From 50 Beggar Members to Over 170,000 Members in Less Than 8 years
Jamii Bora is the fastest growing Micro Finance organisation in Kenya. In less than 8 years we have grown to a size of 170,000 members by 30 September 2007. In the year 2002 the Trust increased its membership from 13,500 to 37,000, in 2003 from 37,000 to 65,000, in 2004 from 65,000 to 93,000 and to 112,000 by December 2005. Thus 23,500 new members joined the organisation during the year 2002, 28,000 new members joined in 2003, 28,000 new members joined in 2004 and 19,000 new members joined in 2005.

This massive expansion has put major strains on the organisation, but also created a lot of enthusiasm and hope. The main challenges have been to:

• recruit and train new staff. Over 50 loans officers have gone through the Jamii Bora staff training;
  
  
• develop practical and efficient administrative procedures for the growing organisation;
  
  
• identify, procure and install a professional MIS computer software for the new size of operation;
  
  
• make use of the most advanced technology

Small Loans Makes a Big Difference in the Life of a Memeber
Jamii Bora’s lending is concentrated on the needs of the members. Thus the majority of the loans are very small. The average loan size in 2003 was KES 7,209 (US$ 90). Almost 80% of the loans were less than 10,000 Shillings, many of them starter loans that could be as small as a few hundred shillings.

These first loans usually have a dramatic effect on the lives of the members. A potato street vendor who has come to the level of saving 400 Shilling can borrow 800 Shilling and buy a 130 kg sack of potatoes has dramatically changed her life. Instead of having only 5-10 kg to sell she now has a 130 kg for sale. She also earns dramatically more for every potato she sells because she bought the potatoes at wholesale price and is still selling them at the same price as before. Thus she earns more per potato she sells and she has so many more potatoes to sell. Normally after 3-4 weeks she will come back for her next loan, now having saved 800 Shillings and being able to borrow 1,600 Shillings to buy 2 sacks of potatoes. Jamii Bora has many members who started with loans of less than 1,000 Shillings and who in one to two years grow into big businesses.