,
Works with
vulnerable
• Cash grants
work for
124
Clinical
Psychologist,
stakeholder,
works
directly with
users &
beneficiaries,
expert in
working with
cash grants
for women in
African
culture
female
populations in
Zimbabwe and
has direct
knowledge of
social norms
and ideas related
to needed
solutions for
these
communities in
Africa – is part
of the UN
resolution to
create gender
equity with
women, has
experience in
international
project
implementation,
women in
Zimbabwe and
research backs
it up
• Cell phones
are critical,
young girls
will sell
themselves to
businessmen
for money to
buy airtime on
their phones
• Poor women
want to work
but the
unemployment
for women in
Zimbabwe is
around 90%
• Girls need to
stay in school
– education
for girls is a
big deal and
they perform
at lower levels
than boys due
to their chore
duties and
babysitting
demands
• Cash grants
(not soft
loans) with
report card
monitoring
and HIV
testing helps
keeps girls in
school and
educated

125
19 Mr. B. Director of
Int’l Outreach
program,
works in
Uganda and 6
other countries,
Africa
Coalition
Mobilizes
teams to go
into
vulnerable
areas and
train
leadership
and trade
skills, has
been to 20
countries,
looking to
fund a
business
school in
Uganda and
other regions
to care for
children,
stakeholder,
works
directly with
users and
beneficiaries
Will provide
feedback on
needs for design
for solution, has
direct
knowledge of
community
needs working
with women in
multiple
countries, has
10 groups of 10-
12 women in
Uganda who
started micro-
loan groups
waiting for
funding, has
experience in
international
project
implementation
• Micro-loans
are a must and
can help
sustain women
• School for
kids in
Uganda (700
kids) is
sustaining an
orphanage of
over 70 kids
• Funds are
needed to
build business
school that
will fund other
centers for
children
• Women are
the solution
for many
communities
to come out of
poverty and
financial
inequality but
need to be
given
opportunities
20 Mr. K. Head of Masai
Tribe, runs
Safari Park,
Lives in
Southwestern
Narok, Kenya
Works direct
with user,
beneficiaries,
sister is user
and
beneficiary,
gatekeeper
Will provide
feedback on
needs for design
for solution for
his tribe,
running for
government
position, wants
to create
businesses for
women in his
tribe, has
already created
jobs on his
Safari-tour for
women, has a
passion to help
• Water is
needed in his
community;
the
government
will not build
a school
because they
do not have
water, so the
children are
uneducated
• Girls walk 5-6
miles to get
water and are
sexually
assaulted by
126
women become
financially
stable
men waiting
for them to get
water
• Women know
how to make
clothing and
jewelry but
need money to
buy supplies
• Milk is
available for
sale by the
women but is
thrown out
because they
cannot
transport to
the processor
in city and
cannot keep
chilled due to
lack of
electricity
• Women in
area want their
hair blown dry
– the women
want to open a
salon and
charge to
blow-dry hair
for a few but
there is no
electricity
21 Ms. B.,
Esq.
Lives in Cape
Town
Works
directly with
users &
beneficiaries,
has helped
multiple
people in
Africa create
small
businesses to
provide
Will provide
feedback on
needs for design
for solution, has
created multiple
small businesses
to help bring
people out of
poverty, has
experience in
international
• Women need
job skills and
opportunities
• Girls are not
seen as equals
and struggle to
keep up, they
struggle with
low self-
esteem and
lack
confidence
127
sustainable
income
project
implementation
• Small
business loans
are vital to
help the poor
start
businesses

22 Ms. K. Lives in Kenya User,
beneficiary
Will provide
feedback on
needs for design
for solution
• Women do not
have money
for businesses
• Men control
everything,
women do not
have a voice
in decisions
• If women
could start a
business
tailoring
would be
popular, hair
weaving, and
hydroponics
would be good
23 Ms.N. Lives in Kenya User,
beneficiary
Will provide
feedback on
needs for design
for solution,
spouse is
beneficiary and
stakeholder
• Communities
need to work
together
otherwise the
men take over
everything
• Women can
work but need
a job or skill
• Money is
needed to start
a business and
loans are a
good idea
24 Mr. S Founder, NGO Works with
users setting
up micro-
loans for 20
years,
stakeholder,
expert
working with
Provides
connections and
insight to social
norms and
micro-loans, has
worked directly
with users &
beneficiaries for
• Village
Savings &
Loan model is
the best and
most
sustainable
• Women must
make
128
women and
micro-loans
in Africa
over 20 years,
has experience
in international
project
implementation
decisions
collectively to
sustain group
banking
• Most women
were surprised
that they had
enough money
“all along” to
start a
business but
didn’t know it
since they
never pooled
their funds
together
• Savings grew
over a short
period of time
and gave
communities
pride that they
could do
something
they never
knew that they
could do
25 Ms. K. Built a facility
for leadership
training &
women’s
empowerment
in Kenya
Stakeholder,
beneficiary,
works with
women and
children in
Kenya.
Wants to
start a high
school for
children.
Works directly
with micro-
loans and
merry-go-round
banking in her
community in
Kenya. Works
with women and
wants to create
more
sustainable
businesses and
teach skills, has
experience in
international
project
implementation
and is currently
• Women need
to be trained
and given
opportunities
to work
• Children need
to have
secondary
school
• Girls need a
hostile to live
in to escape
poverty and
have a safe
place to live
• Water &
electricity are
needed in the
community
129
working on a
women’s project

130

Interviewing Stakeholders - Interview Questions

1. What have you seen as the most successful solution in educating impoverished female
populations in Africa?
2. What have you experienced as causes that can be mitigated to resolve the lack of
financial capability for vulnerable female populations?
3. Do you have ideas about potential solutions? What has worked and what has not worked?
4. Who are the gatekeepers and stakeholders for that community?
5. Who would need to get involved to introduce solutions?
6. What kind of policy reform is needed to support any proposed solutions?
7. Who are the biggest influencers of women in the community? NGO’s, religious leaders,
elders, and why?
8. What collaborations are needed to support the introduction of a solution that would help
with adoption and diffusion?
9. What barriers do you see that might impede a proposed solution?
10. What feedback from the community do you hear directly or indirectly that would provide
insight to solutions?

Interview Risks and Mitigation

Risk/Ethical
Consideration
Risk Level
High/Med/Low
Interview Implications Mitigation
Dual Relationship
Do you have a Dual
relationship with any of
the interviewees? What is
it? Does the relationship
raise any ethical conflicts
or concerns?
There is little to
no risk between
me and the
interviewees
since I am not a
social worker
and I do not
have dual
relationship.
There are no implications of
potential ethical conflicts or
concerns, as there will be no
harm or disruption to the
interviewee. I do not have a
patient client relationship with
the interviewees. These
interviews are strictly for
receiving information.
If I have a mutual
friend or dual
relationship with
the interviewee, I
will disclose the
information. I will
also let them know
that I will keep the
interview
confidential. I will
inform the
interviewee that I
am not a social
worker, and my
intentions are to
use the disclosed
data for
information
purposes only and
will not be
disclosing their
private
131
information. I do
not expect issues to
arise.
Consent
Do all interviewees have
the physical and/or legal
ability to consent?
There is little to
no risk,
everyone being
interviewed is
over the age of
18 and is of
sound mind,
willingly
disclosing
information.

I will be interviewing over the
phone and via email and will
not be physically with the
interviewee. They will respond
to my request for information
which will be their consent.
They will have free choice on
what information they allow me
to use. I will email the
interviewee a list of questions
prior to the phone conversation.
I will ask the
interviewee for
permission to use
the interview and if
needed permission
to use their
information. If
there appears to be
a situation that
arises, I will
mitigate any
further upset by
addressing with the
interviewee
immediately.
Coercion
Do you control access to
resources or services or
have any kind of authority
or influential relationship
over any of your
interviewees? Might you
influence an interviewee
(even inadvertently), or
might they feel obligated
to participate?
There is little to
no risk since I
will not be
coercing
anyone to do
the call. There is no coercion for the
interviewee to provide the
interview. I receive no personal
benefits, other than receiving
information, and it will have no
impact on my connection with
interviewee.

I will inform the
interviewee that
they have the
option to end the
call any time, thus
mitigating any
upset that may
ensue during the
interview, which is
not expected since
these are mostly
professionals and
stakeholders.
Mandated Reporting
and Professional
Obligations
Are you a mandated
reporter? Do you have any
other professional
obligations or
requirements that may
govern how you should
act with interviewees?
(e.g., confidentiality,
military reporting,
company policy)
There is little to
no risk as I am
not addressing
abuse situations
and am not a
social worker.

I do not expect any information
to be reported to me that
requires reporting to officials
since I am not a social worker
and will be interviewing mostly
professionals and stakeholders.
I do not expect to learn of any
harmful behaviors that need
reporting to agencies.

I am not a licensed
social worker and
will not need to
report any
findings. I am
interviewing
professionals in
their field.

