The Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) has embarked on a Sh10.3 million laptop project aimed at improving loan uptake and payment database.
The project will see all officers based in all the 290 constituencies across the country issued with HP laptops to ease their work.
The Fund’s CEO Eng Charles Mwirigi and Board member Elizabeth Mayieka said the ICT initiative will improve flow of information between branch offices and head office.
Mwirigi said the initiative is part of wider scheme to increase loan uptake among women.
“We are focusing to decentralise our database to enable the locals to access any information as soon as possible,” he said.
Mwirigi said WEF is moving out of paper work and embracing technology that will ease duration of approving loan to beneficiaries.
He spoke in Kisumu town on Monday during training and handing over of laptops to 48 officers from Nyanza and parts of Rift valley. The CEO also gave out Sh2.9 million and Sh3.8 million cheques to various women groups in Muhoroni and Awendo sub counties respectively.
Mwirigi noted improvement on loan uptake and payment and urged women not to shy away from applying for loans from the Fund.
He said more than Sh7billion has been disbursed to women to start income generating activities, since the fund was established eight years ago. He said the fund is revolving the cumulative amount advanced as loans is more than what fund has received from Treasury.
Mayieka said the loans are interest-free urging women to take loans to create wealth for themselves and their families.
“It is encouraging that negative attitude on loans uptake especially in Nyanza has changed. Women should take more loans and avoid fear their assets might be auctioned if they fail to repay the loans,” he said.
She also called on women to form Saccos to boost their financial capacity help to alleviate poverty.
Mayieka said Saccos will help them move from micro to small and medium sized enterprises.