BIG-UPS FOR ROSEWO

Women NGO stirs up development in Rongai

By Eric Sindabi/Editor

It is always said that to empower a woman is like empowering the whole soceity.This is exactly what seem to be a guiding principle of the Rongai Social and Economic Women Organization(ROSEWO)an NGO that co-ordinates social and economic activities of women groups in Rongai District.

According to the Executive Director and founder member of the organization, Mrs.Jenniffer Kigen, the NGO has over 300 registered women groups as members that benefit from its activities. Formed two years ago,ROSEWO currently has a revolving fund of 16million Kenya shillings. The director said that the objectives of the NGO were to elevate the living standards of local women by creating more awareness on women financial and social empowerment, through women self-help groups.

“Our mission is to mobilize social response to problems in society through our activities that target the female members of Rongai region” She said

ROSEWO,the director said,undertakes;Table Banking,Community based training and Research programmes activities that aims at elevating the living standards of the local women.

During a recent function organized by the group, Mrs. .Kigen urged the government through the local District Commissioners office and other stakeholders to support the vision and mission of the organization as it was aimed at stirring up development generally in the region. She noted that historically and in general women were the most vulnerable members of society, despite the fact that they contribute greatly to social values like child bearing and rearing. She hinted that it was high time society addressed the plight of women.

The organization has over 300 trained field officers who ensures its programmes are implemented, by carrying out assessment of women groups development projects, registration of new women groups, evaluation and research .

The director said that ROSEWO works closely with the district government department in its activities.These include,departments of Social services and Gender,Agriculture,Public Health among others,especially in training ,registration and finances.

She said that pilot project in Table Banking allow women groups to to save money on a daily basis within their group and with ROSEWO.The women groups are adviced on how or where to borrow loans to boast their development projects and how to manage the funds and the projects.We register our members to qualify for loans through:The National Women Enterprise Fund,The Constituency Development Fund,Ministry of Agriculture Micro-finance and Grands,The National Fund for the Disabled of Kenya and in banks “she pointed out and added that the initiatives were meant to empower women financially for them to be able to generate income that goes towards improving their own lives and those of their families.

The NGO also through the training programmes assisted by local and external stakeholders train women in areas like; poverty eradication and food security, Small scale farming,HIV and AIDS control,and Immerging Technologies.

Through external research, Mrs.Kigen said that the NGO founds out what other women gropus and NGO’S do in the aim of elevating the living standards of women.

During a luncheon that was organized by ROSEWO at its offices at Kampi ya Moto in honor of the new District Commissioner Mr.Joseph Motari that was attended by the area MP, speakers including the MP Luka Kigen overwhelmingly appreciated the NGO’s initiatives saying that they had helped stir up development and improved livelihoods in the region. The MP pledged to organize a funds drive that would be attended by national leaders in aid of the local women groups under the umbrella of Rosewo.