LOCAL COORDINATORS

Alaileli Maasai Sustainability Organization (AMSO) - Alailelai village, Alailelai Ward, Tanzania

Ngali Kitmwas was born in 1990 in Ngorongoro District within Nainokanoka Ward in Nainokanoka village. She attended the local primary school and completed her secondary education in 2009 at Embarway Secondary School within Ngorongoro District. After graduation, she married her husband John, in a ceremony in Alailelai village. Together with her husband she operates a small shop. In 2011, she began studying English in a course in Karatu. In 2012, she was elected as coordinator for the WMI microfinance loan program within Alailelai Maasai Sustainability Organization (AMSO), by all members of the microfinance loan program.

Bududa Women's Development Group (BWDG) - Konokoya village, Bududa, Uganda

Betty Bigala, Chair: A graduate of the New Era Secretarial College in Nairobi, Ms. Bigala worked at Bududa Secondary School for 25 years. She joined Bududa Vocational Institute in February 2010 and is widowed with 7 children. Since WMI began a program in Jinja in October 2010, Ms. Bigala has coordinated and trained loan groups, compiled borrower reports and handled loan distribution.

Buyobo Women's Association (BWA); formerly Buyobo Widows' Association - Bulambuli village, Buyobo, Uganda

Olive Wolimbwa, Local Director: Ms. Wolimbwa, 42, was a widow for five years until she remarried several years ago. She received training in Uganda as a primary school teacher and taught school for 15 years. She is the Local Director of the WMI loan program overseas and continues to work with the school district as well as directing loan program operations. She helped establish and is head of the Buyobo Women's Association and is a key force in developing village-level resources. Ms. Wolimbwa has 7 children and cares for 2 AIDS orphans. As the WMI loan program grows, Ms. Wolimbwa's role has expanded to supervision and oversight of expansion programs.

Jackline Nagudi Namonye, Assistant Local Director: Ms. Namonye is 31 and was a widow for many years until she remarried last year. She has 5 children, and before acquiring a WMI loan, she was barely supporting her family selling cold drinks by the side of the road. After receiving her loan, however, she used her knowledge of English and her basic math skills to help other borrowers with their marketing and bookkeeping. She began to assist at training sessions and then attended the World Bank "Training to Train" session. She is now a certified trainer. She is also a gifted singer and helped write the WMI anthem. She assists Ms. Wolimbwa in all aspects of loan program operations.

Phoebe Irene Wetaka, Head Coordinator: Irene attended primary school and secondary school and then studied at the Buweri Teachers' College. She taught in primary schools until 1996, when she was appointed as Acting Head-Teacher until 2001. She then acted as Deputy Head-Teacher until 2008. In March of 2008 she joined WMI as a borrower and volunteered to help organize her group members. Irene was promoted to Coordinator and selected to participate in Training to Train in order to help educate the women who were participating in the loan program. She runs a business in second-hand clothing, which allows her to pay tuition for one of her daughters to attend University.

East Lushaya Women's Group (ELWG) - East Lushaya village, Kabale, Uganda

Hope Kazahura, Head Coordinator: Ms. Kazahura, a widow, cares for her 3 children as well as 3 orphans from her extended family. She worked as the Director of Kabale's Drucilla Balaba Training Center, which provides vocational training to young girls, and in 1997 was promoted to her current position of Project Director for Compassion International, where she oversees several centers and directs all child development activities. As the co-chair of ELWG, she coordinates and trains loan groups, handles loan issuances, complies borrower reports and provides empowerment information sessions in nutrition, health and education for the ELWG.

Karin Women's Group (KWG) - Gulu, Uganda

Hellen Akwero, Head Coordinator: Hellen received a diploma in Accounting and Finance from the Institute of Commercial Management UK from YMCA Kampala. She now works as the Finance and Administrative officer for the Childcare Development Organisation Uganda, an organisation that supports the Karin Community Group. Hellen has been very active in group-mobilization for WMI and used her loan from WMI to support her restaurant. Hellen has one daughter, Cathy.

