Kenya Women Holding wins a Ford Foundation Champions of Democracy Award

November 15, 2012

Women’s World Banking is thrilled to announce that Dr. Jennifer Riria, chair of Women’s World Banking, Group Chief Executive of Kenya Women Holding Company Ltd (KWH) and a board member of network member and KWH subsidiary Kenya Women Finance Trust (KWFT) was awarded one of the ten Ford Foundation Champions of Democracy Award in Nairobi on November 13, 2012. The Champions of Democracy Award is a special recognition that includes a $100,000 grant to each organization to advance exemplary efforts that promote democracy and opportunity in the region.

According to the Ford Foundation:

Kenya Women Holding
Connecting Economic Opportunity to Women’s Rights
For three decades, Kenya Women Holding has worked to develop financial services that meet the needs of poor and rural women, helping them earn livelihoods and move out of poverty. Today, the organization is Kenya’s largest microfinance provider, with over 450,000 clients—80 percent of them in rural areas. Working together with 17 leading civil rights organizations, Kenya Women Holding also coordinates the Tuvuke Initiative for a Peaceful and Fair Electoral Process, which works to prevent violence and create a safer, healthier environment for Kenyan democracy.

Read The Ford Foundation’s press release on the awards here.