Farmer Pauline took her business online. Pauline never finished school. The business started with Pauline running a small roadside fruit stand where she sold fruits and vegetables she grew on the farm. Until relatively recently, she had never seen a smartphone, let alone used one.
After completing Hand in Hand’s entrepreneurship training and gaining knowledge in social media and digital marketing, among other things. Today, Pauline is a proud and successful entrepreneur. Thanks to her newly acquired skills, she has also been able to expand into new markets and take her business online.
“It was Abdul, (who works with social media at Hand in Hand), who showed me social media and taught me about the internet. I really knew nothing, but we sat together, created pages for my farm, and posted content. I call him my son,” Pauline says.
Pauline has transformed her street stand into a thriving business. She now sells three times as much fruit as before, and she now sells her macadamia nuts directly to Kenya Nut Company. They contacted her after finding her on WhatsApp, where she now has a presence.
“Before, I was selling my products far too cheaply because I knew nothing about other markets. Online buyers also offer better prices,” Pauline explains.
Pauline is one of these concrete examples of how Hand in Hand works to combat poverty by educating entrepreneurs. As the small businesses grow, they typically hire more people. In this way, the program contributes to the entire community – with the goal of eventually eradicating poverty, in this case in Kenya.
Read more about Pauline here
