US First Lady Jill Biden has today accompanied her Kenyan counterpart Rachel Ruto in attending a Table Banking forum in Kibra, Nairobi.
The duo met with members of the Women of Peace Table Banking group.
Jill said her visit will focus on women’s empowerment, children’s issues, and food insecurity that has ravaged parts of the continent.
Rachel said Jill’s three-day visit to the country “will see her focus more on strengthening ties between the two nations, especially championing women’s economic empowerment projects such as table banking.”
The Women of Peace said the table banking model of saving operates just as the name suggests, right at the table where everyone contributes a set amount.
“Interest generated on the table remains on the table so that it can be put back into the group for future use and investment,” the group’s spokesperson said.
They said that at end of the year, members’ faces beam with smiles especially in December because the profit made throughout the year is divided equally amongst themselves.
“But the savings remain so that the next year we have a good forward saving that will help them be able to borrow even phones from that table,” the spokesperson said.
The group, like many others, commonly referred to as ‘Chamas’ operates on the principle of trust, discipline and community as they save and contribute on time, as well as help each other in various aspects of their lives.
Jill, who arrived on Friday, February 24 is in the country until Sunday to strengthen America’s partnership with Kenya and the African continent.
