Mama Rise

Over this reporting period, Saidika Organization continued implementing the Mama Rise project, supporting young mothers with practical entrepreneurship skills, financial literacy, mentorship and business development support. The project is designed to reach 300 young mothers in Kibera, Kisumu and Busia, helping participants strengthen their ability to generate income, support their families and build more secure livelihoods.

Our approach goes beyond simply providing training. We focus on helping young mothers understand how to identify business opportunities, manage limited resources, save, make informed financial decisions and develop enterprises that can respond to real needs within their communities. This is particularly important for young mothers who often experience barriers to employment, limited access to capital and exclusion from economic opportunities.

Progress and Reach

During this reporting period, we continued to strengthen our Imara na Biashara entrepreneurship and economic empowerment activities. Across Saidika's youth empowerment work, 512 young people have participated in entrepreneurship training, while the Mama Rise initiative continues to provide a focused pathway for young mothers to develop practical business skills and confidence.

We have also continued providing mentorship and follow-up support because we have learned that training alone is not enough. Young entrepreneurs need encouragement, practical guidance, networks and opportunities to apply what they learn. Our goal is therefore to support participants beyond the classroom and help them translate knowledge into practical economic activity.

What We Are Learning

One of the most important lessons from this work is that economic empowerment takes time. A young mother may complete a business training session, but her journey does not end there. She may still need support to identify a viable business idea, access affordable capital, manage cash flow, find customers or balance entrepreneurship with childcare and household responsibilities.

This has encouraged Saidika to place greater emphasis on continued mentorship, peer support, savings and business networks, and linkages to opportunities that can help participants move from learning to action.

A Human-Centred Approach

Behind every number is a young mother working to create a better future for herself and her children. For many participants, entrepreneurship is not simply about owning a business. It is about having an opportunity to contribute to household income, make decisions about their future and provide greater stability for their children.

We therefore measure the success of Mama Rise not only by the number of women trained, but also by the confidence, skills, connections and economic opportunities that participants gain along the way.

Looking Ahead

In the coming reporting period, Saidika Organization will focus on:

• Expanding entrepreneurship and financial literacy training for young mothers.
• Strengthening one-on-one and peer mentorship.
• Supporting participants to develop and strengthen viable small businesses.
• Connecting young mothers to savings, markets, business networks and other appropriate opportunities.
• Strengthening monitoring and follow-up so that we can better document changes in income, business activity and household resilience.
• Reaching more young mothers in underserved communities as additional resources become available.

Thank You

We are deeply grateful to the GlobalGiving community, donors, supporters, volunteers and partners who continue to believe in the potential of young mothers