30 women in rural Nakuru, Kenya, increase their income by 60% within three years, and reduce dependence on seasonal labor by 80%, by launching tailoring businesses after receiving comprehensive vocational and business training.

Local Solution

Building on the success of an initial pilot where 10 young women were trained in tailoring and entrepreneurship, Kalyet Afya Foundation (KAF) is now expanding this impactful model to reach three additional localities over the next three years. In Nakuru County’s rural communities, many young women face unemployment, limited formal education, and cyclical poverty. Despite their strong desire to improve their lives, they lack access to sustainable skills and meaningful employment opportunities.

Our approach focuses on equipping 10 vulnerable women annually, aged 18 to 35, with practical tailoring and dressmaking skills, complemented by financial literacy and business management training. Delivered over six months by experienced local trainers, the curriculum covers sewing, pattern drafting, embroidery, and fashion design. Additionally, within two months, participants learn business skills, financial planning, and collective savings through self-help groups, empowering them to manage their enterprise and access markets effectively.

KAF plans to establish 3 central tailoring shops employing the best trainees, who will serve as trainers for future cohorts. KAF will facilitate internships opportunities and employment placement for women not employed at the centres. Once they have saved enough through the SHGs, they can start their own ventures. In collaboration with the women, KAF will seek tenders, and income generated will support the women’s wages, shop operating costs, and machine  .

With proven community development expertise and a successful track record, KAF’s approach not only imparts technical skills but also promotes confidence, leadership, and peer mentorship, ensuring the long-term sustainability of women-led enterprise.

Lives Improved

This project directly empowers 30 young women to become independent entrepreneurs within three years. Their efforts will benefit at least 120 family members through increased household income, improved nutrition, and better living conditions.

Community Impact

As successful business owners and role models, these women inspire others in their communities, creating employment opportunities and strengthening local economies. Achieving an employment and entrepreneurship rate of at least 85% for trainees, meaning a minimum of 25 out of 30 women will see them employed as staff/trainers in the three KAF central shops, placed in paid internships or local garment businesses, or managing their own income-generating tailoring micro-enterprises. This success will lead to increased household incomes (by at least 50% within 12 months), community recognition of women’s entrepreneurial roles, and the growth of affordable, locally-made clothing, thereby boosting community resilience.

Aligned with SDGs 1, 4, and 8, this initiative promotes a more equitable and resilient community. When local shops thrive and women lead economic change, the entire community benefits, making this project a catalyst for sustainable development.

Budget

The total project budget is Ksh 4,241,978 (or €27,997). The donation will be allocated as follows:

• Stakeholder meetings and engagement activities
• Acquisition of tailoring machines, training materials, and other necessary tools for effective skills transfer.
• Rental and utility costs for training venues, including water and electricity.
• Training personnel and facilitation
• Initial tailoring shops setup costs.
• Project management, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting cost
• 5% to iMPACT direct for facilitating direct donations to local solutions (covering our costs for the website, financial costs of direct donations, and basic costs to support NGOs in promotion and fundraising.)

Own contribution:
Kalyet Afya Foundation (KAF) will cover the costs of outsourcing finance and business management training, as well as SHGs training and registration.

Testimonial

“By four months in, I started getting orders for uniforms and custom clothing. The community’s support boosted my confidence and showed they trusted my skills, making me see tailoring as a real income source.” — Nelima

What about the other participants who will not be employed by KAF?

For all other participants, we  will actively facilitate internship opportunities with local garment businesses and explore direct employment placement.  After gaining work experience and building initial capital, these participants can access small loans through our self-help groups to purchase equipment and confidently launch their own independent tailoring shops.

do you plan to employ all of them in the 3 shops?

wont the launched businesses not compete with the 3

The 3 shops may not be able to employ 30 women at first. Maybe in the future, as they expand.

To maximize sales and profits;  our workshops will be located in rural villages where the women live (This is where production will be happening- Large scale production), but the shops will be in a town area where some participants who have good customer service skills will be located with their  machines to continue production and sell the products.

This specialization allows us to avoid any direct competition with the participants, who will operate from their villages  providing localized community services like repairs, alterations, custom tailoring.

workshops will eb in rural areas where production takes place–thats the same villages women can set up their businesses