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Category: Market connections

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.”

Meet Pauline Mbugua – Succeeding in business through market connections

Posted on by admin_handinhand

In rural Kenya, women agri-entrepreneurs face barriers that men do not. They are often locked out of larger, more profitable value chains because they will typically produce in smaller volumes.

Until recently Pauline Mbugua, farmer and entrepreneur, was one of the many women whose only option was to sell her produce at a roadside stall, earning just enough to put food on the table. The vital market and business connections she needed to take her business to the next level looked set to pass her by.

From roadside stall to Kenya Nut Company supplier

Then she joined Hand in Hand’s accelerator programme and learned how to run a successful business and how to make business connections using WhatsApp for business.

Immediately, Pauline posted every item of produce she had and that, says Pauline is, “when things started to get better”. Her first online sale of bananas went for US $82, avocados now sell for up to US $0.82 per kilo, almost four times what she could earn at the market, and she now sells macadamia nuts directly the Kenya Nut Company.

Pauline says, “I didn’t get to complete my high school education…[but] joining Hand in Hand really helped me… [they] helped me plan my farm…and now I know selling online is better as compared to local sales.”