Disclosure of Trauma or
Need for Services
There is little to
no risk since
I will not need to refer anyone
for social services since I am
I am not a social
worker, and I will
132
How likely is it that an
interviewee might
disclose they have
experienced or are
currently experiencing
trauma? Might they
demonstrate or express a
need for help or services?
there will be no
discussing
personal trauma
that needs to be
addressed.
not a social worker and will be
working with educators,
professionals, and those in the
field, who will be relaying
information based on their
work experience.
not need to
mitigate any
situations
regarding services
for trauma or
therapy since my
interviews are
mostly with
professionals.

Vulnerable Populations
Is anyone you plan to
interview a member of a
vulnerable population (as
defined in the Important
Considerations Lecture)
Are you working with an
extremely sensitive or
high-risk population for
ethical conflicts?
There is no to
low risk since I
will only be
interviewing 1
person who is
vulnerable but
is a leader in
her community.

I will use caution & discretion
when speaking with vulnerable
people. I will disclose that I am
not a social worker and will not
be reporting any information
about them or others, simply
collecting information for
school purposes.
I will disclose that
I am not a social
worker and that I
will only be
collecting
information, and
not providing
intervention. I will
let the interviewee
know that I am
only using
information for
school and
capstone project
purposes.

Other None None None
1.

133
Appendix I: Design Criteria
DESIGN CRITERIA
CATEGORY
DETAILED CRITERIA CRITERIA ANALYSIS
Is there are overarching
label that can be applied
to the criteria (e.g.
Equity, Access,
Affordability,
Compliance) Your
categories should reflect
overall design
mandates/objectives “A good
solution must be/do…”
What are the specific criteria? How would we know
an overarching label had been fulfilled? What does
these criteria mean? Your criteria should explain what the
category criteria means in the context of your project. It should
also reflect the key outcomes your project must produce, the
constraints it must meet, and any required attributes.
Does your project meet/not
meet this criterion? Why/Why
not? The proposed design should meet
the design criteria. In rare instances, it
may not be possible to achieve all
criteria, in which case the tradeoffs
should be explored, and the
justifications should establish why this
design is ultimately the best possible
approach.
Attainable

Must be available to financially incapable
female populations in sub-Saharan Africa,
ages 18-65, who do not currently have access
to loans, grants, or other resources,
opportunities, or aid. Operating and utilizing
the solution must not be based on user’s
gender, skill level, location, educational
background, or training. Low-income female
populations will be able to obtain it, receive
it, or acquire it. It will be available to people
living in rural areas who lack transportation.
Impoverished women in Kenya do not have
access to banking, are afraid to get a micro-
loan due to spousal approval and signature,
collateral requirements, loan default
consequences, and are not able to provide an
income for themselves. The solution will
overcome these constraints The solution will
be inclusive of and designed for usage by the
female gender located in rural areas of
Kenya, and accessible to those who may
never own a cellular phone, be able to make
it into the city, visit a bank, or qualify for a
traditional loan. It will be available to those
outside of existing systems.
Yes. The micro-grant will
be available to a group of
women living in the same
community who receive the
micro-grant and will work
together to launch a small
micro-enterprise (SME),
manage the funds, and
support each other. These
are women who are
typically unreached by
traditional banking and
financial institutions. They
have been reached by
people I have direct
connection with including
leaders, trusted partners,
and non-profit groups
seeking to raise women up
through leadership and job
skills training. These are
women do not quality for
traditional services but will
qualify for a micro-grant
through an interview,
application, and approval
process. It is not contingent
on their education or skill
level, geographical
location, or ability to repay
a loan. Micro-grants are a
needed solution and will be
adapted from both the
micro-loan programs, table-
134
banking, merry-go-round,
and SME approaches.
Micro-grants will be more
accessible, easier to qualify
for, and less restrictive than
traditional offerings. They
will be available to women
who do not have access to
traditional services or do
not qualify for loans.
Micro-loans will stop the
debt-spiral of many
borrowers in Africa who
pay up to 100% per year in
interest and cannot grow
their business because their
debt-service restricts them
from utilizing profits for
augmentation or
enhancement.

Collaborative

Solution should be supported by women, and
female community or religious leaders.
Helpful if these women have a relationship
with existing NGO, non-profit, church, or
other agency who may be facilitating the
implementation of solution. Alliances and
partnerships with volunteer groups will help
follow up and facilitate on-going needs of
solution and resolving issues that arise after
implementation. Design needs will come
from listening to multiple users,
beneficiaries, leaders, volunteers, and
stakeholders. Solution input will come from
specific needs in each community and
solution will provide custom benefit for each
women’s group. Solution will be deployed to
a group of women, versus a single recipient.
Yes. The solution requires
women to work together in
a group to apply for grant,
walk through the process,
interview, receive training,
and select a small micro
enterprise to launch and
operate as a group. They
must manage the funds and
profits amongst themselves
in a table-banking platform.
They will decide how the
profits are to be allocated as
a group. The solution will
benefit them as a group.
Meets Practical
Needs

Design will be accessible to rural areas.
Solution will be culturally sensitive, able to
be integrated into existing social systems.
Solution will be diffused and scalable.
Design will be easy to interface with and
Yes. Currently women have
practical needs that are
unmet due to their husbands
refusing them access to
funds they earned. This will
135
users will become proficient within a month
to three months. Solution is easy to
understand, designed for primary education
levels, self-explanatory, can be implemented
and engaged with by individuals with little or
no instruction. Design will be modified as
needed by each community of women, based
on application, usefulness, and the ability to
sustain. Language, interface, application, and
usage will all be simple and easy to use, with
minimal training needed. Learning how to
utilize and implement the solution will be as
simple as possible.
allow the women to control
their own funds, learn and
launch an SME, and modify
based on their own
collective experience and
needs. The profits can then
be used to fund existing
needs and create social
funds for benevolence,
health care visits, education
for their children and the
launching of a new
business.
Trusted &
Anonymous

Using the solution will create a sense of trust.
Must meet local community standards and
regulations. Solution will be safe to use and
offer anonymity. Solution should provide a
sense of trust and safety when interfacing
with it. Ability to track and monitor progress,
retain personal financial information.
Solution should offer options of financial
accountability. Some women in Kenya are
restricted from financial capability and some
are afraid of their husbands and family
members knowing about their participation in
table-banking and savings programs. This
solution will be maintained outside of their
homes so that their spouses and family
members will not interfere. This program is
geared towards women who are already
trained in basic math and business skills and
are connected to or working with a trusted
partner, such as Kenya Federation of Self-
Help Associations (KEFSHA), Rainbow
Ministries, Harvest International Ministries
(HIM), Africa Coalition Group (ACG),
Community Rising Africa Network
(CRANE), or Oasis.
This system should
eliminate the fear of having
funds taken from them by
their husbands, or
mismanaged, since the
women manage the funds
amongst themselves. They
will choose who gets to be
in the table-banking group,
appoint leaders and
managers of the funds and
SME. They will not fear
that they will need their
husband’s signature to
qualify for a loan, since this
solution does not require
collateral or spousal
signature. The women will
not be afraid to take out a
loan and lose their home if
they default, since it is not a
loan. The women will not
be afraid to go into a debt-
spiral or pay up to 100%
interest a year on a loan
they do not understand.
They will be keeping all
profits within their system
and paying themselves
within an agreed upon
manner. They will have the
ability to keep their funds
and profits anonymous
136
from their husbands and
families, which is typical in
table-banking systems.
User Friendly

Users are confident when they use it, feel a
sense of ease when they interface with it, and
feel peaceful and encouraged when they
interact with the solution, not frustrated.
Design should be personable, geared towards
user’s personal experience, style, language,
and ability. It should include beneficiary
input, adapt to user needs, be available in
their local language, and maintain a record of
interactions to allow for easier interface with
each use. Solution will require working with
women who have received training in basic
educational, numerical, and financial literacy
and should positively influence communities,
cultures, and ways of living. Will promote
higher skills, abilities, and learning aptitudes.
Will have the ability to be enhanced or
augmented, to scale up to user’s progress and
needs. Will create a sense of hopefulness,
inspiration, empowerment, and self-efficacy
in users. Usage will contribute to a better
way of life, and economy within the
community, by creating financial capability.
Women will have the feeling of relief and
self-sufficiency to be able to achieve
financial equality and be able to support a
small business.
Yes. Basic bookkeeping
and math skills will be
needed to understand cash
flow, basic leadership and
business skills are
necessary, which will be
offered through training
either by a trusted partner
or someone they know has
the skills and ability to train
them. The women will be
coached through the
process of application,
interview, approval, and
launch of the SME. Most
women in Kenya I have
spoken with have an
existing table-banking
group, basic math skills,
and understand business on
a small level. They
understand the need to keep
the funds from their
husbands and manage
internally. Receiving the
grant within their group
will bring peace and
empowerment. Qualifying
is easy and does not involve
loans, debt, collateral, or
fear.
The micro-grant will
provide the funds necessary
to launch an SME.
Coaching will be provided
to build self-esteem,
confidence, capability, and
an understanding of how to
stand up for themselves and
have a voice. This will help
women to raise the standard
of living,
137
and their status in the
community. They will be
able to support each other
monetarily and through
their SME’s. Having their
own SME and funds, that
they control, will provide
them with the
empowerment they need to
be strong and collectively
stand up for themselves and
provide for their own needs,
without the control of their
husbands.

