Stories: Empowering women through digital entrepreneurship

Vanissy Uwase came to Kenya from Congo in 2017 and finished high school in 2019 while living with her parents and siblings in Githurai. After leaving form four, she took a music production and sound engineering course while singing at gospel events.

Becoming an entrepreneur was not part of her long-term plans. “Before I joined CAP YEI, I had no knowledge or experience in business and social media life because I didn’t see any profit or advantages in it,” she said. “I came to know CAPYEI through a friend of mine who shared with me the details and how they support young people, including refugees.”

After joining the CAPYEI training program, she saw the potential in developing business and digital marketing skills. “It has changed my way of thinking, and it is applicable on a daily basis,” she says.

Vanissy had been singing at events for income but found she was paid much less than the amount agreed upon or, sometimes, nothing at all. Through the CAPYEI training program, she learned the importance of creating contracts, including how to capitalize on copyrights and monetize her content.

“There were many times when others would post my videos, and they would earn money from them,” she said, speaking of her performances at events. “Now, I have a YouTube channel, Tiktok and Instagram account where I post videos of my work. These accounts have boosted my name, and I am getting more and more events.”

More than just becoming a source of income, owning their own creative products boosts the self-esteem and confidence of people like Vanissy. “Through learning saving, I was able to save and buy my own guitar, which I am so proud of.”

Aimee Nyinawumwami, 23 years old woman from Congo who came to Kenya with her husband and two children in 2014, learned about the program through the community leaders in their WhatsApp group.

“Before I joined the program, I was selling the African attire: the clothes, shoes, handbags, dresses and beads,” she said. “I used to sell to just friends and family in Kenya abroad and my home country.” Although she had a talent for acting and writing, she didn’t consider it a money-making activity until she saw how online platforms could be used.

“When I joined [CAPYEI’s training program],I realized that I actually needed to understand my target audience and come up with content that will capture their attention,” she said. “After the classroom session in June, I collaborated with my husband and three other friends and started a YouTube series known Mulenga cinema, where we act based on real-life issues of Banyamulenge community of Congo. I am also a scriptwriter of the series; we do our recording every Thursday of the week.”

Because of her marketing strategies on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, she and her team have earned about 1.3k subscribers, and their regular episodes have over 2k views.

On top of gaining momentum with her creative talents, she has started a butchery in her area. “I spotted a gap whereby people in my neighbourhood who are great consumers of meat products had to walk some distance to get what they want,” she said about the training in marketing and examining the local needs. “We have great access to animals to slaughter from the Maasai community. So far, my butchery business is growing well, and we serve an average of eighty customers per day.”

Aimee also moved her African attire business online. She named it ADM shop on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, which has earned her more customers than just her friends and family. “I am now working on increasing my following and winning customers online,” she is eager to use the training from the program to expand her income. “I really thank CAPYEI for considering me in the program because it was an eye-opener for me.”