Author Archives: Rebecca Herrington
Introducing Elias Fanta of Nuru CED
It is such a pleasure in my last two blogs to be able to introduce you to the CED team. Last month, I introduced you to Andrew Chacha, the CED Program Leader. This month is my last month on the ground. I am passing the baton to Elias Fanta, the new CED Program Manager. We …Continue Reading
Introducing Andrew Chacha, CED Program Leader
This month, I have the privilege of introducing Andrew Chacha, the CED Program Leader. Andrew has been with the CED program for 2 ½ years now and has risen quickly from Field Officer to Program Leader because of his talent and passion for changing his community. It is an honor to be able to work …Continue Reading
Changes that stick in CED
Our parents always said the rules were there to protect us, to help us and because they loved us. As we grew up, and some of us even became parents ourselves, we saw the truth behind what our parents always said. We saw the reason for the rules, even if the benefits were long term …Continue Reading
Micro Credit Loan Repayment Round 1
We have been focusing on co-creation over the last two rotations. Co-creation was always a core part of what we wanted in the development of the Nuru model, but we have become more intentional in seeking to ensure that is truly how we are acting and developing our program models. Msingi wa KAPESA (MwaK), CED’s …Continue Reading
2011 in Review for CED
This was a definitive year for the Community Economic Development (CED) Program. The model has progressed tremendously, we are collecting data on our program metrics in order to determine impact and put together a financial model that shows sustainability of the program. The Kenyan staff is increasingly taking ownership of the program, conducting needs analysis …Continue Reading
Msingi wa KAPESA Program Launches Successfully
In September, with the help of our Kenyan staff, we developed the loan service to our Msingi wa KAPESA (basic group savings) program. We have learned a lot of lessons over the past three years and have now been able to design a stalwart program. However, because of what we have learned, the rules and …Continue Reading
Innovation in Action
At Nuru International, we follow the Design Thinking school of thought and are dedicated to innovation, iteration and the openness to question our model. But it’s hard. It means a constant vigilance over your desired impact and continually reevaluating what you are doing in order to ensure you are meeting your goals in the best …Continue Reading
Nuru’s Micro Loan Niche
When mentioning micro loans in the development field, it is assumed you are talking about all small loans given to those in poverty. Although the majority of microfinance institutions (MFIs) prescribes to similar dogmas and offers comparable loan programs to clients, there is a lot of variety and specificity in the field. Organizations like Village …Continue Reading
Why Debt is No Joke
I have two living grandparents, my family lives in New Hampshire, and I am a United States citizen; we are all freaking out about the U.S. debt crisis. It is a real and scary part of our lives right now. The U.S. government has provided its citizens with some level of financial security through social …Continue Reading
An Inside Look: Nuru’s Community Economic Development Program
If Nuru’s Community Economic Development (CED) Program isn’t an MFI, doesn’t expect everyone to be an entrepreneur, and has a relatively low cap for its maximum loan amount…what exactly is the program’s “big idea”? We recently held an International Summit at Nuru International so that all teams could collaborate and work through the DIF (Design Iteration Format). This …Continue Reading