Women Win
The Women Win project was a collaborative endeavor recognizing women’s crucial role in Kenya’s thriving flower industry. Through research and coordination, we mapped past initiatives to empower women in the industry and assessed their impact. By engaging with various stakeholders, including government bodies, civil society, and industry players, we facilitated a learning exchange program to understand existing knowledge and initiatives. This culminated in three workshops where stakeholders convened to review trends, successes, challenges, gaps, and opportunities in promoting gender equality, such as in women-owned businesses in the flower sector. The objectives were to deliberate on these challenges, share experiences from business owners and active organizations, discuss practical strategies for business initiation, growth, and sustainability, and propose interventions to strengthen women-owned enterprises and start-ups in the flower sector. Together, we crafted an action plan to drive meaningful change and create a more inclusive and equitable environment for women in Kenya’s flower industry. The key focus of this project was to truly understand what women need and how they can be supported.
Project Objectives
To address gender disparities within Kenya’s thriving flower industry and recognize women’s vital role.
Target Groups & Impact
Target Group: The project targeted women-owned enterprises and start-ups (not flower cutters) in the flower industry. We also engaged with various stakeholders, including government bodies, civil society, and industry players.
Impact: Including multiple stakeholders gave us invaluable insights into women’s challenges and actual needs in the flower industry. This project, conceived just before the COVID-19 pandemic and executed during it, highlighted the difficulties faced during times of crisis. We drew on research conducted by KEPSA, which underscored the severe impact of the pandemic on the agriculture sector, particularly women’s economic resilience. Challenges for women-owned businesses included access to financing, information, markets, institutional capacity, and barriers to entry. The project’s findings and recommendations have the potential to significantly enhance the industry’s gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, making a tangible difference in the lives of women in the flower industry.
Flower farm owners, NGOs, and the private sector discussed strategies to prevent job loss among women on flower farms, tackle the lack of skills, capital, and market access, and improve literacy and education levels. The project emphasized training on vocational and entrepreneurship skills and efforts to combat transactional sex among flower farm workers. Other topics addressed included gender inequality, legal obligations, access to land rights, mental health, and inadequate support systems. Partnerships and advocacy were identified as key strategies to address these challenges, providing a clear roadmap for future action.
Project Partners
Related Projects
Circularity in Action: Lessons from SIB-Kenya’s Decade of Impact
In this special episode of The Exchange Podcast, we celebrate 10 years of Sustainable Inclusive Business (SIB-Kenya). Project Director Karin Boomsma joins us to demystify the circular economy and discuss how Kenyan businesses are moving beyond traditional CSR toward sustainable, regenerative practices. Highlights from the Episode: Why This Matters As we look toward the future, […]
Wear The Green Future
The “Wear the Green Future” project is a flagship initiative funded by Nationale Postcode Loterij (NPL) led by Edukans Kenya, and co-implemented by Sprout Africa, and SIB-Kenya. The project is dedicated to equipping young people with the essential skills for sustainable and circular practices within the textile, apparel and fashion industry. Through training, mentoring, and the establishment of robust […]
NoSUP (Singe Use Plastics) USe Campaign
No SUP Use Campaign (No Single Use Plastics Use) Eliminating Problematic & Unnecessary Single‑Use Plastics in Kenya’s Hospitality & Tourism Sector Lead: Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP) Strategic Partners: WWF Kenya, KEBS, NEMA, Sustainable Inclusive Business – KEPSA (SIB‑K) Launched: 29 October 2025 Official Public Unveiling: 10th Annual Circular Economy Conference – 19–20 November 2025 a [...]
