“Let me sing a song in my mother tongue,” Akach tells us when we visit her in her home. “My heart cannot keep silent without giving thanks or praising the Lord because He has done great things for my life,” she sings in her language, Anuak. “In my free time, I like listening to gospel songs on the television. I like any song whether it is in Kikuyu or English,” Akach shared.
Akach runs a small business in Nairobi, Kenya, selling beaded wares and traditional clothing. In 2016, Akach and her four children were forced to flee their home in Ethiopia due to inter-clan conflict. “My life was good, but when fighting broke out, it made my life hard. During the time of fighting, I had been suffering. I had nowhere to run. It was not easy escaping my country,” Akach said.
In Ethiopia, Akach worked as a cleaner, earning a good salary. When she arrived in Kenya, she was forced to figure out a new way to provide for her family. Akach decided to begin her business making and selling beadwork, a craft that she learned from her parents at a young age. Akach was able to launch her business by participating in a microfinance women’s group where each member contributed 100 KSh (about $.70) each month, and then two people within the group would receive a lump sum each month to invest in their business.
“I used the money I received (from the women’s group) to buy some items and sell them, but it was small. I could not make enough profit,” Akach told us. With her profits, Akach was only able to afford one meal a day for her family and was not able to send her children to school.
In 2022, Akach was referred to RefugePoint and began receiving support, including rent assistance, food support, and medical care. Once the family was stabilized, Akach completed RefugePoint’s Business Development Skills training and received a small cash grant of 80,000 KSh (about $550) to grow her business. Akach’s business began to thrive.
“My life has changed,” Akach shared, “It is not like before. I worried a lot about whether we’d have anything to eat. But now, I don’t worry about food, school fees, and rent. Since we received assistance, my business has run smoothly. There is no worry.”
In addition to selling her beadwork to clients in Nairobi, Akach ships her products to the US, where her childhood friend from Ethiopia, who was resettled to the US, helps to sell the products and sends Akach the profits. “When I came to Kenya, she (her friend) took me in, and I lived with her before she was resettled in the US. She helped me a lot here in Kenya,” Akach shared.
All four of Akach’s children are in school, and her eldest son recently completed his secondary education. “I want him to continue studying. Even though it requires a lot of money, I will make it,” Akach said. “In the future, I will have hope for a better life because I care for them now, and I make sure that they are learning well. If they work hard in school, they will be educated well and get jobs, which will change our lives,” Akach said.
“Working for my daily living gives me joy. I don’t rely on someone else for help. Working for myself gives me strength and also provides everything I need for my living. I enjoy doing my job daily. Even these items,” she says as she proudly shows us some of her beautiful work, “I cannot wait until they are sold. I have to start the next batch!”
*Akach’s name has been changed for protection.