Together We Rise: Lifting Women Lifts the World

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JOYCE is a devoted mother of three and a pillar of strength in her Gataka community, an informal slum settlement outside of Nairobi.

Becoming a mother at just 16, Joyce’s journey has been one of resilience and transformation. She turned her early hardships into a passion for advocacy and community support. With deep empathy for women and children in vulnerable situations, she serves as a volunteer Community Health Promoter, bringing essential guidance and assistance to people in her community.

But Joyce’s home life has not been easy. Raising her children largely on her own in an unstable marriage, she struggled to meet her family’s basic needs, especially without a reliable income.

Joyce found a lifeline with the Kenya Works feeding initiative, which ensured her children’s food security. Once enrolled in the program, she was eager to engage in Kenya Works’ women’s empowerment training, helping her to build a new path forward.

Parenting courses provided her with the tools to stabilize her household and plan for her daughter’s high school graduation.

Next, Joyce enrolled in entrepreneur training, which equipped her to plan and launch a small business. Then, she successfully applied for Kenya Works seed funding and opened her small business. She makes and sells soap and other household sanitizing products—items she saw a need for through her volunteer work.

Now with a stable income, she provides for her family, reducing their need for feeding support.

Access to information and capital are critical tools for sustainable development. Women in particular struggle against these barriers.

And women once empowered with this access are likely to invest it in their families and communities.

Joyce has now purchased land with the vision to build a home for her family—and to serve as a safe space for teen mothers to build hopeful futures.

Equipping Rural Women to Lead and Lift Their Communities

Rural women face even greater barriers to equality than those in urban areas. Kenya Works is reaching women in the underserved Musenke area with business training and seed funding to power multiple collaborative savings initiatives.

The women’s groups received training and seed money to grow their tea, goat and jewelry businesses. Additional leadership training will equip group heads to mentor and empower other women in their communities.

EMPOWERING WOMEN through Four Pillars of Opportunity

Women’s empowerment promotes gender equality across social, economic, political and educational dimensions, enabling women to thrive and contribute to their communities. When we invest in women, we invest in a stronger and healthier future for everyone.

Kenya Works programming is delivered through four interconnected pillars of opportunity, with women’s empowerment woven through all.

Shelter Works: We bring security to vulnerable families through outreach, feeding programs, and empowerment training, while providing safe shelter for children.

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Works (MHH Works): We combat period poverty by manufacturing and providing reusable menstrual products and MHH empowerment training while creating secure jobs through our women-led production team.

Education Works: We provide paths to knowledge through sponsorships for school fees and social services, along with lunch programs that reduce household costs and enhance learning.

Community Works: Our human rights training activates communities to build a society where everyone’s rights are recognized and valued.

Learn more about women's empowerment in Kenya.

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