The Rotary Club of Bahari has once again demonstrated the power of Service Above Self through the donation of a wheelchair to a beneficiary in Loitok who suffered a major stroke.
Following the stroke, the beneficiary experienced significant mobility challenges, making it difficult for her to move around her home and attend essential medical appointments. The wheelchair has provided her with much-needed mobility, independence, and dignity in her daily life.
One of the most significant impacts of the donation has been enabling her to travel to Machakos for her medical appointments. What was previously a considerable challenge has become more manageable, allowing her to continue accessing the medical care and follow-up she requires.
Within her home, the wheelchair has also made it possible for her to move around more freely and participate in her daily routine with greater ease. This simple yet meaningful intervention has reduced her dependence on others and restored a measure of independence to her life.
For the Rotary Club of Bahari, this donation is a reminder that meaningful change does not always require large projects. Sometimes, a single wheelchair can open the door to mobility, dignity, access to healthcare, and hope. Through such acts of service, Rotary continues to make a lasting impact, one life at a time.
Not all of the club’s work reaches one person at a time. In Takaungu and Kadzinuni, it reaches many women at once.
The Rotary Club of Bahari rolled out a microfinance project as one of its flagship sustainable initiatives, designed to create lasting economic empowerment among women in the communities of Takaungu and Kadzinuni.
The project is built on a simple but powerful principle: when women are given access to financial resources, business knowledge and an opportunity to grow, the benefits extend far beyond the individual beneficiary and into the family and the wider community.
Through the project, the Rotary Club of Bahari provides small loans to women who wish to start or expand income-generating activities. These ventures vary according to the needs and opportunities within their communities and may include small-scale trading, farming, food businesses, livestock and other viable enterprises. The objective is not simply to provide financial assistance, but to give women the means to create a sustainable source of income and become more financially independent.
A particularly important component of the project is the training provided by the Rotary Club of Bahari. Beneficiaries are guided on basic business management, financial responsibility, proper use of the funds, savings, record keeping and making sound business decisions. This training helps ensure that the loans become productive investments rather than temporary financial relief.
The project operates through a revolving lending cycle, which is at the heart of its sustainability. Once a woman receives a loan, she uses the funds to establish or strengthen her business and gradually repays the loan according to the agreed arrangement. As the funds are repaid, the money goes back into the programme and is then lent to another woman. This means that the same pool of funds can continue creating opportunities for different beneficiaries year after year. One loan can therefore become many opportunities.
In September 2026, the Rotary Club of Bahari expanded the programme by adding 11 new women from Kadzinuni. The women came together at Takaungu School, where they received training and orientation as part of their introduction to the programme. This expansion is an important step in our commitment to reaching more women and increasing the number of beneficiaries every year.
The impact of the project is already being felt at both household and community level. When women have their own sources of income, they are better positioned to contribute to household expenses, provide food, support their children's education, meet healthcare needs and improve living conditions. They also gain confidence, independence and a stronger voice in decisions affecting their families.
At community level, successful women-owned businesses contribute to the local economy, create employment opportunities and increase economic activity. The project also encourages women to support and learn from one another, creating a network of entrepreneurs who can inspire others to pursue economic independence.
For the Rotary Club of Bahari, this project represents sustainable service in action. The club is not simply giving; it is investing in people, building capacity and creating a system where resources continue to circulate and benefit new women.
The club’s vision is to grow the programme every year, reach more women in Takaungu, Kadzinuni and surrounding communities, and ultimately create a stronger, more resilient community where women have the opportunity to build businesses, support their families and shape a better future.
Through the microfinance project, Rotary is turning opportunity into income, income into independence, and independence into lasting community impact.