At 5:30 AM, Jackline, a Kenyan mother-of-two, is already up preparing for the long day ahead. She bathes her toddler and then heads to the market at 6:30 AM to buy fresh vegetables for her shop. 

“I love fashion and shoes. People always ask where I get my shoes, then they ask me to bring them the shoes the next day,” says Precious, 20, from southeastern Kenya. What began as an interest in fashion is growing into a thriving business.

Kenyan single mother of three, Rose, is one of millions of young women in Africa in danger of being left behind because they don’t complete secondary education. Through Educate!, she is now thriving as the owner of a second-hand clothing stall. Rose was empowered through SkillUp, Educate!’s innovative, cost-effective bootcamp that combines skills training, practical experience, and individualized support over six weeks in Kenya.

As a budding and ambitious entrepreneur, you can hear the energy in Sheila’s voice as she talks about her growing business, young family, and eagerness to support women in her community. But as she recounts her journey, Sheila’s tone changes. Her path to get to where she is today hasn’t been easy.

This January, Educate!’s Kenya Program Director, Diana Mwai, helped chair the “Ministerial Exchange session” at the 2020 Education World Forum – joining the largest gathering of education and skills ministers in the world. Diana leads Educate!’s programming and government engagement strategy in Kenya, bringing diverse experience and a unique perspective to this interactive panel. 

Educate! is proud to announce a catalytic new partnership with the IKEA Foundation to support our work in Kenya.