“My life has been transformed from begging to being self- dependent.”
Mother of 8 and local businesswoman, Abigael, runs a successful food business in Nairobi, Kenya. Life has not been easy for Abigael, who dropped out of school in form two, due to a lack of money to cover her school fees. As a mother, Abigael faced domestic violence, which her children were also witness to. Over time, this violence and instabilty at home resulted in one of Abigael's sons, Tombolo, fleeing home for the streets, where he scavenged and sold scrap metal, which he collected from the dump site. She explains;
"My life was very hard. I had no skills and I totally depended on an abusive husband to cater for our family’s needs. I was unkempt and turned to alcohol for comfort. I never saw anything good that could possibly come out of me and we sometimes went without food. There was a time when, if anything got lost in the neighbourhood, my son was accused of stealing simply because he was considered a “chokora” (scavenger) capable of all bad things." This made Abigael feel unwanted and stigmatised. It impacted her mental health and almost led her into depression.
In November 2021, Abigael became aware of Toybox local partner, PKL, and the support they offered, when one of the street outreach workers accompanied Tombolo to his home. She was invited to join some child rights workshops aimed at supporting parents and caregivers and decided to attend, curious to know more about the organisation. To her amazement, she was encouraged to find out that PKL were there to support street children in her community.
At the project, Abigael initially received counselling, which supported her in navigating family challenges and improving her mental health. Additionally, she participated in some parenting skills training sessions, which aided her in accepting her son, Tombolo, and becoming more effective in her parenting role with her other children.
Abigael then became involved in PKL's livelihoods initiatives. She joined a local Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) where she gained financial literacy and learned effective savings practices. Through her involvement in the VSLA, Abigael also accessed credit, empowering her to launch her first business selling shoes. Reflecting on her involvement with the VSLA and her key learning, she shares; " You can start with the little you have and eventually it will grow." More recently, Abigael participated in some business training sessions, honing her entrepreneurship skills and delving into product development in juice making and peanut processing, which is the focus of her current business.
Seed capital from PKL also enabled Abigael to expand her peanut business. She shares; "My business includes making and selling peanut butter and roasted ground nuts. After PKL trained us on peanut butter making, I was so passionate about it. Immediately after the training I started my own peanut making at home. Initially I was doing door to door sales, but now I work remotely with my phone, where customers place orders even without me walking to their doorsteps. My average income in a month is Kshs 20,000 ($125) with which I'm able to pay for rent and cater for my childrens' needs with much ease. At first, I was hesitant because I doubted if people would buy from me, but to my surprise, due to the quality of my products, good packaging and labelling, my product attracted many customers and I can confidently say its thriving. I feel empowered economically and with a lot of financial freedom, my self-esteem and my confidence have gone up. I am able to make decisions and plan on my family’s needs without consulting anyone.”
Abigael has a clear plan for the future and is looking to progress her business even further. She has already registered her product under the Micro and Small Enterprise authority (MSEA), which has validated the product for market consumption. She also hopes to create employment opportunities for others and supply to main chain supermarkets. She concludes;
"My life has been transformed from begging to being self-dependent. I am easily taking care of my children needs like food, clothing, and shelter with no support from anyone. What makes me so happy is that Tombolo now works part-time in the streets and comes home to eat, bathe, and change his clothes. He currently sleeps at home and I am no longer worried about his safety at night. I moved out of the abusive marriage. My business and the income have given me my freedom and I am living a peaceful life."