Reliable &
Sustainable

Design will be effective, consistent, reliable,
always usable, be self-sustaining,
transportable, and easy to implement in any
community. Solution should have staying
power that is consistent with each user’s
needs and usage. Many impoverished women
in Kenya do not have access to cellphones,
banking, or transportation. The solution will
not be dependent on these constraints and
will be sustained by the women within their
communities. It will bring peace of mind to
women who can trust that this will create a
solution for their needs.
Yes. The micro-grant is
effective for implementing
and launching SME’s and
can be applied to a myriad
of existing community
solutions that the women
have agreed upon. It will be
within their abilities to
sustain the SME and
allocate the profits for
personal and social needs as
well as new ventures and
SME augmentation. They
will no longer be dependent
on lenders, spouses, or
NGO’s. They will be able
to create income for
themselves and think of
new ways to launch SMEs
to launch and sustain within
their groups that will
provide income and
ongoing provision.

138
CAPSTONE DESIGN - SUMMARY
Element Description/Explanation
"Elevator Pitch" -
Describe your
Capstone Project in
basic terms

Your pitch should address
who, what, when, where,
why, and how. Elements
with asterisks below are
likely to appear in your
elevator pitch, but not all
of the elements below
should be included. Be sure
to include the most
important elements to
understanding your idea.
This Capstone Project will address the problem of financial inequality for
women in Kenya, Africa by facilitating opportunities to launch small micro-
enterprises (SME’s) through the issuance of micro-grants. These funds will
be received and controlled through women’s table-banking groups,
independent of male access and contributions. This will empower women to
be in control of their finances and learn the skills needed to start and operate
a small business that benefits their families and communities, helping them
to come out of poverty, become financially capable and be more financially
equal. These grants will empower women to provide for themselves and their
families while building a better future for their children. Micro-grants are
better because they are not tied to all the requirements, fees, and debt.
Women need micro-grants to launch SMEs in a controlled table-banking
system to become financially capable, exclusive of male control, and to help
overcome rigid social norms. Women need to be empowered to success and
thrive through a micro-grant, not given debt and more burdens through a
micro-loan, which shifts control to the lender (Abor & Biekpe, 2009).
Women who own assets build self-esteem (Akudugu, 2011). Micro-grants
for the purpose of SME’s are a solution for women in Kenya.
Desired impact* (big
goal & specifics)
What is the impact you
want your Capstone
Project to have? In other
words, which behavior by
whom are you intending to
change for what
objective(s) and what
evidence would
demonstrate your success?
Interviews with women in Kenya reveal that in a majority of situations, the
men control the finances and decisions about how finances are spent, unless
the funds are controlled through women’s table-banking groups. Some
women are forced to give their funds to their husbands and communities
need strong female leaders to encourage women to have a voice. It has been
reported to me that the husbands will not allow their sick wives and
daughters to visit the clinic because they would rather use the money for beer
and prostitutes. Creating micro-grants in a table-banking style system, with a
social insurance fund component, will empower women in Kenya to break
away from social norms that keep them in poverty by proving an opportunity
to launch an SME without the need to save funds for years and or try to meet
lender requirements for micro-loans, which many times are not available in
their areas, or they do not quality. I hope to empower women to see
themselves as equal partners in their relationships, with the ability to earn a
livable wage and provide for themselves and their children. This is especially
true for single women and women who may be wanting to leave their
spouses due to abuse. Their ability to become financially capable and have
the capacity to earn income for themselves for longer than 12 months will
prove that they are able to learn and be profitable. This also raises their
community status and gives them a sense of dignity and self-worth.

My desire is for these women to learn how to have healthy financial
boundaries and believe in their own abilities, gaining self-worth and
confidence in the process of launching and maintaining an SME alongside
139
other women in their community. My desire is that the micro-grant will be
the catalyst to help women break out of restrictive roles into more
empowered positions of financial equality and capability. The micro-grant is
a tool to help reform limited and restrictive beliefs that women must be
dependent upon men and do not have opportunities to make money. I will
know that this has happened when women receive the grant funds, launch the
SME, and are self-sustained after 12 months of business. They will have
learned how to best do table-banking for their group, with profits set aside
for future SME’s or social needs. There will be consistent cohesiveness and
willingness to continue the SME, and the business will be sustainable for
several years. The women should be more financially capable to manage
their funds and provide for their own needs, showing less dependence on
men and more independence in financial decisions that affect them and their
children.

Micro-grants and SME’s can help women in communities learn how to
create new social norms collectively about their rights to financial capability
and equality, and financial boundaries with their husbands, while learning
how to run a small business. This will give them independence from their
husbands control of funds and collectively empower women to stand up and
have a voice, and access to have an equal role in providing income. Since
they will be managing the funds as a group, exclusive of men, they will gain
a sense of freedom and agency, learning the importance of cash flow and
money management skills, which they can teach their children. This new
“system” of living will be shared with other women in surrounding
communities who will also want a micro-grant and an SME. The short-term
affect will include women providing for their own basic needs, becoming
less dependent on males, and reducing the experience of long-term poverty.

Micro-grants will eliminate the traditional issues with micro-loans. Research
shows that many small business entrepreneurs are operating in survival
mode, barely making ends meet (Berner et al., 2012), and are usually
working to pay back high debt amounts due to interest rates (Mashigo,
2006). The women I spoke to in Kenya are living in survival mode on a day-
to-day basis and do not have funds to meet their basic needs; this is
confirmed by research that many women are seeking immediate poverty
relief, barely having enough to survive (Asaki & Hayes, 2011). The
husbands of the women I interviewed restrict their funds and do not allow
them to keep money for extra items such as clinic visits, clothing, or
education for the children. Financial deprivation causes a lack of choice and
freedom (Khavul & Bruton, 2012). These women need hope for a better
future and a way to meet basic needs. Women who run SME’s and or are a
part of table-banking raise their position and status in their community
(Grigsby et al., 2015), which empowers them and helps give them a voice,
providing added social protection, while providing extra funds to meet basic
needs (Asaki & Hayes, 2011). Micro-grants can aid these women in fulfilling
140
these needs and help them break free from barely surviving and not able to
make ends meet, to thriving and creating income for themselves and their
families that is sustainable

STAKEHOLDER BREAKDOWN
User*
Who will use your
Capstone Project?
Women in Kenya will use the micro-grant program, aged 18-65, in rural
areas, with lack of access to financial services or ways to earn income.
Women in community groups in Kenya will be the beneficiaries and users of
the grants and will work together to manage and maintain the grant funds and
small business profits that will benefit them, their families, and their
communities.
Beneficiary(ies)*
Who are the Capstone
Projects mainly intended
to help?
The micro-grant program will directly help and impact impoverished women
in Kenya, living in rural areas, and or those who do not qualify for a
traditional micro-loan. Beneficiaries include their children and families, and
their communities.

Possible Gatekeepers
Who controls access to
delivery channels or vital
resources? Whose
approvals might you
want/need?
Based on interviews and research, the major gatekeepers are the leaders of
communities and the husbands. Other gatekeepers may include the local
women’s leaders within their communities that control the decisions about
women receiving funds, launching SME’s or make other community
decisions. A majority of these women leaders are religious leaders and elders
who are highly respected in their neighborhoods. There will need to be
approval of the system and the management of the funds, disbursement
procedures, and payouts for the women and benevolence. Gatekeepers also
include the private funding groups that will be deciding how much money to
contribute towards the grants. Gatekeepers include the trusted partners that
have already trained the women who will receive the micro-grant and will be
disbursing the grant funds and performance distributions, working with them
to launch the SMEs, and following up with them for performance markers,
additional distributions, and additional coaching and training. Men may be
gatekeepers of the wives who receive the grants, controlling the time the
wives are allowed to spend on the SME. Since the program is working with
trusted partners who are already working with women, it is expected that the
men in their lives have accepted their desire to be trained and become more
of a financial contributor in the relationship. Male champions will also be
trained in the communities to support the efforts by the trusted partners and
the women. Government officials are gatekeepers of any regulations and
approvals of business concepts and access to the regions.

