"When Women Work, Communities Grow" by Moses Otwere

When you walk through the streets of Mathare, you’ll meet brilliant, capable women whose dreams have been slowed --- not by lack of ambition, but by lack of opportunity. What strikes me most about women’s unemployment is that it’s about more than just jobs.

Many women have incredible skills --- tailoring, hairdressing, beauty, or even leadership abilities --- but there’s no path to turn these talents into income. Often, unemployment leads to dependency on family or their husbands, slowly eroding confidence and diminishing their willingness to take risks. Even when women are educated or skilled, structural barriers like limited capital, societal expectations, culture or lack of mentorship prevent them from pursuing opportunities.

And the impact doesn’t stop with them. These women’s Children may miss school, families face financial stress, and communities lose out on women’s potential contributions. Unemployment takes a psychological toll too --- frustration, a sense of invisibility, and a quiet loss of purpose.

Yet, even amidst these challenges, we see resilience. Women find ways to support their families, run informal businesses, and survive creatively. Light and Hope Initiative, aims to channel that resilience into opportunity.

During a field visit in Mathare, we met Elizabeth, plaiting hair outside her home. Her setup was minimal --- a few braids in her hands and a customer seated on a blue plastic chair --- yet her skill was exceptional. We immediately identified her potential for entrepreneurship and suggested starting a small business to formalize her work.

Elizabeth hesitated and shared the challenge she faced at home: “I want to do it, but my husband… he says life is too hard here. He wants to go back to the homelands. I try to tell him there are still opportunities in Mathare, but he won’t listen.”

Her situation highlighted a critical insight: women’s unemployment is rarely only economic. Structural barriers, household decision-making, and family dynamics often limit women’s opportunities even when talent and drive exist.

Through Light and Hope Initiative, we are designing interventions to address these challenges. By providing mentorship, start-up support, and a framework for small business ownership --- in Elizabeth’s case, a beauty salon --- women gain independence, generate income, and build community resilience. Her story is a clear example of why targeted support is essential: with guidance and opportunity, a woman’s talent can translate into sustainable impact for her family and community.

Through the business franchising model, the women of Mathare receive help in owning and managing tailoring shops and beauty salons. We provide training, mentorship, and guidance on running a business successfully.

The solution is both practical and transformative: Franchising of tailoring shops and beauty salons. This model equips women with:

• Hands-on business and technical training.

• Start-up support through loans to help them set up and remodel their business.

• Confidence and Self Efficacy.

• Communication Skills.

• A network of peers and resources to sustain growth.

• Mentorship in management, client relations, and financial literacy

Each woman we empower creates a ripple effect: transforming her life, supporting her family, and enriching her community by supporting other women as well--- being both aspirational and inspirational. Empowering women is not charity --- it’s investment. And every woman we help reminds us of the incredible potential waiting to be unlocked.