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Kenya > Action Now: Kenya (ANK)

Status Update: June 29, 2009

Action Now: Kenya recently sent to Kiva a report of journal updates on businesses, actual payments collected from clients, and a summary of activities for 2008. Kiva has decided that it is important to share these documents with lenders though it cannot verify the truth or accuracy of them.

The documents are below:
Journals
List of Critical Businesses with Updates
2008 Activity Report
Repayments on Kiva Businesses in 2009


Status Update: March 31, 2009

After discovering that Action Now: Kenya (ANK) failed to disburse 31 fully fundraised loans to entrepreneurs, in accordance with Kiva policy, Kiva requested these funds back from ANK so that they could be refunded to contributing Kiva lenders. Funds for these loans were raised on Kiva between November 2007 and December 2008, and the outstanding amount on these loans is $13,062.80.

ANK has explained that the amount cannot be paid back immediately due to current operating and liquidity problems caused, in part, by the post-election violence early last year in Kenya. Following further discussion with ANK's Executive Director and Board of Directors, Kiva and ANK negotiated a Promissory Note for the repayment of these funds plus the remaining repayments due on all other ANK loans on Kiva. ANK signed the Promissory Note for repayment of funds beginning on June 30, 2009 in equal installments of $950.00 through July 2013 and a final payment of $182 in August 2013. Kiva will apply funds received from ANK on a proportional basis to all lenders to ANK businesses.

Status Update, January 27, 2009

During the course of routine partner monitoring, in December 2008 Kiva discovered that Action Now: Kenya (ANK) violated Kiva policies by failing to disburse fully fundraised loans to entrepreneurs. Following this discovery, Kiva paused its partnership with ANK and asked that they provide information on any loans fully fundraised on Kiva that had not been disbursed. ANK's director requested time to check the organization's records and has since reported that 31 Kiva loans were never disbursed to entrepreneurs.

Kiva has requested that Action Now: Kenya wire the balance of funds on these loans back to Kiva so that Kiva can issue refunds to contributing lenders on these loans. Kiva will only be able to issue these refunds when funds have arrived from Action Now: Kenya. Once the funds are received, Kiva staff will also re-evaluate ANK's partnership status.

Original Description

Action Now Kenya is a local Non Governmental Organization formed and registered in 2001. The mission for ANK is to build capacity of street communities and those at risk by developing innovative interventions in Health, Education and Enterprise development, aimed at supporting sustainable livelihoods.

The objectives of ANK are:

1. To facilitate the establishment of Enterprise development activities in the areas of Micro-finance and entrepreneurship training.
2. Facilitating the provision of basic health care through health awareness campaigns, and health support programs.
3. To design educative programs and activities that suit the unique needs of street communities and those at risk.

ANK reaches out to and works with marginalized communities and especially women living within the streets and slums of urban centers. ANK is currently working with various women from different slums in Nairobi, including those from Kibera, Kiambiu, Mukuru, Karen/Karinde slums, and the Dagoretti villages. ANK is also working with selected former street women.

The goal of MED is to reduce the incidence of poverty among street women and those at risk by facilitating the establishment of enterprise development activities in the areas of Micro-finance and entrepreneurship training.

ANK has so far been able to reach out to about 2000 women both from the streets and those living in various slums in Nairobi. Out of these, ANK has facilitated about 150 women to set up revolving fund groups of 10 members each that are all operational, while another 200 women are in the process of setting up their groups. All the members of these groups have been able to individually access small loans in the range of Ksh. 4,000 to Ksh. 10,000. ANK has also managed to disburse loans in the range of Ksh. 10,000 to 50,000 to 8 of the operational groups to enable the groups to meet their credit needs.
The purpose of HIP is to facilitate easier access to basic health care support for street women and those at risk together with their children, through health awareness campaigns and health support programs.

ANK has so far designed and implemented the HIV Awareness Project (HIVAP) & the HIV & Enterprise Support Project, through which it has reached and trained over 650 people, most of them women, girls & youth, on HIV related issues.

The goal of the Education Support Program is to educate and disseminate information on various issues to the ANK clients, in order to build their capacity and enable them to improve their livelihoods.

ANK under the Education Support Program implemented the Engagement for Empowerment Project (EFEP) during 2003 - 2004. This project aimed at building the capacity of women to effectively engage policy makers. Through this project, ANK reached out to and trained 150 street women and those living in various slums in Nairobi.

ANK works in collaboration with various like-minded Organizations including: Kenya Alliance for the Advancement of Children Rights (KAACR), FEMNET, Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium (KANCO), National Aids Control Council (NACC) and the National Council for NGOs. ANK also works in partnership with Mama Cash, Global Fund for Women, COSV, the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund (SFRTF) and with various Government agencies in order to achieve its objectives. ANK has also i the recent past formed partnerships with Corfilac and the Cactus Foundation, both Italian based organizations.

Action Now Kenya can be contacted via email at irenek@ank.or.ke