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About us

Four decades of catalysing development for girls and women.

From Kenya Women Holding in 1982 to a Pan-African foundation with a presence in all 47 counties, our story is one of preserving, expanding and growing.

An ENAF facilitator addresses a group of schoolchildren seated outdoors

Who we are

The Foundation

Echo Network Africa is a Pan-African philanthropic institution headquartered in Kenya that focuses on empowering, positioning, and advocating for girls and women across Africa.

Anchor centres

ENAF is supported by the following anchor centres:

  • Legal
  • People & Culture Management
  • Property Investment
  • Financial Resources Management & Granting
  • ICT
  • Procurement
  • Communications & Public Relations
  • Internal Audit & Risk Management
  • Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation

Eight principles guide every program we run

These aren’t steps in a sequence — they’re the lens we apply to everything, from a single mentorship session to a national policy conversation.

  1. 01

    Participatory

    The girls and women we serve help design the programs meant for them, not just receive them.

  2. 02

    Gender transformative

    We work to shift the norms and power structures behind inequality, not just its symptoms.

  3. 03

    Inclusive

    Disability, geography, and income should never decide who gets access to opportunity.

  4. 04

    South–North dialogue

    We bring African-led solutions into global rooms, and global resources back into local hands.

  5. 05

    Knowledge sharing

    What we learn in one community is documented and passed on, not kept in a single program’s files.

  6. 06

    Research and documentation

    Every program is evaluated and written up, so evidence — not anecdote — drives what we scale.

  7. 07

    Mentorship

    Intergenerational conversations connect younger women with those who’ve already walked the path.

  8. 08

    Policy engagement

    We work with national, regional, and international agencies to position women in the rooms where decisions get made.

Our journey

Preserve, expand and grow.

The journey of the institution now known as ENAF goes back more than forty years, to its founding as Kenya Women Holding.

  1. 1982

    Year of establishment

    The institution is founded as Kenya Women Holding (KWH).

  2. 2008

    Open banking to women

    Kenya Women Holding and Kenya Women Finance Trust Bank (KWFT) open banking to women.

  3. 2018

    Rebranding

    Kenya Women Holding is re-branded to Echo Network Africa, the catalyst for development working in Kenya and the entire African region.

  4. 2024

    Expanding

    Echo Network Africa (ENA) expands to Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) and Country Offices.

Our mission

To empower girls and women through access to education, financial inclusion, leadership, mentorship, and global dialogue, reaching 100,000 beneficiaries by 2036 and creating sustainable pathways for gender equality and community transformation.

Our vision

A fair, just, and inclusive world in which all people, including girls and women, are participating fully in all aspects of society.

ENAF’s spirit

Upholding our lasting legacy and influence is anchored on catalyzing, partnerships, servant leadership, resilience, endurance and working to completion in order to sustain respect and enhance human dignity.

Theme

Preserve, Expand and Grow

Motto

Do Not Strive

Core values

What we hold ourselves to.

  1. 01Dignity
  2. 02Integrity
  3. 03Respect
  4. 04Honesty
  5. 05Professionalism
  6. 06Inclusion
  7. 07Team Work
  8. 08Learning & Innovation

ENAF achievements

Investing in women is a powerful strategy for social transformation.

Over forty-plus years, ENAF has proved this again and again. These are the achievements the Foundation plans to replicate in other countries in Africa.

The first women-serving bank in Kenya
The establishment of Kenya Women Micro-Finance Trust (KWFT) Bank increased access to financial inclusion for women in Kenya. KWFT and ENAF’s programmes have reached more than 10 million women, and more local and international banks have since opened their halls to women. ENAF’s investment of over KSh 1.5 billion has seen millions of women and families access financial and non-financial solutions.
Financial inclusion for 3 million women
ENAF’s initiatives on women’s financial inclusion have contributed to increased incomes and better-quality livelihoods for the families of more than 3 million women in Kenya.
Protecting rights
ENAF has contributed to the reduction of human rights abuses for over 1,000 girls and women through initiatives aimed at eradicating negative cultural practices including FGM, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, period poverty and sex-for-fish (jaboya).
Women in leadership
The number of women elected and nominated to the National Assembly in 2013, 2017 and 2022 was 21, 29 and 35 respectively: a gradual but steady increase from 5.6% to 7.8%. At least 20% of beneficiaries are young people aged 18–35 and 5% are women with disabilities.
Climate resilience
A network of over 3 million women serves as the bedrock for climate-resilience programming, from water tanks and tree growing to climate-smart fish technology such as fish cages, solar lamps and fridges.
Inclusive county governments
ENAF’s interventions continue to impact the leadership of County Governments through policy and legislative changes, all intended to create a more inclusive environment.
Good governance
ENAF maintains the highest standards of good governance including financial prudence. Clear separation between the Board and Management is adhered to, and financials are audited by both internal and external auditors.
Partnerships
ENAF has built capacity for over 20 Local Implementing Partners and works with UN Women, Mastercard Foundation, Hanns Seidel Foundation, MEDA, Open Society, Grand Challenges Canada, Uraia Trust and FCDO, alongside national and county governments.
Kenyans of goodwill
Invaluable moral and financial support has come from ordinary Kenyans of goodwill. Every shilling counts.

Explore the work behind the numbers.

Eight programmes, all designed to position, empower and advocate for girls and women.

Our work Governance