Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) has partnered with Rose Women’s Foundation to run an income-generating & capacity-building programme for women in Kenya’s low-income settlements.
Under the first cohort of the partnership, the Bank has set aside Kshs.2.5 million to take 50 women from the Eastleigh area of Nairobi on a training programme on how to run micro-enterprises. The programme also involves coaching and mentorship over a 6-month period aimed at empowering the women to grow their businesses and boost their income levels.
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The women are currently running various cottage industries, including dukas, tailoring & sale of clothing, hawking of fruits & vegetables, and catering services.
Speaking at the announcement of the capacity-building programme, DTB Group CEO and Managing Director Nasim Devji said: “We are cognizant of the myriad of challenges micro, small and medium enterprises face, especially in the current economic circumstances. As a responsible Corporate Citizen, DTB has committed to supporting women in all areas of life, and that is why we are excited to support these 50 women in Nairobi’s micro-enterprise sector to ensure that their businesses grow and that they and their families prosper.”
“Eighteen DTB women employees will also participate in the programme by being mentors and resource persons for these businesswomen”, added Ms Devji.
Executive Director Allie Amoroso from Rose Women’s Foundation said, “As Rose Women’s Foundation, we are grateful to DTB joining us to alleviate poverty and build self-sustaining micro to small businesses. We support this partnership to uplift women as entrepreneurs and support their families. We look forward to the journey ahead and will play our part to promote economic advancement in Kenya.”
The 6 month training is organised in two levels. The first level will entail an introduction to bookkeeping, sales and marketing, and savings and emergency preparedness. The second level will involve entrepreneurship, customer care, problem-solving and advanced courses to enable the business women to venture into new areas and pitch for funding.
Rose Women’s Foundation’s purpose is aligned with DTBs’ support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 1 and 5 to alleviate poverty through economic and social empowerment of women and girls living in extreme poverty.