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Halima's " Corporate " gives children a more secure future

When drought disrupts the food supply, life becomes uncertain for families in northern Kenya. Through a self-help group, Halima Kula gained the knowledge and opportunity to start her own business.

Halima Kula was born and raised in Golole, a village in northern Kenya where many families depend on livestock for food and income. But when the rains fail and the animals die, an important part of the families’ livelihood disappears as well. For Halima, this meant that there wasn’t always enough money to meet the family’s needs.

The change began when Halima, through Erikshjälpen, came into contact with a self-help group. There, she learned about entrepreneurship and had the opportunity to borrow money from the group’s collective savings. That was the start of her own business.

Halima Kula is standing in front of the brown store door. To Halima's left, clothes hang on hangers.

Halima Kula in her store. Photo: Annika Fransson Wetter

Before I started my business, I didn't have enough money to support my family and couldn't pay my children's school tuition

Halima Kula

With the skills she acquired, she was able to open a small store where she sells clothing. She used the profits to expand her business. Eventually, she was able to buy a refrigerator and a blender so she could also sell juice, soda, and other beverages.

Halima Kula is preparing vegetables for pirogies on a simple green sideboard outside a modest building. A bucket of meat stands next to the sideboard.

Halima Kula smiles broadly as she hangs clothes in her store. Clothes in various colors and patterns hang in front of a yellow wall.

Halima Kula rests one hand against a brown mud wall in a simple storefront under construction. She looks focused and strong. In the foreground are the simple materials used to build the walls.

Today, Halima uses her earnings to pay for food and other household expenses. She is also able to pay her children’s school fees. A more secure income makes it easier for the family to make ends meet and gives the children a better chance to continue their education.

“I’m a proud mother now. I can support my seven children with the profits from my business. I’m happy that I can take care of their needs,” says Halima.

Halima Kula is sitting in a brown chair with one of her children in her arms. Her yellow and purple house is visible in the background.

Halima Kula is standing in the doorway of her yellow and purple house. The sky is clear blue. A small child is walking in front of the house. A woman is sitting in the shade against the wall of the house.

Halima walks toward her two cows. One of the cows is white and the other is mostly black. The sky is clear blue.

Halima Kula is standing in the doorway of her yellow and purple house. She radiates strength and determination.

I'm a proud mother now. I can support my seven children with the profits from my business.

Halima

Through Erikshjälpen, women like Halima gain the knowledge and tools to find alternative sources of income when drought makes life as a livestock owner uncertain. For Halima, this change has given her greater confidence in her own abilities, and she is happy to share her experiences with other women.

“I told the other women how my life has changed and that I can now pay for school tuition and my family’s expenses. Some of them have been inspired and have opened their own stores,” Halima says.

In the self-help group, dreams for the future are also taking shape. Halima dreams of expanding her business and starting to sell school uniforms and school supplies. The store gives her greater independence and the opportunity to create a more secure daily life for her children. Now she can work toward what she wants most: for her children to have opportunities she herself did not always have—to go to school and make their dreams come true.