When the Kenyan government announced another round of lockdowns throughout several counties in early 2021, Christine was stuck far from home. RefugePoint had just given her a $300 business grant to fulfill a contract she’d gotten with a hotel chain in Lodwar, Turkana County to supply them with curtains. As a refugee from South Sudan, she was familiar with the area. Finding somewhere to stay and people to work with wasn’t a problem for her. However, sheltering in place in Lodwar meant that she would be away from her small family for an indefinite period of time.
“I miss my children. We talk all the time, though. They are understanding and they support me to keep working here,” she told us.
Christine’s first business venture was a salon that she started with support from another INGO. She ran the salon for nine months after the organization provided her with training and salon equipment. Unfortunately, her salon was broken into and the equipment was stolen in 2017. Christine struggled for a while as she set up a new business sourcing mats and making curtains.
Christine was referred to RefugePoint in late 2020, and we provided her family with food and rent support. Christine enrolled in RefugePoint’s Business Development Skills training so that she would have the best possible chance at running the new business successfully. At this point, RefugePoint provided a grant for Christine to further develop her business. By then, she had already secured the contract with the hotel chain, and the funds went towards getting the materials and labor she needed to fulfill it.
The pandemic had already affected her ability to deliver curtains on time, as the early hours of curfew in Kenya meant that she couldn’t work with her tailor late into the evening as she routinely would when she had a big order.
After finishing the contract, Christine was still stuck in Lodwar. She made the best of the situation and began working with a friend to buy dried fish from communities living alongside Lake Turkana, then selling the fish in neighboring Kitale and up to Nairobi. Christine also began canvassing for potential clients for her curtains and mats in Lodwar.
“What I really want is to fix up somewhere permanent in Nairobi. A shop I can call ‘Christine Curtains and Mats Shop,’” she told us.
Christine is working hard so that her children can have access to education and better opportunities. “I see a great future for my children,” Christine said. “Now I’m working for my children. I’ll focus mainly on my two goals of paying for their school fees and setting up my own shop.”