Financial Inclusion for Rural Microenterprises Quarterly Progress Report Apr - June 2015

(DAI) in Kenya, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project aims to increase access to financial services for rural microenterprises and smallholder farmers. The project has established a network of over 150 partnerships with various financial service providers, including commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and government agencies. These partnerships have enabled the project to reach a wide geographic area, with a focus on USAID's designated Feed the Future (FTF) zones. During the reporting period, the project produced a total of 118 deliverables and released four Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for new areas of support. The project has also made significant progress in achieving its qualitative impact, with a growing network of relationships and partnerships outside traditional financial institutions. The project has already reached its annual target for the number of farmers applying new technology, the number of people with a savings account or insurance policy, and the number of producer organizations and community-based organizations receiving USG assistance. The project has also exceeded its target for the number of microenterprises receiving USG assistance to access bank loans and business development services. One of the key achievements of the project is the Business Process Improvement (BIP) workshops conducted for Joyful Women Organization (JOYWO). The workshops aimed to enhance efficiency, standardization, and compliance, and to build a culture of continuous process improvement. The project also supported Skyline SACCO in developing a three-year strategic marketing plan and refining its products. The project is still waiting for approval on its revised Performance Management Plan (PMP) from early 2014, which includes proposed new indicators. Once approved, the new indicators will be incorporated into the quarterly and annual reporting. The project continues to meet progress on its original work plan to increase access to finance and build the capacity of its partner counties. The project's next quarter's work plan includes continuing to meet progress on the original work plan, increasing access to finance, and building the capacity of its partner counties. The project is awaiting approval of its Year 5 annual workplan, which was submitted to USAID in January 2015.