Zain Kenya Launches Community Payphone

­Zain Kenya has launched a community payphone initiative to provide self-help groups all over the country with payphone handsets. The initiative is aimed at empowering women and the youth by giving them an opportunity to trade with Zain products and services through provision of payphone handsets and start up capital of KES1,000 in each handset.

Over 600 payphones will be distributed country wide in partnership with Global Text Africa an organisation that has a strong network with the organized women and youth groups because of their regular interactions with micro finance institutions and NGOs.

Zain's Kenya Corporate Communications Director Michael Okwiri said: "Our main aim is to transforming the lives of our customers by providing quality service but at the same time we would like to play a role in improving their economic lives. We are positioning women as the entry point for the empowerment of the family. But we realize that, apart from communication, women have other needs that must be addressed for them to lead better lives"

Zain is also looking into partnerships with micro finance organisations will involve capacity building in women entrepreneurs in order to equip them with knowledge that will help them in identifying their current strengths and potential. The partnerships are expected to not only expand Zain's customer base but also reach the un-banked populace by providing them with Zain's mobile banking service, Zap.