Meeting Inspiring Female Entrepreneurs in Kenya

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By Kailey Bergeron and Silke Pion

The team started day three at Amani ya Juu, a non-profit organization that uplifts female African

refugee artisans by providing them with training, employment opportunities, and a supportive

community. We were warmly greeted by the staff and browsed the store as they graciously

made breakfast for the team. In the store, we were surprised by Maggie’s open arms, an

unexpected guest who works as a business coordinator at Amani. She explained the impact

Amani has had on her life and spoke with us over breakfast. After, we toured Amani ya Juu

starting with the updated sewing room and ending in the garage where the company initially

began.

Following a hard goodbye from the wonderful people of Amani ya Juu, the team arrived at Hob

House. Hob House is a Lebanese restaurant and inn with locally sourced ingredients that is run

by an inspiring woman named Kelly. Kelly took the time to explain that despite not having a

traditional educational background, her life experiences have allowed her to work in top supply

chain roles as well as an advisor for various governments around the world. In addition, two

members of Safaricom, the primary communications platform within Kenya, spoke with us about

the company’s reach.

Afterwards, we headed to the United Nations where we toured one of four United Nations offices

around the world, and the only one in Africa. The most significant aspect of this UN office was

the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). This program works to progress one of

three goals for the United Nations as a whole — human rights, sustainability, and world peace.

We visited a village market down the street from the UN with local vendors. Culturally, Kenya

has many pop-up shops where locals sell handmade items to people from Kenya and visitors,

like ourselves. The market sold anything from paintings, necklaces, clothes, pottery, and more!

The last stop of the day was Ikwetta, a growing leather handbag business in the heart of Nairobi

that sells quality hand-crafted goods. Ikwetta began as a pop-up shop in Kenya and grew to be

a successful business with eight locations across Africa and one in Atlanta, Georgia. The

founder and owner, Sheeni, spoke to the team about her experiences as a young, woman

entrepreneur who has worked in India, the United States, and Kenya. While she has faced

adversity being a woman entrepreneur, it has not dampened her spirit as her passion for the

business was evident. A major takeaway from our discussion was the lack of anti-competition

regulations within Kenya that can make starting a new business in the well-established leather

market extremely difficult.

Finally, the team enjoyed another delicious meal at the Homecare Retreat where we reflected

on the businesses and people we visited today. The cohesive theme of the day’s visits was

growth and continuous learning. We met with many inspiring women entrepreneurs who, despite

having extremely varying backgrounds, were able to be successful within Kenyan markets.