Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation(MYWO) in partnership with Equity Bank have launched the National Water Harvesting Project.
Speaking in Tala,Machakos County during the launch of the project,MYWO Chairperson Mrs Rahab Muihu said the project aims at enabling women across the country to get water tanks to harvest rain water for consumption.
Mrs Muihu said this will help women have every household have access to clean,safe water.
She said the organization’s strategic plan is to ensure that 1 million households each get a 10,000 litre tank by 2024, 2 million households by 2028 and 4 million households by 2030.
Equity Bank on it’s part will provide collateral free loans to individual women and women groups to purchase the water tanks.
The MYWO Chairperson revealed that already, 1736 women and 73 women groups from 17 counties have been trained on the project.
She appealed to women to take advantage of the project and get water tanks to harvest water during the rainy season which they can use up to during the dry season.
Mrs Muihu added the project will help reduce cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence as many women in the grassroots face sexual violence as they go to look for Water.
Equity Bank Chief Commercial Officer Polycarp Igathe said the bank is partnering with MYWO through one of its product Pamoja Banking that ensures people have access to credit without being asked for collateral.
Mr Igathe said it is the vision of the bank to see the lives of women are transformed and are given an opportunity to create wealth through the project.
Apart from providing financial assistance needed for the project,the bank is also providing financial education touching on budgeting,debt management and financial services to women.
Mr Igathe revealed the bank has already received finding to the first batch of 22 women groups who are set to benefit with the water tanks.
The launch today will see women groups and individual women in Nyeri,Migori and Nyamira counties bring the first ones to get water tanks.
The Equity Bank boss added the financial institution has out women at the centre of economic development.