Success Stories
Developing countries where the Walleighs have lived or visited have entrepreneurial spirit just as developed countries do. These entrepreneurs have many more challenges to face in their small businesses, in urban areas and especially in rural regions. TechnoServe is helping farmers become entrepreneurs in operating as cash-crop businesses and not just relying on subsistence living. Sometimes TechnoServe works with agricultural processors (e.g., grain mills) to enable hundreds of smallholder farmers to efficiently process their crops. Sometimes it links cooperatives to markets. And TechnoServe is definitely assisting urban entrepreneurs to expand their horizons. It is this entrepreneurial spirit in Africa and Latin America that is the foundation for hope and excitement for the future.
Kenya Successes: Hospitality Growth at Mountain Top Institute
Establishing this institute in 2002, Patrick Mwangi’s business had grown to several ventures in Hospitality Services, including a beauty institute, guest hotel, restaurant, college hostels and catering. In 2007 this growth-oriented business was on a US$142,000...
Kenya Successes: Visiting Businesses Started by Young Women in Enterprise
During 2007, Wendy accompanied the Young Women in Enterprise (YWE) staff on a visit to Mukuruto some of the businesses which had been started by a few members of this community-based (non- school) YWE clubs. Mukuru is one of the many “informal settlements” aka slums...
Kenya Successes: Springsand Bakery “Puffs Up” its Market
Starting in 2002, Anderson Muchangi Misoniki opened one retail bread and cake bakery outlet in Embu, in Central Kenya. This growth-oriented business was on a US$57,000 run-rate for annual turnover. He generally employed 12 people full-time. Anderson has a banking and...
Kenya Successes: Popular Kikoi Cloth Company
Starting in 2008, for its Phase Two program, TechnoServe’s Young Women in Enterprise (YWE) was considering how to identify businesses in which to place the young women in internships so they would learn both the soft and hard skills of employment. Through local...
Kenya Successes: TechnoServe’s Young Women in Enterprise Program
Starting May 2006, the Nike Foundation funded TechnoServe Kenya in partnership with Project Baobab based in Nairobi to create Young Women in Enterprise (YWE, which now continues through 2013). Through 2012, together they implemented a program to raise the level of...
Kenya Successes: Upscaling Program to Grow Micro-Enterprises
As a New York Times (NYT) March 2008 article titled Missing Middle noted, microloans had become an important element in alleviating poverty. For example, the microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, while celebrities like Natalie Portman...
Kenya Successes: Cecilia’s Kacece Creations Grew Due to Young Women in Enterprise
Wendy first met Cecilia Katungwa in March 2007 at the inter-club Young Women in Enterprise business plan competition. Wendy was so impressed with Cecilia's entrepreneurship, that she ordered 30 knitted scarves from Cecilia to be delivered in three weeks. When...
Kenya Successes: Rachel from Korogocho Slum Started Embroidery Business with Help from YWE
Rachael, 21 years old in 2007, was the last born in a family of seven siblings. She had only attained a primary school education, due to a predicament that disrupted her entire life. At age 14, her drug-addict uncle raped her, infected her with HIV and left her...
Kenya Successes: Through Young Women in Enterprise Lydia Established Her Own Store
Lydia, 23 years old in 2007, was married to Eric Mauka (33 years old in 2007), a machine operator at a quarry. She had been caring for their 2 children, Elisha and Marion aged nine and five years old, in the Juja area near Thika—a city of approx. 200,000 about 40 km....
Kenya Successes: 2007 Believe Begin Become Business Plan Competition
To kick-start youth entrepreneurship in Kenya, TechnoServe partnered with Kenya’s Ministry of Youth Affairs to launch a national business plan competition across Kenya. In March 2007, Kenya’s Vice President and the Minister of Youth Affairs officially launched Believe...
Kenya Successes: Competition Winner Expands Bioplast Company
Each of top 20 Believe Begin Become Business Plan Competition finalists from 2007 received “after-care” in the form of business consulting by TechnoServe staff. Wendy was able to visit Bioplast Industries one year after the competition. Paul Ngugi Homba received his...
Kenya Successes: Competition Grand Prize for Language Solutions
Each of top 20 BBB finalists from 2007 received “after-care” in the form of business consulting by TechnoServe staff. Wendy visited Language Solutions one year after the Business Plan Competition. “I have no choice! I make it or I make it!” declared the very...