Nine women groups in Bungoma County will have a chance to transform their lives economically after qualifying to get funding from the affirmative action fund under the office of Bungoma County women representative Dr. Reginalda Wanyonyi.
Speaking at various locations in Tongaren Sub County after awarding the fund cheques to different groups, Dr. Reginalda said the groups were selected and underwent a rigorous training on entrepreneurship saying they are now ripe to be given the money to start up development projects to boost their existing ones.
She disclosed that the affirmative action fund is meant to empower the women groups in the society to ensure they are independent and self sustainable saying as their representative, she is working round the clock to ensure they kick out poverty in the society.
Some of the groups which benefited from the revolving fund include ‘Ndalu Widows’, ‘Umoja Millers’ and ‘Maliki Widows’.
She called upon them to work hard to ensure they repay the fund on time so as to have other groups that had applied to benefit in future.
She further took the opportunity to sensitize the groups on gender based violence saying the incidences have been on the rise in the society and called upon stakeholders to tackle the issues in accordance with the law and even work on modalities of curbing them in future.
“There have been also incidences of early pregnancies especially in schools which have led to some of the affected students dropping out of school,” she said.
“I call upon teachers and other stakeholders to ensure after giving birth the students are re admitted back to school to complete their education,” Dr. Reginalda added.
She further disclosed that a total of 491 children benefited from the bursary kitty under the affirmative action fund and in the next disbarment they are hoping to have more students benefit from the fund.
On their part members of the society called upon the government to establish more funds in the society that will be able to uplift their lives.
They said with the inception of the devolution government they have been able to feel more projects at the grass root level but said more needs to be done.
