Women’s digital inclusion
In the areas where we work, women are half as likely to be online as men. We want to make sure women entrepreneurs get an equal chance to take part in the digital economy, reaching new and larger markets online.
Giving women the digital skills they need to beat poverty
With the Kenyan e-commerce sector worth over $2bn a year, it’s vital women entrepreneurs on the poverty line aren’t left behind.
Hand in Hand is providing digital skills training to over 2,400 women in Nairobi’s underserved communities, as part of our accelerator training for small business owners.
When women entrepreneurs have the skills and the confidence to use social media and e-commerce platforms, they can rapidly expand their customer base, reaching larger markets and boosting their incomes.
Helping smallholder farmers connect to larger markets
70% of the women Hand in Hand’s supports are smallholder farmers.
When farmers struggle to access wholesale markets, they will often have to sell their produce in areas where demand is low, for a lower price. Sometimes they are unable to sell their crops at all.
By selling their produce online, farmers can reach wider markets, including wholesalers – and command a much higher price for their produce, while reducing post-harvest loss.
Our partnerships
Digital skills training plays a pivotal role in helping women entrepreneurs reach larger markets and scale up their businesses, lifting them and their families well above the poverty line.
In the next five years we aim to reach 195,000 women in Kenya’s most deprived places with a life changing package of digital and financial skills training.
To achieve this goal, we will partner with local and national NGOs, foundations, governments, companies and private donors. Find out more about partnering with us here.
Success stories
Jane Ouma | Street-seller to wholesaler
Thanks to training in digital and social media marketing Jane has expanded her customer base using WhatsApp.
Tabitha Wanjiku | building a family business
Tabitha’s daughters look after the store’s social media presence, marketing the business on WhatsApp and Facebook.
Pauline Wambui | Online entrepreneur
“Now I know selling online is better as compared to local sales,” says Pauline.
Our impact at a glance
90%
Of women using online platforms increased their sales
33%
Increase mobile and online payments
95%
Increase in profits for women who received financial and digital training
2,400
Women in Nairobi’s informal settlements receiving digital training