The Determination of Divine: A WAGs Journey to Empowerment
In 2015, Divine and her family fled the turmoil of their war-torn homeland in the DRC and sought refuge in Kenya. Once in Kenya, Divine faced the harsh realities of survival in an unfamiliar land. With three children to care for, Divine began selling watermelons in Nairobi while her husband worked as a night guard to make ends meet.
As their family grew, Divine recognized the need to increase their earnings and decided to set up a vegetable stall. Determined to succeed, she joined forces with a few like-minded women in her community and formed a savings group (chama). Together, they pooled their resources and bought vegetables at wholesale prices, maximizing their earnings. The six group members would meet regularly and put their contributions on a table, which became available as loans to members using a “merry-go-round” system. Divine, eager to diversify her income, took two separate loans from the group and invested in Kitenge fabric to sell. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, Divine embarked on regular journeys to rural areas, selling the vibrant fabric and returning home with successful sales. Her dedication paid off, and her income began to grow.
With increased income, Divine saw the potential for even greater success. She mobilized 20 women from her community, urging them to pool their resources and form a separate women's savings group. She used her influence to encourage the women to start their own Kitenge fabric businesses and travel with her to sell in rural areas where demand was higher and competition lower. Her efforts paid off. The women began traveling together to rural towns and returning home after two or three days with successful sales. This profitable venture allowed the group to increase their weekly contributions from KES 500 per member to KES 2,000 per member.
Through referrals from community leaders, Divine’s group was connected to RefuSHE and officially became a Women’s Ambassador Group (WAGs). Recognizing the potential within Divine's group, RefuSHE provided them with funding support, business training, and capacity building. This injection of capital fueled their entrepreneurial ambitions and opened doors to even greater opportunities.
“RefuSHE has really changed my life. They have walked with us and motivated us to work hard to pursue our dreams and become independent.”
The group's collective savings, along with the support from RefuSHE, enabled them to easily access sizeable loans in a lump sum. Divine's own loan limit increased from KES 6,000 to more than KES 40,000, empowering her to take her business to new heights.
The impact of Divine's leadership reached far beyond her immediate circle. The women she recruited, who had previously struggled to find jobs or establish businesses due to a lack of capital, experienced profound transformations. With easy access to loans within the group, they experienced exponential growth and improvement in their lives and the well-being of their families. The women could now buy food in bulk for their families, furnish their homes, and pay their children’s school fees in full rather than in installments. The husbands of Divine's group members, witnessing the positive changes in their families, expressed their gratitude to Divine for her guidance and support.
Divine's journey exemplifies the transformative power of resilience, community, and determination. As a leader, she not only empowered herself, but inspired a network of women to build a better future.