Disrupted
Entities/Actors
Who or what
organizations will be
displaced (i.e. lose money,
power, or their job) as a
result of your Capstone
Project?
Interviews with locals in Kenya, experts in business development, and
research articles all share concerns that most NGO’s receive funds for aid,
but the money does not go to the people directly; they are referred to as
“briefcases.” The micro-grant program should not disrupt any NGO’s
directly, but it will disrupt social norms with men who do not want to give
women access to finances. It will also disrupt micro-loan programs that rely
on fees, re-loans, and high interest rates (Bruton et al., 2011). Men may show
resistance to the program as they may lose control of funds that their wives
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earn in the SME. My interviews and subsequent alliance with CRANE
president Josh Kyallo, who was born and raised in Kenya, assures me that
creating “male champions” in the communities alongside of the women will
help with the transition of the women launching SME’s and receiving
support from the men.
Competitors
Who else is offering similar
product/services?
There are several organizations that are providing micro-loans to women
such as Grameen Bank, Kiva, Village Savings & Loan, Plant with Purpose,
Jamii Boara in Kenya, Rotating Savings & Credit Association (ROSCA),
Kenya Women Finance Trust, and many other public and private
microfinance services. These organizations are not seen as direct
competition since they do not currently offer programs in the areas where I
will be launching the micro-grant programs, which are more remote. Some
may see the grant program as a threat since many firms benefit by charging
high amounts of interest on micro-loans. I am also targeting women who
typically do not qualify for their programs.
Stakeholder Justifications

Interviews and research confirm the information regarding stakeholders. Women are the users
and beneficiaries because they are the ones who need to overcome financial inequality and
discrimination through social norms. They are living day to day and in survival mode, they need
to have a stronger position in their community (Asaki & Hayes, 2011). Women, children, family,
and community members are the beneficiaries because they will all benefit from women who
have skills, obtain work, and create sustainable jobs. Jobs equal money to pay for food,
schooling, clothes and an overall better future for the family and community. The gatekeepers
are the funders, the community or religious leaders that control the existing system that
perpetuates the inequalities. Husbands can also be gatekeepers since they have the power to
refuse their wives to obtain training, start businesses, or work outside the home.

I learned through many of the interviews, that women in Kenya are subject to abuse from their
husbands for many reasons, one of them is for withholding funds. Women who work are
required to bring their pay home to their husbands. Husbands take and restrict what the women
can and cannot do with the money that they earn. I learned in my interview with one woman who
lives in Kenya, that many women and their daughters had infections in her community, due to
sexually transmitted infections and issues from female genital mutilation, and the husbands
refused them access to the money that the women had worked for so they could pay for a clinic
visit. The husbands used the money instead to buy alcohol. These women need a system that
provides them with funds to launch a business which will allow income and profits to remain
controlled within a system that is regulated by the women in their community. They can use the
profits at their discretion, outside of the husband’s control.

One interviewee shared with me that table-banking allowed her community to control the funds
within a structure that was regulated by multiple women and restricted from the men. Research
confirms this works well with groups of women. This structure allows the women to be strong as
a group and dictate the terms of how the funds are used. One Kenyan women was able to escape
an abusive marriage due to a micro-loan that enabled her to start a small business (Wittenauer,
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2011). Many more women could be helped if they had access and opportunities that they could
previously not qualify for based on their existing circumstances and micro-loan requirements.

Stakeholders will also include the consumers who benefit from the business that is created by the
women, whether it includes selling meat or poultry items, clothing, water service, vegetable or
other food items like cereal, jewelry, or offering daycare.

Communities will benefit from the SME and what it contributes both materially and
economically. The region will benefit from economic growth and improved community status.
Leaders, trainers, and trusted partners will all be stakeholders in the training and coaching of the
women wo help raise them up and launch their SME. Husbands, other men, and religious or
tribe leaders in the community will be directly impacted by the adoption of new social norm
practices, the withholding of profits from their reach, and the shift in the women’s attitude about
their roles, as well as impact from the launch of an SME. NGO’s will be stakeholders especially
if they have been working with women and or communities for increased financial capabilities
or trade opportunities.

Other businesses who will be providing materials and supplies or services will be stakeholders.
Examples include sellers of materials or seeds, and local clinics where women can use profits
from the SME to pay for health services. Government officials and other local entities who
regulate travel, business, finance, and sales in the region will be directly and indirectly providing
necessary approvals.
Children are stakeholders as they will benefit through increased nutrition, healthcare, education,
and quality of life, from the proceeds of their mother’s business. Competitors who wish to
provide micro-loans to the unreached women are stakeholders, since they will be losing the
opportunity to provide a high-interest loan to those who will receive a grant.

CAPSTONE PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS
Describe below each element of your offering. Make sure the Approaches, Format, and Content sections provide sufficient detail to
understand your Capstone Project.
Not all elements may be included in your design, in which case you may want to explain why the element is not included.
Approaches*
What research-based
practices, methodologies,
techniques, models,
frameworks, or other
approaches will be
employed? Be sure to
provide a high-level
explanation of the
approach and why it is
relevant.
Based on research from multiple sources the micro-grant program is chosen
as the best framework to launch a solution to create financial equality and
capability for women. Micro-loans are a loan for the purpose of launching a
small micro-enterprise. But according to Dr. Kuckalow (interview February
14, 2020) expert with UNICEF, research shows that women who are given
monthly cash grants do well to manage the funds and use them for their
families and use profits to provide nutritious food and education for their
children. The micro-grant will be an adaptation of the micro-loan and cash
grant programs.
Traditional Village Savings & Loan (VS&L), ROSCA, micro-loan, and
banking programs have aided women’s table-banking groups and or merry-
go-round systems in multiple countries. Table-banking is typically when a
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group of women pool their funds together for the purpose of keeping their
funds away from their husbands and in a controlled group where they are
collectively able to stand against their husbands demands to bring the
money to them. When women table bank they are trusting one another to
manage the funds and only use the money for the agreed upon items
including additional small enterprises, loans to the women in the group,
household items, healthcare, education, and benevolence.
The micro-grant will be adapting the merry-go-round system allowing
women to be considered and approved for the group, but then restricting
other women outside the group from benefiting. The grant must be used to
start an SME, not immediately loaned out to members for personal needs.
Merry-go-round systems allow women to buy into a controlled program
over time through the issuance of shares. An example is 5 women pay in
$20 per year and are each issued a share. They can trade their share for a
loan for personal use, money to buy wedding gifts for their daughters, or for
personal family emergencies. The women take turns accessing the funds in
restricted allotments, while all women continue to contribute to the fund.
Any new members must “buy-in” to the system and “wait their turn” to
receive any financial benefit from joining the group. The funds are also
restricted from their husbands and kept secret from other family members
(Drolet, 2011). Micro-grants will be different than merry-go-round systems,
by allowing women to participate immediately to launch an SME and take
loans from future profits; the goal is to adapt the system and use the initial
profits to launch more SME’s, which will create more profits, increase
financial freedom, and build capacity for the women.
Research shows that women who follow these programs have a high success
rate of keeping their funds from their husbands through the collective
control of the women, and the high integrity employed to manage funds
(Drolet, 2011). Most table-banking systems show that women can manage
their funds independent of men but need help saving enough to start a
business, otherwise they are living in day-to-day survival mode (Asaki &
Hayes, 2011). The merry-go-round system is good for helping other women
in their group with basic needs, but it does not provide enough capital to
launch a small enterprise (Drolet, 2011). The micro-grant will provide the
necessary capital to launch an SME.

The program will be launched through trusted partners, such as KEFSHA,
who are in Kenya, and already working with the women to train them in
basic business and math skills., The process is basic enough for women who
lack education to grasp and understand. KEFSHA employs social workers
who have worked with the women to build trust, help reshape their belief
systems about abilities, and partnered with them to shift social norms and
behaviors.

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All agreements will be disseminated through the trusted partners who are
already in country and working with the women. These agreements will be
sent through the trusted partner in writing via email, and the women who
want to be a part of the micro-grant program must be in a women’s table
banking group, be trained, work continually with the trusted partner, and
sign the agreements. It should be decided and put in writing which women
will manage the funds, who will do what aspects of the work in the
business, and what portions of the profits are set aside for various items
including social needs. This is important so that the women are in unison on
how the funds are spent and how the profits are reallocated.

The SME decision must be made prior to the disbursement of the first pay-
out of the grant. Subsequent disbursements will be distributed based on
performance markers. An example is that $100 is given to start a chicken
business and after $100 of sales come back, another $100 grant is issued.
When an additional $100 comes in from sales, another $100 will be
disbursed. Performance markers continue to drive the additional
disbursements until the maximum amount of the micro-grant is awarded.

Lock box and two padlocks and keys will be provided through KEFSHA or
other trusted partners, to provide a safe place to store the funds and profits.
Most of these women do not have bank accounts. This is important because
women must feel the funds are safe and in their control.

Monies will be wired through CRANE, 501C-3 non-profit trusted partner
group, and delivered to the leader of KEFSHA, who will disburse through
trainers to small groups of women (5-20) who have already been trained and
have identified a small micro-enterprise that would be sustainable in their
community. They must be proficient in basic leadership and bookkeeping
skills and familiar with banking through table-banking and merry-go-round
systems, which will be managed within their group. This is important
because most of the women do not have transportation and cannot get to a
bank or lack access to financial services. The funds will be administered
directly onsite or through a good location through KEFSHA or another
trusted partner, after following the protocols and requirements to qualify,
and making a commitment to continue to work with KEFSHA or another
trusted partner through the first 12 months of implementation. The first
disbursement will be provided after the women qualify and walk through all
the initial processes.

Format*
What form will the
Capstone Project take? How
will it be structured or
offered?
Women must be referred by a trusted partner, like KEFSHA, who is already
working with women’s groups in Kenya, or knows the group and can
recommend their group for a grant. The women must commit to use the
funds for launching and maintaining the business as well as set aside a small
portion of profits for a social insurance fund that will help pay for social
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needs such as medical visits for the women, education for children
specifically young girls in their community, or daycare.

