Laurine Achieng: From Receiving Support to becoming a Champion of Women’s Empowerment

Laurine Achieng, a member of the Nyasanda B women’s group in Siaya County, knows firsthand what it means to have someone believe in your potential. While she was still in high school, her mother, a Community Health Volunteer (CHV), received financial aid to support her daughter’s school fees. That support enabled Laurine to continue with her education and complete her studies, an opportunity that would inspire her commitment to making a difference in the community.

Today, Laurine is the Secretary of Nyasanda B Women’s Group, a journey she describes as a continuation of the support that once changed her own life. She joined the group in April 2025, shortly after its formation with the support of its mother group, Nyasanda A Women’s Group. In August 2025, the group joined the Mwanamke Bora Project, implemented by SCORE-Kenya with support from KCDF.

Mwanamke Bora Project is a KCDF initiative funded by Sisters of Incarnate and implemented in partnership with SCORE in Siaya County and the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust in Kajiado County. The project seeks to economically empower vulnerable women, particularly young mothers and women-led households, by improving access to healthcare, food, housing and education, strengthening agricultural productivity and livelihoods, supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become sustainable beyond project support, and reducing the time women spend on unpaid care and domestic work while enhancing their economic participation and overall wellbeing.

Under the Mwanamke Bora project, Nyasanda B has since grown to 20 members, comprising 17 women and three men. Beyond supporting its members, the group also looks after 36 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), demonstrating its commitment to improving the wellbeing of families and the wider community.

Through the Mwanamke Bora Project, the group received a KES 50,000 loan kitty funded by KCDF through SCORE Kenya. This support strengthened its savings and lending activities, enabling members to access affordable loans for farming, businesses and other income-generating activities. The group also introduced an individual savings initiative, Fukuza Umaskini, which encourages members to save towards acquiring productive assets.

The benefits have extended beyond the loan kitty. Members have received farm inputs that have helped reduce production costs, business loans and start-up support to grow their enterprises, as well as energy-saving jikos to improve household energy use. Together, these interventions have expanded opportunities for members to strengthen their livelihoods and build greater financial resilience.

At its first share-out, Nyasanda B celebrated the results of its savings and lending cycle. The group had accumulated KES 35,450 in savings, KES 25,500 in unshared savings, KES 5,390 in its social fund, KES 11,290 through Fukuza Umaskini and KES 10,900 in interest. While these figures may appear modest, Laurine sees them as evidence of a year of discipline, sacrifice, teamwork and a shared commitment to building a better future.

For her, the group’s progress reflects what can happen when community support is sustained and passed on. SCORE Kenya provided the platform for community empowerment, Nyasanda A nurtured the formation of Nyasanda B, and KCDF’s funding strengthened the group’s ability to save, lend and invest in its members’ livelihoods. Having once benefited from support that enabled her to complete her education, Laurine is now part of a community initiative creating similar opportunities for others. Her journey is a reminder that investing in one person can have a ripple effect, extending beyond an individual to families, groups and entire communities.