Author: jglyn@hihinternational.org

Across Kenya, women led microbusinesses often face barriers to growth – from limited access to finance to low digital literacy. Bridging this gap is essential for building sustainable livelihoods and inclusive economic development.

From hairdresser to salon owner
Florence Omollo, a single mother from the informal settlement, Kibera, in Nairobi, began her working life as an assistant in a local hair salon. Soon, clients were seeking her out directly and so she decided to start her own business – now known as Be Smart Salon.
She started small, offering just blow dries and hair braiding but, with limited knowledge of how to run a business or access to the credit she needed to expand, it did not flourish. Customers even had to bring their own hair braids.

Learning to think digitally

In April 2025, Florence joined Hand in Hand where she gained essential skills in business growth planning, management, branding, and customer engagement. She learned how to record income and expenses, including to allow for her salary so that she did not ‘tap income that was going somewhere else.’

Crucially, Florence also embraced digital marketing, signing up on WhatsApp Business and TikTok. Initially, Florence had thought that digital marketing was only for big, professional salons and she really didn’t think that people from ‘high end’ areas would visit a hair salon in Kibera. But, with the help of her Hand in Hand business trainer, she learned how to create professional posts and the results were immediate – new customers began visiting her salon and she has even started offering home visits to meet the rising demand.

Expanding her services
With her increased turnover and confidence, Florence has expanded her services to include nail care, employing another woman to meet customer demand. She now ensures the salon stocks all necessary products, so clients no longer need to bring their own supplies.

By summer 2025 Florence’s monthly revenue had already grown from $675 to $788 and she’s decided to save the first $2 she earns each day. After completing her training, she even felt confident enough to take a commercial loan, investing the funds directly into her business to support further growth.

A new level of independence
Florence’s business success has transformed her family life. She supports her daughter and granddaughter, pays her daughter’s college fees and can now afford outings for the three of them “to the park and to have something to eat.” She is also able to visit her parents her parents in Kisumu more than once a year – an eight hour trip she can now afford to make regularly.
“Now I can pay for things for my granddaughter that I could not for my daughter,” Florence says. “I never thought people from outside Kibera would come to my salon, but they do.”

Gaudensia lives in Singida, Tanzania, where almost a third of people in rural areas live below the extreme poverty line.

In January 2024, she joined Hand in Hand’s programme in the hope of turning her talent for designing and making batik fabrics into a business.

Guided by Hand in Hand trainers, she learned the financial and marketing skills she needed to succeed.

From these small beginnings, her reputation spread far beyond her village. Within a year, her monthly income had increased from $35 to $233.

“It is like my life was in the dark before I joined Hand in Hand. I didn’t know how to use my talent and what I had despite being trained. I am now known by many people, I get money from what I know and the skills I have.”

“I was no longer just a batik-making artist; I have become a symbol of resilience and creativity in my community.”

Her success has transformed family life too. Her husband, Joshua, who always believed in her talent, now actively supports the business, helping her source materials and meet growing demand.

Gaudensia’s ambitions continue to grow. She dreams of opening a shop where she can sell her designs not only in her village, but across Tanzania. She also hopes to establish a training centre where women and young people can learn the art of batik making.

“I want to run a successful business and for my products to go outside my country. I want to be an example to women in my village and for young people to learn from me.”

Hand in Hand International has launched an ambitious new Acceleration Strategy building on six years of successful programming that has supported 10,000 entrepreneurs (80% women) to strengthen and scale their businesses. These entrepreneurs have moved well beyond the poverty line and closer to long-term economic security. The new strategy sets out to reach 50,000 business owners by 2030.

Hand in Hand’s acceleration programme is the ‘next step’ for women entrepreneurs, many of whom have already graduated from the charity’s initial business training programme.

Despite the critical role micro and small enterprises play in East Africa’s economies, a significant support gap persists. Most acceleration initiatives in the region target larger, more established businesses — often ten times the size of those Hand in Hand serves. Meanwhile, “poverty graduation” programmes tend to focus on entrepreneurs living below the poverty line.

This leaves microenterprise owners — earning on or just above the poverty line — overlooked when it comes to scaling and acceleration support – in fact, in Kenya for example, only 2% of the country’s 7.4 million MSMEs have grown into small or medium-sized enterprises.

Hand in Hand’s Acceleration Strategy aims to bridge this gap. The strategy outlines how advanced business training, tailored mentoring, peer networks, and digital marketing skills can help entrepreneurs grow their incomes to $15 a day – an income level that drives transformational improvements in healthcare, housing and nutrition.

At this stage of growth, enterprises transition from micro to SMEs. SMEs tend to be more resilient and have greater impact on poverty reduction through multiplier effects such as increased job creation.

Nick Lynch-Staunton, Head of Programmes, Acceleration and Climate, Hand in Hand International, said:

“We are excited to launch this new strategy, marking an important milestone in our ongoing work to accelerate women-led businesses.

“Our approach fills a crucial unmet need — women who have the skills and ambition to grow their businesses, but who lack access to the specialist support required to take that next step.

“When we help one woman grow her enterprise, the impact extends far beyond her household. We help create an ecosystem of larger, more sustainable and resilient businesses, that will employ local people and drive down poverty at scale.