Hope Okeny, Local Sponsor: As the founder of Childcare Development Organisation Uganda, Hope is an entrepreneur and works to support her community. She is an accomplished project manager and has extensive skills in the areas of community dialogue, business training, coaching and mentorship, projects management, and leadership training. At CDO Uganda, Hope manages various programs that deal with healthcare, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and food security in the community. One of her latest projects is working to build a medical centre for the community to improve health services. Hope's business background provides her with the skills and knowledge to teach local entrepreneurs business skills. Hope is married with three children. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and reading.

Mayi Agiri Women's Economic Development Group (MAWDEG) - Bumwalukani village, Bududa, Uganda

Naume Muganwa, Chairperson: Naume attended primary and secondary school before taking classes at the Teachers' College in Butiru and became qualified to teach in primary schools. She later attended Kyambogo University for a degree in Special Needs Education and is now teaching at an inclusive school. She also coordinates special needs services at the District level. Because her husband is a clinician, she started a clinic in her community. Naume schedules the patients and does the bookkeeping as well. She hopes that with the continued support of WMI, the clinic will soon be able to purchase an ultrasound machine, which will be the first of its kind in the entire District.

Ol Moran Women Heroes (Heroes) - Ol Moran village, Laikapia District, Kenya

Josephine Wanjiru (Mama Niko), Chairperson: Josephine is 36 years old and has 4 children. Her husband is a teacher as well as a minister, and Josephine has extensive experience with church administration.

Mary Wanjiku (Jiks), Local Sponsor: Mary is a third-year student at Daystar University Kenya, pursuing a bachelor degree of arts in community development and a minor concentration in Peace and conflict transformation. She is also the projects coordinator for Laikipia Community Empowerment Centre, a non-governmental organization based in Laikipia, Kenya. Mary has extensive experience in community work and projects. From 2004 to 2008, she served as the 4 Generations assistant project coordinator and a community liaison officer at the Gallmann Memorial Foundation.

Sikabu Women's Self-Help Group (Sikabu)- Siaya, Kenya

Margaret Akoth, Head Coordinator: Margaret attended primary school and secondary school. She has participated in several trainings in order to volunteer with health initiatives in her community and has worked as a social worker as well as a coordinator for other volunteers. Her various small businesses include selling bread, cereal and kitchen supplies. She participated in the Training to Train workshop organized by WMI and enjoys accounting.

Women Empowerment and Development Initiative (WEDI) - Wabulenga B village, Jinja, Uganda

Tape Nabirye, Chairperson: Ms. Nabirye, 46, is married and has 7 children. A member of the Musoga tribe and a native of Jinja District, she earned a tailoring certificate from the Jinja YMCA and went on to work in the Nytil Textile Mill. Since WMI came to Jinja in October 2010, Ms. Nabirye has provided supervision and oversight of the loan program.

Shikokho women's Group (SWG) - Shikokho, Kenya

Jennifer Musanga Miheso, Head Coordinator - Jennifer is married with six grown children. For her formal education, she completed 12th grade or Form Four at Butere Girls Secondary School near where she grew up in Kakamega District. Her career as a senior manager with KENYA POSTA spanned thirty years. She has now retired and is a general farmer here in Shikokho. She is one of the six founding members of the Shikokho Women's Group (SWG), begun in 1979. She values their long history together, as well as their enthusiasm during the United Nations Conference on Women in 1985 and the active days with Maendeleo Ya Wanawake, which energized them to incorporate and work together to better the community through self-help projects and led the progress toward individual businesses and training in partnership with WMI. She looks forward to this opportunity to guide and encourage the women throughout the entire Shikokho area to successfully manage their individual WMI small business loans and continue to benefit from WMI training sessions in the future.

Susan (Suzie) Borolo Gusinjiru, SWG Chairlady - Originally from Kakamega District near Shikokho in the Western Province of Kenya, Suzie attended formal classes through 8th grade and took the Kenya Primary Exams. She has seven children who are all adults now and she is a widow. Spiritually, Suzie is a church leader within the Church of God denomination. For over two decades, she worked as an Early Childhood Development teacher and retired in 2007. Currently, she is the chairlady of the SWG and a manager at the Shikokho Medical Clinic (SMC). SMC was founded with SWG in 1989 - the oldest and largest original SWG program. She has enjoyed her on a wide variety of programs in the village and welcomes this opportunity to expand our collaboration with WMI for all women throughout the region.