The leader of the group must account for the expenses and track in a simple
written format who will be chosen to manage the funds. Men should not be
allowed to be a part of the system and should not have access to the funds in
any way unless all the women provide authorization for their input and
support. No technology is needed onsite to run the SME with the exception
of telephones and computers to interact with me and or the trusted partners
through email and phone exchange.

The grant funds will be given to a trusted partner non-profit group, such as
KEFSHA, who has trained the women and will deliver the funds to the
women’s group. The format will include a training process completed by
KEFSHA or other trusted partner, an interview process, written agreement
process, review of various SME choices, coaching, submittal to private
funder and an approval process, funds will then be sent from the private
funder through a non-profit trusted partner and delivered to the women’s
group via a trusted partner, direct to the women’s table banking leader. The
process includes:
1. A referral from a trusted partner, leader, or member who is
connected to the women’s group or leader in Kenya and has
successfully trained the women in basic skills (these trusted partners
include KEFSHA, CRANE, Rainbow, HIM, and Oasis).
2. A phone interview to determine if the women qualify for the micro-
grant based on location, access to existing programs, needs, current
financial situations, possible small micro-enterprise opportunities in
their area, ability to launch an SME, buy-in from other women, and
willingness to work hard and make the venture successful.
3. The women will be required to answer a questionnaire that is
emailed to them asking them about their community, region, existing
needs such as agriculture, water, electricity, daycare, healthcare, and
desire from community for an SME. This will help target a potential
SME that will thrive in their community.
4. The women must all agree on the business idea and explain in
writing how it will be financially viable and sustainable for longer
than 12 months.
5. The women will sign a memorandum of understanding that states the
purpose of the micro-grant and how the funds are to be used, and
what profits they will set aside for additional SME’s social
components, emergency funds, etc. They must understand that the
grant is paid out as a performance-based distribution in tranches.
6. The women will describe their process in writing on how the funds
will be used (to purchase materials, product, etc.) and who will
manage the funds, how they will maintain accountability and
integrity with the monies, and how women will qualify for
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benevolence, whether or not any loan provisions will be allowed
from the profits of the SME, and other regulations of the funds. It
must include restriction from their husbands and other men in the
community.
7. Another interview will be given over the phone to clarify the
process, desires, and discuss the proposal for an SME.
8. The written items, along with any emails detailing the interviews,
and whether the business is expected to be sustainable, will be
forwarded to a private funder for review.
9. Once approved by the private funder, the women must sign a letter
of intent agreeing to continue to be coached in basic bookkeeping,
financial literacy, and successful business practices. They must agree
to receive cognitive training about social norms, abuse, and building
self-esteem and confidence, as well as the purpose and restrictions of
the funds they are to receive.
10. The women must complete, as a group, a form that says they have
finished the basic training offered through the trusted partner, such
as Kesha, and agree to the terms of the group and the requirements
of the grant. The training should have been completed prior to
application, but learning must continue through follow up coaching.
11. An interview will be done to confirm that the business specifics have
been considered and the necessary items approved to move forward
with the SME for the group.
12. Funds will then be wired from the private funder to a non-profit
entity such as KEFSHA, CRANE, Global Outreach, Rainbow, Oasis,
or Africa Initiative, who will then deliver the first distribution via a
lock box and two padlocks to the women’s leader table banking, or
the women’s leader can pick up the funds and lockbox from the
agreed upon location.
13. Follow up coaching and training will be provided by KEFSHA,
Oasis, Rainbow, and HIM, who will continue to work with the
women regularly for the first 30 days to receive input and feedback
regarding the process and any barriers. Hands-on coaching will be
provided through KEFSHA social workers, directly to the women,
during the first 12 months to make sure the launch and all processes
are successful, their SME is working properly while addressing any
other concerns.
14. KEFSHA will measure benchmarks 30, 60, 90, and 120 days and
continue based on performance markers met for the first 12 months
to provide additional performance distributions. Follow-ups will
continue after 12 months to facilitate the launch of new SME’s and
review needs and money management, to check on the progress of
the women, and to receive additional feedback about the process and
potential needed changes to the format and process.

Content
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Will specific information be
shared?
Information will be shared with the women about what the purpose of the
micro-grant is and what it is not; that it is for the purpose of launching an
SME and not to be used for personal expenses. They must understand the
profits will be reallocated based on their group decision. They must agree to
restrict access to their husbands. Basic training materials will be given in
written format via email on how to do basic numerical calculations, basic
bookkeeping and how to manage cash flow. Leadership skills and basic
business management will also be taught.
Written instructions will be sent on how the funds are to be used and
managed, how profits are reallocated to fund social issues and potential new
SME’s.
The women will also receive written encouragement supporting their SME,
potential new ideas on how to grow the business, and inspiring stories of
other women in Kenya who are in business that encourage, inspire, and
build women up.

Cadence*
How often will the Capstone
Project be administered?
The micro-grant program will start with five to ten groups of five women
chosen by a trusted partner. These women should have already received
training, and coaching from KEFSHA or another trusted partner, and
coaching help with small business selection. The start to end time of
training, vetting, approval from funder, and launching the SME is roughly 6
months. Once the initial disbursement of the grant is provided and the SME
launched, the group will be monitored for performance markers. Once
benchmarks of 100% of first disbursement is received back in gross sales
revenue, the women qualify to receive additional disbursements. An
example is if $100 is given in the initial round, and sales are made for $100,
the women qualify for an additional grant disbursement of $100 or more
until they reach the maximum grant approval amount. It is projected that
five to ten more groups will be added every 12 months, depending upon
how quickly women can be trained, determine the best SME for their group,
and receive approval. If the women who have started SMEs are reporting
positive cash flow after 12 months and managing their funds well,
consideration will be made to help that group launch another SME through
the issuance of an additional grants, as well as receive performance
distributions throughout the first wave of payouts All funding is contingent
on private funding contributions which have currently been authorized at
$25,000 to start.

Incentives*
What tangible and/or
intangible rewards will
people get for
participating?
Women will have the opportunity to receive a free cash grant for their
participation in the program, along with the coaching and training to launch
an SME that will continue to provide funds for their needs and the needs of
their families. There will be no loans, no collateral, no signature needed
from their spouse, no interest due, and the profits will be kept within their
group to be used at their discretion. Financial freedom and empowerment,
and a rise in community status, will provide incentives for the women to
maintain their SME. The benefits of financial capability will hopefully build
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confidence and a fresh outlook on life. To go from poverty to running a
small business is rewarding. The women must pay-it-forward to another
group through financial contribution.

Technology*
What technologies might it
employ? How will they be
used?
No formal technology will be used, apart from communication through
cellphones and email; via Gmail, What’s App, and Messenger. The solution
is for the extremely poor who many times do not have access to
smartphones, computers, or regular internet usage. KEFSHA social workers,
and other trusted partners, who work directly in the field with these women,
and have already trained them in basic business, bookkeeping, and
leadership skills. If cellular phones are available, it is also possible that
funds could be wired directly from KEFSHA to the table banking leader’s
M-Pesa account and accessed from their phone; or kept in group lockbox.
These women must finish all training, all written agreements, and all
protocols prior to receiving their first disbursement of funds. (M-Pesa is a
prepaid banking system in Kenya that allows users to buy and sell goods
and transfer and receive money directly to and from their flip phones.)
Processes*
What processes might it
employ? How will the
process be used?
Processes will involve qualifying the women through a trusted partner, such
as KEFSHA or Oasis, with an application and interview process, done
through direct connection, email and phone connections, to process to
determine if the women’s group is a good fit for the grant program. These
women, aged 18-65, living in rural areas, lacking access to financial
services, and are most likely illiterate, will receive basic training through the
trusted partners in basic banking and business skills. Trusted partners will
recommend groups for approval. Special consideration will be made for the
groups already familiar with table-banking, merry-go-round banking, social
insurance funds, benevolence funds, and basic bookkeeping, and are
completely trained, chosen an SME, and are ready to be funded. All women
will need to complete the interview process through the trusted partner,
along with the application process outlining the performance-based
distribution of the grant funds, agree to all training and coaching processes,
sign the written agreements, and continue with the trusted partner for
follow-up business protocols and processes. The women must complete all
components as well as understand basic math and numerical literacy. They
must also complete some form of psychology awareness about social norms,
cycles of abuse, and learning boundaries. These should have been provided
through the trusted partner. The training, the loan, the profit allocations will
all be written out and agreed to by the women in advance of receiving the
grant monies. KEFSHA social workers, and other trusted partners, will
provide the follow up with the women and report on all performance
benchmarks and business sales information.

An SME needs to be chosen and agreed upon by the women’s group. Once
the components of the business are identified and appear reasonable and
feasible the first release of disbursement of funds will be issued. The funds
will be sent from the private funder to a non-profit trusted partner and then
given directly to the leader of the women’s group. The application will be
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completed in person with KEFSHA social workers, direct with other trusted
partners, and or via phone interviews and emails. All information about
qualifying women will be sent to me directly from the trusted partner.
Follow-up with the women’s groups will be provided through the trusted
partners and then consistently the first 30 days and intermittently for the
next several months, and then reviewed and audited after 12 months.
Performance distributions require that the women’s groups check-in with
KEFSHA social workers and or other in country trusted partners. All
agreements will be discussed and signed via a trusted partner in Kenya,
most likely KEFSHA, who will also administer additional aspects of the
approval process, reporting all information directly to me in email. Regular
contact will be made via phone and email with trusted partners to follow up
with processes and needs during the phases of approval and launch.

