Leah Mwachi is a widow, a mother of two and a grandmother of three. Leah lives with a disability. Following an accident in 2021 and ongoing health challenges, Leah struggled to provide for her family and lacked confidence in her ability to sustain a livelihood. Although she tried several ventures—including selling eggs from her chickens—she often settled for less, doubting her capacity to succeed. Leah lives in Langas, a low-income area in Eldoret City. Langas is a highly populous area where Leah desired to start a business, but self-doubt held her back.
We met Leah in April of 2026, and she joined the training on enterprise development. Two weeks into the training, Leah found the courage to act on her ideas and start a business. She borrowed Kshs. 500 from her Savings Investments and Lending Community (SILC) Group, and used that as her capital to start a small business selling chapatis (a soft, layered flatbread made with wheat) near her home. As a result of the training, she reports that she gained confidence, learnt to keep records, and discovered the importance of saving. She soon diversified into selling vegetables, steadily expanding her business.
Leah credits sessions on Mindset Shift and Business Idea Development for helping her overcome self‑doubt, while Marketing and Selling taught her to listen to her customers and meet their needs. She now aspires to add cooked beans to her menu to complement her chapatis.
From the business, Leah makes a profit of about Kshs. 1200 ($9) daily. She is now able to save and provide food and pay school fees for her family of five. Her weekly savings in the SILC group have increased from Kshs. 100 ($0.77) to Kshs. 300 ($ 2.32), and joined another weekly savings group where she saves an additional Kshs. 300.
Leah shares enthusiastically: “I didn’t even think I could do it… but now I know I can run a business. However, records are helping me, and now I know how to make money.”
Leah remains determined to educate her grandchildren and give them a better life. She believes in working hard to sustain herself and provide for her family. She hopes to keep growing the business.