Women Entrepreneurs
Female empowerment has a tremendous positive impact on families, communities, and ultimately the nation. GAM has been working with women to initiate or develop businesses. We provide resources to enable women to succeed. Individually and in group workshops, we help the women to develop their business plan looking at marketing and finances. Lydia is our partner who assists with this program. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration and she follows up with the women on a regular basis. It is very gratifying to see these women succeed and establish themselves. Although currently, inflation and the high cost of living has made it difficult.
Mom Naomi
Mom Naomi was a successful business women selling vegetables in the Eastern Province of Kenya, until disaster struck. Large medical bills completely drained her savings, forced her to go into debt, and crushed her business. Although In 2018, GAM assisted Mom Naomi to pay off some of her loans, she was forced to work as a cleaning lady, in a town far from her children.
In 2022, GAM helped Mom Naomi to get back on her feet financially. She opened a small retail shop where her children were located. She expanded her inventory and diversified her growing business. However, inflation and the high cost of living forced Mom Naomi to downsize her shop in 2023. Low sales left her unable to pay the rent in her new shop; she opted to open a roadside vegetable stand where she is making an income. Tough times, but Mom Naomi is still making a living.
Photos below are of Mom Naomi at her shop with two of her five children in 2022, and Mom Naomi at her roadside vegetable stand in 2024.
Mom Lydia
Road side Cafe
GAM assisted Mom Lydia in 2017, to develop her roadside cafe where she makes and sells chai and mandazi (Kenyan donut). During the pandemic in 2020, it became difficult to maintain her business. She relocated to reduce her overhead.
Retail Shop Nairobi
In January 2024, Mom Lydia ONce again relocated her business. She opened a small retail shop in a north eastern sub-burb of Nairobi. She is currently selling produce but hopes to expand her inventory to include other food staples and dry goods. So far, business is good.
Road side vendor
Like every good business manager, Mom Lydia has diversified her business. She now sells produce and snacks. But business is slow with fewer residents in this area and the high cost of living in Kenya. Unusual rain patterns have made it difficult to operate her business.
Mom Susan
Mom Susan is a resilient single mom. For a number of years she has worked to deliver water to support her family of four children.
In November 2022, Mom Susan to open a small dry goods store located in her remote village in eastern Kenya. In late 2023, she closed shop due to a lack of business. The high cost of living is making life difficult for Kenyans.