Mindsets /Culture
What mindsets/culture will
you integrate or activate?
The program will be helping overcome a cultural mindset that women are
not capable of receiving free money, managing, and budgeting it on their
own, making decisions regarding financial management, ultimately
launching an SME which makes them an equal income earner as their
husband. The current systems provide loans, which is not as empowering as
a grant, since it creates a debt cycle. The grants are more enabling and
provide a faster and stronger rise in position in their status in the
community, which provides a sense of dignity and well-being. This will put
money in their hands, where it was previously kept from them, or taken
from their husbands. This opportunity will empower women with
confidence that they can overcome their conditions and build a better life for
themselves and their families.

The hope is to inspire women to have a voice and stand up against domestic
violence and oppressive and restrictive social norms. Women must learn to
handle their own funds and refuse to give them to their husbands
collectively. I believe that if women learn to partner in community through
table-banking and SME’s they will be able to lead more fulfilling and
financially productive lives. My interviews revealed that women’s husbands
would not allow them to have funds to meet basic necessities. My hope is
that through this program, they will be able to build an SME, understand
cash flow, and build savings to support themselves, their families, and other
women. They must learn self-esteem, confidence, and financial capability,
which creates equality in their community. They will be challenged to see
themselves as an equal member of society, worthy of contributing
financially to their own family, group of women, and community. Long-
term I hope these women gain the respect and position of honor and equality
alongside their husbands and other men in their community.
Delivery
system/method
Where/how will the
Capstone Project be
delivered to its recipients?
The micro-grants will be delivered through a leader from one of the many
trusted partners or leaders, such as KEFSHA, Oasis, Rainbow, or HIM, that
are in Kenya and that I am aligning and partnering with. They will be
involved in the disbursement of the initial grant and subsequent
performance distributions and continue to train and work with the women to
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understand the processes of table banking, and how to run and develop a
business. These partners will help coach and train the women in business
and literacy skills and help them launch their SME that they have selected.
The first launch will be done in 2021-2022. The approval process, basic
training, and application process will be done from a trusted partner, such as
KEFSH, in the field, and reported to me via telephone and email.
Delivery channels (For
Scale)
What delivery systems or
channels will you use to
scale your idea?
I am currently working with trusted partners, non-profits, NGO’s, relief
groups, and private leaders who are all either based in or working in Kenya.
They have large teams of people and multiple connections in Kenya, and
other countries, who will help me diffuse and scale. I have multiple
channels I will be launching the programs through: KEFSHA, Global
Outreach, Africa Initiative, HIM, CRANE, Giving University, Rainbow,
Oasis, and potentially others.
Measurement/metrics
How will we know the
Capstone Project is
working? How will success
be assessed/measure?
(Specific metrics). Will any
particular assessments be
used? Over what time
frame?
The grant will be paid out on a performance-based distribution. An example
is if the grant being awarded is $500, the initial payout could be $100. After
initial sales come in for $100 there will be another $100 performance
distribution paid out. After another $200 of sales comes in another $200
performance distribution will be paid out, until the maximum of $500 is
paid out. Once sales reach $500 after the final grant funds have been paid
out, the SME will be deemed successful. This should be accomplished
within the first 6-12 months. The initial $500 award, replenished by $500 in
revenue shows that the SME is sustainable, Success will also be measured
by the grant funds are being managed well among the women. If the
women are running the SME well, it will continue to thrive after the 12-
month benchmark. The women should be working consistently and be
unified in how funds are managed and set aside for personal needs and
social venture funds. Success will only be proven if the SME is sustained
after 12 months of operation. There must be positive cash flow over the
initial grant funds, with a portion of the profits to be set aside for social
venture funds, education for children, benevolence, and another business
launches. Positive metrics include an additional SME being launched after
the 12-month benchmark.

The women must also report to KEFSHA social workers, or other trusted
partners in the field, that they feel capable and confident to manage their
funds and can continue to do so successfully without the interference of
men. The women must report that they feel confident to continue to increase
sales, the size of their SME, or launch another SME and sustain it for 12
months or longer. The women must report that they understand cash flow
and are collectively managing their profits within their group, without
outside interference. Men must not have access to the funds during this time
and after the 12-month period. The women must have 100% ownership of
the SME’s, the funds must be maintained internally by the women’s group
alone, along with the profits, and all elements of the decisions being made
regarding profit allocations must be made by the women.
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Cost drivers
What elements will be most
likely to drive the cost of
developing or delivering
your Capstone Project?
Cost drivers include the costs of paying a small fee to the trusted partners
who are experts in working with the women in Kenya and have already built
relationships with and trained a majority of them, transferring funds,
converting the currency, any additional training that is needed for the
women in business, leadership, and bookkeeping skills, airfare for myself
and any leaders or trusted partners who are going onsite to visit or work
with the women, the material costs and set-up and launch of the SME’s.
Contingency costs include potential add-ons for grants awarded that need
additional unexpected capital to launch an SME due to unforeseen
circumstances. An example of this is the costs of chickens increasing, if an
SME includes the purchase of chickens.

Other costs associated are the cost of raising the funds through personal
relationships, my time to meet with people, meeting with the private
funders, time to do research and evaluate the SME ideas for viability and
sustainability, time to meet with trusted partners and leaders who will be
traveling in country to regularly meet with the women and other costs to pay
for training, social workers, follow through coaching and oversight, experts
and or consultants who may be hired to implement specific projects such as
water or hydroponics.
Resources
What resources do you
need to develop this idea?
Not just money but what
other ingredients are
needed to make this work?
Private funds are needed to fund the grants. Private funders are chosen due
to the tedious process of working with other funders who may be slow to
provide the monies and often require restrictive approval processes. I have
already identified three sources of private capital interested in funding these
grants. Social capital is also critical for the successful implementation of the
micro-grant program. Social capital includes the trusted leaders, partners,
and non-profit volunteers that will facilitate the training and launching of
the SMEs with the women. Feedback from the women is vital in
understanding what works and does not work in their community, how
much money they need to start the business, who will be involved, and how
they will manage the funds, and how to interrupt and break the social norms.
Other social capital includes the women receiving the grants.
Resources include identifying and locating items needed for the SME’s that
will be launched; this includes materials for building, seeds for planting,
animals for farming, fabric for sewing, and other tangible items. These
materials needed to launch the SME will be identified and located by the
women’s groups and KEFSHA, as well as other trusted partners, who have
already identified the SME and materials needed.
Buy-in from the community is important. The interaction and acceptance
from their community members is valuable so that the businesses are not
sabotaged, and the women do not receive negative sanctions due to jealousy
from others. Training in psychological and cognitive abilities is another
component to aid women in understanding how they can gain their voice
and stand up for themselves in an abusive relationship or give them the
courage to start a new life away from their abuser. Training in confidence,
boldness and self-esteem is needed. Since the program will target women
152
who are already working with KEFSHA and other trusted partners and have
been trained, or willing to be trained in business skills and cognitive
abilities, they will be ready and willing to manage their funds in the table
banking group that they have set up, with the understanding that they must
control and manage the funds amongst themselves.
With the recommendation of CRANE President Josh Kyallo, to make it
most successful, leaders will be sought after in the communities to
encourage the women’s groups and encourage other men to support their
efforts; and to attend meetings. According to my interview with Kenyan
born Kyallo, this has been successful in helping the women feel support and
confidence to move forward with their group. The program seeks to work
with women who have learned some ability to stand up to their spouses and
the importance of restricting access to their funds from the men in the
community. Women who are at risk for abuse must go through special
training with KEFSHA social workers until they are approved and deemed
ready and safe to manage the funds without the anticipation of harm.
Other
Anything else that should
be known about your
concept?
Multiple interviews with men and women in Kenya, as well as multiple
people who travel to Kenya regularly share the same concerns, that women
need job opportunities. The women leaders of women’s groups that were
interviewed already had ideas of what they wanted to do for an SME, but
they need funds to launch. This reveals that they have been thinking about it
for some time and are ready to move forward. According to the interviews
and research, table-banking and merry-go-round systems seem to have the
best success rates in causing collaboration and fund control among women
with finances.
Design Justifications
Micro-grants are the best solution to launch SMEs in Kenya. According to Ellis et al., (2007)
women in Kenya own two-thirds of the SMEs, live in rural areas, but earn more than twice the
average minimum wage of agricultural workers. The medium sized enterprises make up 20% of
the country’s GDP (Ellis et al., 2007). Women are also twice as likely to run an SME from
home since they have chores and responsibilities to their families (Ellis et al., 2007). These
grants will be given to women who can work on their own terms and in the regions where they
reside, not needing transportation to get to and from a traditional job.