“Our acceleration work builds on six years of programming made possible through the generous partnership of organisations that share our mission to reduce poverty by supporting women entrepreneurs. To reach 50,000 business owners by 2030, partnership will be essential, and we look forward to working with more individuals and organisations who share this ambition.”

Read the strategy here

Hand in Hand International’s Annual Impact Report is a snapshot of the difference we’ve made for women entrepreneurs over the past financial year – made possible by the generous support of our partners and funders.

Last year, we continued to demonstrate why women’s economic empowerment is vital to tackling poverty. When women can earn and control their own incomes, they lift their families out of poverty and ignite local economies

At the heart of our what we do is our locally-led approach – our network is a model built on the belief that communities themselves hold the keys to their own growth. Because each one our network partners is fully independent, they can go where the need is greatest – quickly embedding in the communities they serve.

Key achievements:

• • Expanded reach: New branches opened in Kunduz, Afghanistan and Singida, Tanzania, meaning we now operate in five provinces in Afghanistan, 30 in Kenya, and six in Tanzania.
  • 1.3 million jobs created across our global network, bringing our cumulative total to 11,390,476 jobs since inception.
  • 80% of women we work with have the power to make decisions about the things that affect their lives.*
  • 40% of programme participants report being able to withstand a financial shock without borrowing money or selling assets.*
  • Entrepreneurs trained by Hand in Hand saw an average increase in net profit of 121%.*
  • To date, we have reached 39,700 smallholder farmers across Kenya and Tanzania with regenerative agriculture training, which boosts soil health and improves biodiversity. On average, those who fully transition to regenerative methods increased their incomes by 115%, thanks to reduced input costs and higher yields. Last year, we took our message to COP in Baku, calling for smallholder farmers – who produce one-third of the world’s food – to be equipped with the skills and resources needed to restore the land they steward.
  • Despite ongoing restrictions, Hand in Hand continues to operate across five provinces in Afghanistan, reaching around 7,000 entrepreneurs this year. Beyond livelihoods, these small groups provide essential social support, helping women overcome isolation and poor mental health.
  • Last year, nearly 25,000 people – including husbands and community leaders – took part in sessions designed to challenge restrictive gender norms that prevent women making the most of their businesses.
  • We are also running one of East Africa’s largest randomised controlled trials (RCTs), reaching 4,500 women in 144 Tanzanian villages, to measure how far engaging with men can amplify women business owner’s profits
  • We equipped 6,500 existing entrepreneurs – 80% of them women – with the tools and confidence to scale up their enterprises, through our ‘acceleration training’ – boosting incomes by an average of 77%, through digital and financial skills, market connections, mentoring and access to credit.

*(Endline results from 19 projects representing approximately 73,000 participants over the last three years.)

Read the report here.

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Hand in Hand International’s Co-Founder and Honorary Chairman, Percy Barnevik.

Amalia Johnsson, Hand in Hand International CEO, said: “We are deeply saddened by the news and our thoughts are with Percy’s family. Percy will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him. His belief – that with the right skills and training, people can find their own way out of poverty – became the foundation of Hand in Hand. As he once said, ‘Hand in Hand is my last, my biggest and my most important project.’

“For over a decade, Percy brought his extraordinary energy, influence, and business acumen to building a global organisation that has created more than 10 million jobs and transformed countless communities. He often signed his letters ‘Your Friend’ – and to Hand in Hand staff across the world, he was that and more: a champion and an inspiration. His unwavering optimism and commitment to fighting poverty through entrepreneurship will continue to guide us. He will be sorely missed by all his friends and colleagues at Hand in Hand.”

Bruce Grant, Chair of Hand in Hand International, said: “My thoughts are with Percy’s family and his many friends. Yet the sadness of his death also illuminates the legacy of his life: a global organization to help tens of millions find their own route out of poverty through grassroots entrepreneurship – indeed a life of great success and significance.”

On Tuesday, 20th May, Hand in Hand supporters came together to honour the resilience of women entrepreneurs fighting poverty in some of the world’s toughest places.

The event took place in the historic Churchill Room at the House of Commons and was generously hosted by Uma Kumaran MP.

Over drinks and canapés, journalist and broadcaster Roger Hearing led a lively discussion on why women are key to ending poverty. He was joined by Hand in Hand CEO Amalia Johnsson, Councillor and campaigner Amina Ali, and writer and entrepreneur Effie Hwande.

Guests also heard powerful stories from Florence Ngou, a clothing retailer; Alice Wanjiku, a bakery owner; Monica Wanja, a dairy entrepreneur; and Maureen Njue, a salon owner. The four Kenyan women had worked together to create a moving video to show on the night.

Once struggling to put food on the table, these resilient entrepreneurs – thanks to support from Hand in Hand – have built thriving businesses, transformed their families’ lives, and inspired hope for future generations.

Speaking after the event, Hand in Hand CEO Amalia Johnsson, said: “It was a true privilege to share a room with so many of our long-standing  supporters, as well as friends old and new.

“As I said last night: One in four women in Africa is an entrepreneur. That’s millions of women like Florence, Alice, Monica, and Maureen. With the right support, these women are an unstoppable force – one that will ignite entire economies.”