Some women from Nairobi slums ask social workers to find white husbands for them. Another women want to fight for better life themselves. There is a system of micro - loans for them. Poor women are able to do wonders with several shillings.

Also men can ask for a micro – loan if they are single with children. But most of them are not successful. They gave up because they have too fantastical anticipations which cannot be filled by small business. Or they do a U – turn when they hear that the loan will be just several hundread shillings. They think that they need lot of money to change something.

But women – many of them single mothers with several children, ill, HIV positive, teenage – save themselves and their families just with little amounts.

Program SWED – Support of Women with Extreme Difficulties in Mukuru slum in Nairobi, Kenya, helps women to run their own small business. Veronica, young coordinator of the project, also lives in Mukuru slum. As her clients. But she is helthy, educated and self – confident. „We don´t give anything for free,“ she says. „We teach them how to run small shop. And we try to urge them to plan the pregnacy and children. It´s a big problem here in Kenya. Men refuse using condoms. We want to show our clients that they should have only so many children how many they are able to support. That´s why we pay for them contraceptive pills.“ Except of this get women in SWED program hardly anything for free. „Clothes, shoes,“ Veronica numerates. „If a woman has no money to pay house rent we pay it for her. But only for a short period.“

At the end women should run their own small shop and be able to earn living from it. Clients start with selling scarfs and bijouterie. Just to learn some business skills. They get goods from SWED for free and pay for it later, from their profit. They also save – up certain amount, alone or with another womes. They can save 40 – 50 shillings every week. It is only 70 eurocents. But in poor environment of Nairobi slum is it great result.

„When women have some savings they can get a micro – loan, 4000 – 5000 shillings. With only few shillings loan – interest. They run their own shops with this money,“ says Veronica.

5000 shillings is 66 euro. But shops in Mukuru slum are not like shops on streets of European towns. It is for example selling charcoal in the street, sheet on path and some fruit or vegetable on it. Or cooking for some company. Or sewing table – linens.

„Some of our clienst die, move away or stop their business because it goes badly,“ says Veronica. „But 40 % are successful and can earn living for themselves and their families.“

Colleague of Veronica, Musa, thinks: „The biggest problem of our women are – men!“ He is man, too, but he can see it clearly. Usually women do everything they can for feeding their children. Lot of men only sit and speak how life is hard and unfair. Or they simply leave and let their wives and children alone. They don´t care.

Mary (32) had nothing. She was homeless, living in the street with her two children. Social workers from SWED program helped her to find small hut in slum and paid a rent for her. She started in the project. After six months had enough savings for running her own business with small loan. Now she sells fruit and vegetables. Her loan is paid – off and her shop runs well.

Felicia (43) is HIV positive lonely mother with four children. At the beginning she needed food from SWED program for herself and her children. She started selling scarfs and saving money. It was hard, her illness was so bad sometimes that she has to stay at home. But then she run her own business, selling of charcoal and parafine. She is able to support her children now.