The design of the micro-grant to launch an SME is based on the existing research and
interviews regarding micro-loans, micro-credit, table-banking, and merry-go-round platforms
currently operating in Kenya and Africa as a whole. The studies and feedback reveal that there
are multiple factors that have prohibited many women from achieving financial equity and
capability. These include the inability to qualify for financial loans or credit lines (Wawire &
Nafukho, 2010), lack of access to banking and financial services, the fear of losing personal
property due to default on a loan, not having a spouse that will sign for the loans, lack of
collateral to secure the loan (Kithae et al., 2013), lack of understanding of how a loan works,
and the high interest rates associate with repayment (Bruton et al., 2011). Micro-grants will
eliminate these undue burdens.

153
Micro-loans are hard to justify for many women living in impoverished regions in Kenya. Some
micro-loans are only given for specific agricultural projects and many times the women are too
poor to qualify for the loans (Drolet, 2011). Borrowers from other programs complained of lack
of qualifying, unfair loan terms, high fees, too short of a repayment period, and harsh
prosecution if loans were not paid back quickly (Wawire & Nafukho, 2010). It is reported that
less than one percent of the poor living in rural areas have access to financial services and
banking (Mashigo, 2006). Some microlenders are not registered and are exploiting these
extremely poor, charging high interest, seizing properties that were put up for collateral, and
acting outside of the lending regulations (Mashigo, 2006). Regardless of the lender, debt spirals
are on the rise and are created when the poor are loaned more than they can afford to pay back,
and the high interest rates that are charged (Mashigo, 2006). Micro-grants eliminate debt-
spirals.

Loans support survival mentality. Some entrepreneurs are survivalists and living from one
financial crisis to another; they only qualify for a small loan which will not give them enough
business to provide growth to sustain their livelihoods (Berner, Gomez, & Knorringa, 2012).
This eliminates any possibility of having funds to reinvest in their business or launch another
business, and they are repaying a loan at a high interest rate, trying to survive (Berner et al.,
2012). Some loans, such as those from savings and credit co-operative societies, known as
SACCO’s, have a forced savings of 25-50% of the requested loan amount (Ishengoma & Towo,
2016). My research and interviews show that these women cannot afford these collateral
requirements. Problems with these loans also include lack of consistency with bank policies
procedures and shifting regulations that are corrupt and exploit the poor (Ishengoma & Towo,
2016). Micro-grants do not exploit the poor.

With merry-go-round systems, there is a measure of restriction and control due to the buy-in
period, waiting, and timing of the loan disbursements. Many of the groups are closed to new
members and therefore restrict new businesses from starting because there are only enough
funds to provide a loan to one woman per six to twelve-month period (Drolet, 2011). The wait
for these women is too long to obtain financial gain. Micro-grants will allow women to launch
an SME immediately and grow the business on their own terms, while deciding how to manage
and distribute the profits.

Savings clubs and merry-go-rounds are not the best solution. Studies of similar table-banking
groups, or savings clubs known as gam’iyyaat in Egpyt, reveal that women struggle to qualify
for loans and are afraid to report any extracurricular banking to their spouse for fear that their
husband will become lazier and reduce their contributions to household expenses (Drolet,
2011). Savings clubs benefits include no fees, no interest charges, mutual trust, building of
social capital, high repayment rates of internal loans to members, and financial sustainability
(Drolet, 2011). Micro-grants will eliminate the buy-in period, and provide a combination of
shared trust, freedom from financial restrictions from their husbands, and the ability to learn
financial capacity as a group in a safe environment, with the ability to launch an SME
immediately.

Women must be funded as a group. Research shows that banking systems work best within a
tight group of women who manage and control the funds, offering equity and access equally
154
and based on a system that has been agreed upon by all members of the club (Drolet, 2011).
Research shows that when the interest earned within their account is loaned out to other
members outside of the group it creates division and is perceived as preferential treatment
(Drolet, 2011). When the managed funds or savings were loaned out within the group of
women, the repayment was high and consistent (Drolet, 2011). Micro-grants paid to a group
will provide the space for women to have a voice, fight for their business, and empower one
another with financial capacity.

The grant will require the funds to be maintained and kept within a group of women who all
have a vested interest in the successfulness of the business they choose. They will be able to
allocate the portions of profits to the social ventures or new business start-ups that will all be
paid back to them. They will control the funds and restrict access from their husbands. This
method is safer for women than trying to withhold funds independently from their husbands.
Based on my interviews, withholding funds collectively as a group is the best solution and
creates the most impact for the women in the community. They are less afraid to say no to their
husband when the funds are controlled by the community of women.

Merry-go-round systems work but are not the answer. Women who do not qualify for expensive
Rotating Savings and Credit Association (ROSCA) programs, but want a merry-go-round
system, can create a mutual guaranteed system, which works well with women in Kenya,
reducing the fear of risk of working with traditional micro-loans (Kithae, et al., 2013). These
women understand the need for funds within a safe group that is managed and controlled away
from men in their community (Drolet, 2011). Micro-grants will provide the foundation needed
but with the instant capital to launch an SME.

My interviews revealed multiple options for SME choices which were confirmed by research.
Wawire and Nafukho (2010) show success with multiple small business options for women
include: farming, aquaponics, hydroponics, milling maize, processing honey, selling livestock,
women’s hair styling, tailoring, beading, daycare centers, handcrafts, pottery, and selling water.
Interviews confirmed that these are viable business opportunities but small grants in the amount
of $1,000 to $5,000 are needed to train the women, buy the materials and supplies, implement
the business, and launch in their communities.

Micro-grants will aid in the elimination of cycles of debt. With 1.5 billion people living on less
than $1.25 per day and another billion living on under $2.50 per day, experts agree that the poor
have a difficult time accumulating savings, and many become trapped in cycles of debt due to
loans (Khavul & Bruton, 2012). Business solutions aimed at helping women overcome poverty
must be based on their local abilities, skills, needs, wants, and ecosystems or they will not be
sustainable (Khavul & Bruton, 2012). The micro-grant program will focus on launching SMEs
within the women’s community and region, one that they choose to run and sustain.

SME’s do not require formal education and can be run by women who desire to learn. Wawire
and Nafukho (2010) report that 60% of women in Kenya are illiterate and most of the poor are
women; they also report that 80% of labor in Kenya is provided by women who only have
access to 10% of the resources. KEFSHA, CRANE, Rainbow, Africa Coalition, HIM, and other
agencies have been working with women to provide basic education, business, and leadership
155
training. These trusted partners employ women who are literate and understand table banking
and SME’s. Should they be selected by the trusted partner to receive a grant, they will have
already proven they have a basic education foundation.

Pooling human resources together increases productivity, builds financial capacity, and
generates more income than women who do not band together (Wawire & Nafukho, 2010).
During my interview, Dr. Mark Kuckalow, expert with UNICEF, shared about women in Africa
who must be given equity to overcome poverty, not just equality. He explained that gender
equality was not enough, they must be provided with financial equity so that they could keep up
with the men and overcome poverty. This is less likely to happen through a loan due to the
requirements and debt burden. Dr. Kuckalow explained that the cash grant system UNICEF
administered is working with high levels of effectiveness and confirmed that micro-grants
targeting the extremely poor women in Africa would provide much needed equity and
opportunity. Dr. Kuckalow confirmed that micro-grants were a better solution than micro-loans.

Micro-loans have hurt many of the poor, but the research shows they have also helped. Studies
show that women in Kenya benefited from traditional micro-loans which has been proven to
reduce poverty and increase equality by providing empowerment regardless of net-worth and
education (Grigsby et al., 2015). Women who received these micro-loans were able to start
small businesses and reported higher incomes, greater autonomy, improved health, and well-
being, increased financial empowerment to provide education for their children and an
improved status within their community (Grigsby et al., 2015); it also contributed to the
community’s overall economic development. These micro-grants will be better by elimination
the high interest and fear factor of micro-loans.

Access and approval will not be based on current micro-loan standards. Thirty-eight percent of
entrepreneurs in Kenya are women, 48% of micro & small enterprises (MSE’s) in Kenya are
owned by women, and most are unable to raise the funds needed to qualify for a loan and lack
access to credit to sustain their business (Gichuki et al., 2015). Experts say that women need
available, affordable, accessible low interest rate programs (Sacerdoti, 2005). Micro-grants will
be accessible to the unqualified and vulnerable populations.

Loans are not a viable solution for many women in rural parts of Kenya. Some micro-loan
programs only loan larger amounts of debt for longer periods of time and are not accessible to
most women entrepreneurs (Abor & Biekpe, 2009). Lower interest rate programs reported
higher performance rates and were maintained for longer periods of time, allowing higher profit
margins for women who need emergency funds for their families (Gichuki et al., 2015), but
many women in Kenya need multiple loans to launch an SME and make ends meet (Mashigo,
2006). Financial capital helps women farmers and entrepreneurs to increase output, which gives
them more control over their lives, enhances their dignity and provides greater self-esteem
(Akudugu, 2011). Micro-grants will allow for higher profit margins, eliminate the need to
qualify for multiple loans to launch an SME and allow them to focus on output, not debt
repayment.

