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Category: Stories

Hand in Hand International refreshes Theory of Change

Posted on by Lucy Ballantyne

The Hand in Hand model has been developed over twenty years and proven to deliver long-term, cost-effective change for the women we work with, households and communities.

In the last five years, we have expanded our programming in gender transformation, regenerative agriculture, digital skills and advanced business training.

Last year, we set out to complete a comprehensive literature review to test our assumptions and ensure our model continues to align with best practice going into a new strategic period in 2026.

“The refreshed Theory of Change better reflects and evidences the work we do: changing lives via livelihoods programmes that incorporate gender transformation, regenerative agriculture, digital skills and advanced business training for women in some of the world’s toughest places.”

Gretchen Cloutier, Senior MEL Advisor

Our refreshed Theory of Change shows how our step-by-step approach results in poverty reduction and improved quality of life time and time again.

Learn more about our Theory of Change:

 

“I can pay for things for my granddaughter that I could not for my daughter” Florence, Fashion Entrepreneur, Nairobi

Posted on by 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.”

“I have become a symbol of resilience and creativity in my community” Gaudensia, Fashion Entrepreneur, Tanzania

Posted on by jglyn@hihinternational.org

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.”

How regenerative farming helped one family move forward

Posted on by Ann Dickinson

In Ombasa, rural Kenya, Eunice Achieng, a mother of four, once relied on maize and beans, a few chickens and a cow just to keep the family going. But, as the climate changed and the soil became less fertile, costs rose, yields and profits fell. To survive, she had to work as a casual labourer on other people’s farms.

Things began to change when Eunice joined a Hand in Hand. Through training and group support, she learned how to rebuild her farm using regenerative agriculture and how to make smarter financial decisions.

Today, Eunice’s farm looks very different. Composting has helped to restore the farm’s soil and reduced the need for commercial fertiliser. Cover crops help retain moisture and keep the soil cool during hot spells, while mulching and minimum tillage protect and rebuild soil structure.

Intercropping and crop rotation have diversified yields and disrupted pest and disease cycles. A range of fruit trees provide shade, better nutrition for the family and a more resilient farm ecosystem.

Poultry now provide regular income, eggs for the household and manure for composting.

Today the farm is thriving and the impact on family life striking. Eunice no longer works on other people’s farms – she and Erick work together on their own farm, sharing tasks according to their strengths. The whole family now enjoys three meals a day, school fees are covered and they are planning to expand their home.

Weaving a more secure future

Posted on by Ann Dickinson

Before joining Hand in Hand, Petronila Gobi was surviving from one season to the next in Tanzania’s Manyara region. A widow and mother of four, she depended on a single annual sesame harvest.

Across Tanzania, around 70% of people live on less than $2.15 a day, with limited opportunities to build reliable incomes. For many women, earning a living means navigating uncertainty, debt and seasonal work.

Petronila stretched every shilling. She ate once a day, slept on a mat and delayed repairs to her collapsing home. When the money ran out, she borrowed again just to buy seeds and begin the cycle once more. To earn a little extra, she wove traditional baskets from grass and reeds, selling them locally to neighbours and friends.

Her turning point came when she joined Hand in Hand. where she learned how to save regularly, budget and manage income. While she improved her farming practices, it soon became clear the sesame crop alone would never be enough to transform her prospects.

Recognising the potential in her weaving, the Hand in Hand trainer supported Petronila to turn it into a business. Together they refined designs and built a business plan. Before long, Petronila was in a position to attend her first trade fair, in Dar es Salaam, where she sold almost all her stock.

Apart from the sales success, Petronila also made some great business contacts with buyers across the country. Including one from a supplier to hotels in Zanzibar, who later placed a large order for her waste paper baskets, trays and baskets.

Today, the income from her basket weaving enterprise means Petronila eats three meals a day, is building a roadside showroom, planning a new home and is providing occasional work and income for up to 45 people.

How digital skills helped Lizzie rebuild her business and income

Posted on by Ann Dickinson

In Nairobi’s most underserved communities, women are far less likely than men to have access to the internet. Yet digital connection can be life-changing – enabling women to grow businesses, reach new markets and build more secure futures for their families.

For Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nzule, gaining practical digital skills became the turning point in rebuilding her livelihood. Looking back, Lizzie says, “When I remember where I started, I was crying all day long. Now I have my own business and employ someone else. My life has changed beyond what I imagined.”

When Lizzie lost her office job during the Covid-19 pandemic, the family could no longer afford rent in the city, so they sold household essentials and moved to Mumbi, where living costs were lower.

Determined to earn an income, Lizzie then began selling cosmetics from home. But without market insight or business skills, she invested in products that didn’t sell.

In 2023, Lizzie joined Hand in Hand. She learned how to track income and expenses, manage stock, plan for growth and use social media to promote her business.

Applying these skills, Lizzie created her own brand and opened Lizzie Collections, a cosmetics shop in Mumbi. She began using WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok to share professional content and respond directly to customers. Lizzie has since expanded her business to include a nail spa.

Her monthly income has almost doubled, she has hired one employee, secured medical insurance for her family and can now afford her son’s college fees.

TUI Care Foundation, Friedkin Conservation Fund and Hand in Hand International launch new project to nurture nature and economies in rural Tanzania

Posted on by Lucy Ballantyne

Hand in Hand International, with funding from TUI Care Foundation’s Field to Fork Programme and Friedkin Conservation Fund, has launched a new two-year project tackling rural poverty in Tanzania. This project will unlock higher incomes for 2,700 people  – 80% of them women – and unleash the potential of women to create change in their communities by creating or expanding 1,890 microenterprises and generating 2,475 jobs.

Drawing on 20 years of experience, this partnership expands Hand in Hand International’s reach into Meatu District. In Meatu District, poverty is widespread, with most people surviving on less than $1.08 per day. Families rely on smallholder farming for income, but climate change-related drought is driving down yields and threatening livelihoods. To address this, the programme will deliver business and technical training, facilitate access to credit, and open doors to new markets. It will also equip farmers with proven climate-resilient techniques, transforming them into eco-entrepreneurs. By unlocking financial resources and expanding market access, the programme aims to boost incomes by over 80%, strengthen climate resilience, and spark a wave of prosperity across entire communities.

In Meatu District, traditional gender roles continue to shut women out from autonomy and opportunity. Many are expected to shoulder the burden of domestic work and caregiving, often without freedom to make basic decisions. To change this, the initiative will deliver gender training, working with men, women and community leaders, to challenge the norms that hold women back and empower women to shape the future they want.

By investing in women smallholders and sustainable value chains – including sunflower farming, beekeeping and poultry – the project aims to unleash a ripple effect of opportunity, resilience, and leadership – powered by women, grown from the ground up.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Friedkin Conservation Fund and TUI Care Foundation on a project that will transform the lives of women living below the poverty line. When women earn more, the whole family benefits, and communities can map a sustainable route out of poverty,” said Amalia Johnsson, CEO of Hand in Hand International.

Alexander Panczuk, Managing Director of TUI Care Foundation, added: “At TUI Care Foundation, we are proud to partner with Hand in Hand International and Friedkin Conservation Fund to bring the Field to Fork Programme to Tanzania. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to empowering communities through sustainable agriculture, inclusive entrepreneurship, and gender equality. By equipping women and smallholder farmers with the tools to thrive—both economically and environmentally—we are not only regenerating land and livelihoods, but also creating lasting links between rural economies and the tourism sector.”

Aurelia Klassarah, Program Director, at Friedkin Conservation Fund, added: “At Friedkin Conservation Fund we believe collective action, led by communities in Meatu District themselves, is crucial to economic empowerment. In this project, we’ll be tackling poverty at grassroots level by investing in sustainable value chains that the community have prioritised such as beekeeping – all while enhancing conservation and biodiversity awareness.”

Entrepreneurs in Nairobi’s informal settlements boost profits by 121%, thanks to Hand in Hand and Happel Foundation

Posted on by jglyn@hihinternational.org

A new programme by Hand in Hand International and the Happel Foundation is transforming the lives of entrepreneurs in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Equipped with new skills and resources, 1,000 small business owners in Kenya have seen their profits skyrocket by an average of 121% – equivalent to an additional USD 156 a month.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of Kenya’s economy, employing 15 million people and contributing 40% to the country’s GDP. Yet, 98% of these businesses remain microenterprises, struggling with limited market access and scalability. To address these challenges, Hand in Hand and Happel Foundation launched ‘Driving Innovation, Growth, and Income Through Invigorating Small Enterprise’ (DIGITISE).

