From Grass Patch to Bustling Shop

What used to be a grass patch is now a bustling shop, where Rose has to constantly attend to her numerous customers.

In only 5 months, Rose has completely transformed her life thanks to the skills training from the Fanikisha Program, which is a business women support program by Kianda Foundation. The program trains women in business skills, life skills and mentorship. Fanikisha also supports the women enrolled with counselling services through the help of professional counsellors. Before joining other women for the training sessions, Rose was a casual laborer earning Ksh 300 per day, and this was when she was lucky enough to find work. With this little income, it was difficult for her to sustain her family’s daily needs, who were relying on her to support them. When she couldn't find work, Rose spent her days doing housework and farming a small vegetable patch.

Rose with a customer

Rose heard about The Kianda Foundation's Fanikisha program training at her local church, where they announced the course. She enrolled and started attending classes in June 2022.

After a month of training, she constructed a small kiosk in the grass patch behind her home and purchased her initial stock. She has stocked a variety of different vegetables including potatoes, maize, cabbages, peas and more. In addition, she used online marketing learnt from the training and posted photos of her wares on WhatsApp. She immediately started getting orders. She gradually doubled and even tripled her initial stock. She has now diversified her offerings and in now selling commodities like cooking oil, flour, milk, airtime. In addition, she prepares and sells lunches to construction workers from sites close to her home.

Rose outside her shop (we have advised her to brand it as part of her future plans)

Rose is now vibrant, happy and driven. She is also a climate champion who recycles any vegetable waste by feeding what couldn't be sold to her farm animals, keeping the cost of feeds down. All other organic waste is used as manure on her farm.

She attributes her success to the Fanikisha Program which has helped her gain skills such as profit and loss calculation, time management, record keeping and effective use of loans. She teaches other women what she has learnt through the training, and encourages them to sign up.