There are major problems with micro-lending. As of 2008 there were $17 billion in outstanding
micro-loans, with Grameen Bank charging 22% interest per year and many other institutions
156
charging almost 100% interest per annum (Bruton et al., 2011). Due to illiteracy and confusing
loan verbiage, many women borrowers do not understand repayment demands, and how high
the interest rate is; they also fear defaulting on their loans and will pull their children out of
school to help them work to ensure timely repayment (Bruton et al., 2011). Some regions
require women to take multiple loans so they can manage their cash-flow (Mehta, Semali, &
Maretzki, 2011). Corruption runs rampant with micro-loans, with many unregistered lenders in
operation who seize bank accounts, PIN cards, and property illegally until debts are paid back
(Mashigo, 2006). Micro-grants will eliminate these burdens.

Only 25% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa owns a bank account, however 78% of
women micro-entrepreneurs in Kenya had their own account (Gichuki & Mulu-Mutuku, 2017).
Research shows that women who participate in table-banking methods have a greater likelihood
to adopt mobile banking and become more literate in other areas of financial services; this also
contributes to improved financial capability and overall economic development which benefits
the region on a larger scale (Gichuki & Mulu-Mutuku, 2017). Experts say that small businesses
are the pillars of poverty reduction in some areas of Africa (Abebe et al., 2018). Micro-grants
are part of a larger financial solution to women in Kenya becoming financially literate and
overcoming poverty.

Women need to stand up, have a voice, and an opportunity to stand up to the restrictive and
abusive social norms that reduce their ability to gain financial capability and freedom. Benabou
& Tirole (2006) explain how a positive outlook is necessary for women to overcome poverty,
by helping them believe that they can be an entrepreneur and gain hope for a better future. A
micro-grant provides hope and opportunity, without high loan costs and the hurdles of
traditional micro-loans. The micro-grant will eliminate the need to qualify for a loan based on
income, collateral, spousal signature, ability to repay the loan and high interest rates. It will
eliminate micro-loan debt-spirals. The grant will allow women to launch small business
enterprises and use the profits to expand their business, better their home conditions, provide for
health care costs, build benevolence and emergency funds, educate their children, and launch
other SME’s. The system will be controlled by women, for women, and away from men’s
interference and control. Micro-grants are a solution to build financial capability for women in
Kenya and help them break down the social norms that contribute to their financial challenges.

Saleem (2012) says 500 million people live in poverty and would benefit from a micro-loan but
only 1/3
rd
of the world has access to financial services; a majority of those who lack bank access
live in sub-Saharan Africa and are women. Women need micro-grants versus micro-loans for
multiple reasons: debt spiraling over time (Mashigo, 2006), high interest rates (Wawire &
Nafukho, 2010), inability to qualify, inability to save for collateral (Bruton et al., 2011),
needing spousal signature (Kithae et al., 2013), lack of access to banks and financial providers
(Drolet, 2011; Microfinance in Kenya, 2020; Sacerdoti, 2005).

A social insurance/benevolence fund will be a requirement for women who qualify for the
grants. This will require a portion of all profits made from the businesses be set aside for
women’s needs, including emergencies, education for children, additional training, health care
visits, and new start-up business ideas. The grants will range from $150-$2,000 and must be
used to launch a small business.
157

Feedback from interviews show that women consistently choose water delivery,
agriculture/hydroponics, selling poultry, eggs, and other food items, tailoring, and launching
small schools as business solutions. Other SME solutions include honey processing, milling
maize, milk processing, hair styling, beading, handcrafts, and pottery (Wawire & Nafuko,
2010).
Many do not have access to micro-loans and those who do have access are not authorized
without their husband’s signature. Many women fear losing everything by signing for a loan.
Some women do not have access to micro-loans at all due to their location.

When interviewed, Dr. Kuckalow, expert with UNICEF, said that research proves cash grants
work to keep girls in school and help women provide ongoing food and education for their
children. Village Savings & Loans (2020) programs report that women who have access to
micro-loans start businesses and build financial capability, aid their family, educate their
children, create community savings and benevolence funds, learn trade skills, and grow in
confidence. The micro-grants will be the bridge to women who will not be able to get a micro-
loan but need a way out of poverty.

This concept will be started in 4-5 small rural communities and scale up as leadership,
bookkeeping, and business skills are taught, implemented, and adopted in communities. Teams
will deploy to grow the concept in grassroots efforts through existing channels of leadership
who are currently living in and or working in Kenya and have existing relationships with
women.

Research shows that small businesses reduce poverty (Abebe et al., 2018). Microfinance has
been seen to be successful in building financial capability (Akudugu, 2011), reduce poverty and
provide empowerment to women (Grigsby et al., 2015).

158
Appendix J: Stakeholder Map
Indirect Stakeholders – personally care about creating financial equality for MWK, are
volunteering, training, participating in curriculum, or indirectly benefit from changes; all have
contributed to the design of the program and or provided feedback for the program design and
components.
Direct Stakeholders - personally benefit from the creation of financial equality for MWK, are
benefiting from volunteers, training, curriculum, and changes.
Core Target Group & Alliances - involved in creating the benefits of financial equality for
MWK, interfacing with leaders, volunteers and those benefiting, creating, reviewing, and
augmenting training curriculum, financial protocol, and interfacing between all parties to
facilitate the successful implementation of innovation. Providing feedback for iterations of the
prototype and adjusting the design as needed. Helping launch test-pilots for design.
*Information and names have been redacted for privacy.
159
Appendix K: Definitions of Terms

*These definitions are to provide clarity as used regarding the Capstone Paper and Nafasi Sawa.
• Financial Capability (FCap) – “is the combination of attitude, knowledge, skills, and self-
efficacy needed to make and exercise money management decisions that best fit the
circumstances of one's life, within an enabling environment that includes, but is not limited
to, access to appropriate financial services,” (Center for Financial Inclusion, 2021).
• Financial Equality (FEq) – equal access to the same financial products and services,
regardless of ability to qualify.
• Financial Inclusion (FIn) - having access to useful and affordable financial products and
services that meet needs – transactions, payments, savings, credit– delivered in a responsible
and sustainable way (World Bank, 2020).
• Grants – funds that are given freely without costs, interest charges, or repayment.
• Marginalized Women in Kenya (MWK) – women who live in Kenya, often in rural areas,
who lack access to services such as educational, training, financial, transportation, and or
equality in one or a combination of these areas.
• Micro-loan (ML) – a loan requiring a repayment to the lender, usually with high rates of
fees and interest, usually requiring pay back starting within 30 days of issuance.
• Pay-it-forward – taking a portion of profits from the launch of a SME to use as seed funds
to help launch a new women’s group who will then be able to launch a SME and create
income.
• Self-efficacy (SEff) - Albert Bandura defined self-efficacy as one’s beliefs in their
capabilities to maintain control over their own functioning and incidents that affect their
160
lives. One's sense of self-efficacy can provide the foundation for motivation, well-being, and
personal accomplishment. Belief in one’s self-efficacy is developed by four main sources of
influence that include personal and other experiences, social persuasion, and emotional
states. Having levels of high self-efficacy has been linked with benefits to daily life, such as
resilience to adversity and stress, good habits, improved job performance, and educational
achievement (Lopez–Garrido, 2020).
• Small micro-enterprise (SME) – According to Investopedia (2021),” the term
microenterprise, also known as a microbusiness, refers to a small business that employs a
few people. A microenterprise usually operates with fewer than 10 people and is started
with a small amount of capital advanced from a bank or other organization. Most
microenterprises specialize in providing goods or services for their local areas.”
• Table-banking (TB) - According to Inter Press Service News Agency (Gathigah, 2018),
“Table banking is a group saving strategy in which members place their savings, loan
repayments and other contributions (within a box and manage funds collectively). They can
also borrow funds immediately. Table banking groups are growing in popularity across
Africa, and can be found in Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Niger,
Nigeria and Sierra Leone.”
• Table-banking Group (TBG) – A group of women who will be selected to work as a
group, collectively manage funds within their restricted group, with funds kept in a lockbox
and two keys given to leaders of the group and launch an SME.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract There are roughly 50% of the female population in Kenya who lack access to financial services, education, and many struggle with illiteracy. Opportunities to create sustainable income are needed to help women in Kenya mitigate poverty. Nafasi-Sawa, or Equal Opportunity, is a micro-grant program to create sustainable income through small micro-enterprise in an innovative fashion. Collaboration with stakeholders is important to implement and aid in adoption of this protocol and allow for organic adoption, diffusion, and sustainment.

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Building futures

Asset Metadata

Creator Egan, Dawn (author)

Core Title Building financial capability through small micro-enterprise

School Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

Degree Doctor of Social Work

Degree Program Social Work

Degree Conferral Date 2021-08

Publication Date 08/20/2021

Defense Date 07/29/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag financial capability,jobs,Kenya,micro-grant,micro-loan,OAI-PMH Harvest,Opportunity,small micro-enterprise,Women

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Smith Maddox, Renee (committee chair)

Creator Email Dawnegan@gmail.com,dtegan@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC15909360

Unique identifier UC15909360

Legacy Identifier etd-EganDawn-10042

Document Type Capstone project

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Egan, Dawn

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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