The three-year initiative will equip 3,000 entrepreneurs – more than 80% of whom are women, to scale up their businesses, providing advanced business training, support to access credit as well as coaching and mentoring. In addition to core business training, the programme will also test the effectiveness of including a digital curriculum to help business owners master e-commerce and digital tools to help their businesses grow.

The initial results from the digital training are compelling: entrepreneurs who received digital marketing and e-commerce training reported earning KES 5,000 (USD 108) more in revenue than those who did not. However, only 49% of those trained adopted digital practices, highlighting the need for further intervention to drive adoption – especially for women, who face greater barriers to smartphone ownership and internet access.

Alexander Lanz, Managing Director, Happel Foundation, said: “Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of Kenya’s economy, yet the vast majority of these business owners struggle to scale, facing systemic barriers to growth – instead, subsisting on or just above the poverty line.

“Through the DIGITISE programme, we are providing these entrepreneurs with not just skills, but also market linkages, credit access, and digital tools to grow their businesses, and galvanize local economies”

Nick Lynch-Staunton, Head of Programmes, Acceleration and Climate, Hand in Hand International, said: “These results confirm that digital marketing has a tangible impact on revenue and profit. As we move forward with cohorts two and three, we will focus on breaking down barriers to digital adoption, particularly those facing women, ensuring even more entrepreneurs in under-served communities can take part in the digital economy, earning more and lifting their families out of poverty for good.”

Two new Trustees join the Hand in Hand International Board

Posted on by admin_handinhand

We are delighted to announce the appointment of two new Trustees to our Board, Felisters Gitau and Iris Epple-Righi.

Felisters is an innovative business leader in the FMCG sector with over a decade of experience driving multi-million dollar initiatives that enhanced revenue and market share. Currently, she is CEO of Farmers’ Choice, a leading producer of fresh and processed meats in Kenya for over 40 years.

Hand in Hand International Chairman, Bruce Grant said, “Felisters’ partnership-building skills combined with her pan African market insight will help steer our mission to increase revenue and build financial resilience among subsistence farmers across the continent.”

Iris is a highly experienced professional in the premium fashion and lifestyle industry with long standing management positions at high end department store Breuninger, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and as CEO at Escada till end of 2019. She now works on various supervisory boards.

Hand in Hand International Chairman, Bruce Grant said, “Iris is an outstanding addition to our board whose experience in creating long term growth at scale, combined with a passion for women’s leadership, closely relate to our own goals. She will help us to equip under-served women with the skills and resources to earn more money, panenhoki77 ignite local economies and lift nations out of poverty.”

Meet Magadalene Radier – eco entrepreneur

Posted on by admin_handinhand

The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, of which around 82 million tonnes is mismanaged or littered. This means it’s not stored in secure landfills, recycled or incinerated.

Mombassa’s population of 1.5 million people generates 900 tonnes of waste a day – a figure the city’s infrastructure simply can’t cope with. A lot of this waste works its way into the Mtopanga river, which was once a source of clean drinking water.

Magadalene Radier used to look at the plastic waste surrounding her home in one of the poorest areas outside Mombassa and despair. Life as a single mother of four was difficult enough without the added health hazard of mountains of rubbish.

Where there’s plastic to be cleared and recycled, there is money to be made.

Magdalene joined her local Hand in Hand savings group where she learned how to start and run a small business. By embracing circular economy practices and techniques, she could make money out of the rubbish. She’d always been good at making things – what if she collected, cleaned and repurposed the plastic? Perhaps she could create something others would want to buy?

Today Magdalene’s recycled plastic flowers and garlands are in demand for local weddings and her children’s toys are popular with children and parents alike. This creativity, combined with her Hand in Hand business know how, has enabled her to earn 40 per cent more.

Today she can pay her household bills, her grandson’s school fees and, at the same time, reinvest in the business. What’s more she now needs help in her expanding business so employs some of her neighbours to collect the plastic waste.

“In everything I do, I think about the future of my children and the world we leave behind. Every small step towards a cleaner environment and more stable economy is a step towards a brighter future for all of us,” she says.