July Kenyan Woman of the Month

Name

Jane Angulu Anyanje

Age

What Pangea Women’s Network Cooperative are you apart of?

Tazama Women Cooperative

Tell us about yourself

I am a businesswoman, a wife, and a mother of 4 children. My main occupation is farming. I grow maize and bananas on my farm which I sell once they mature. I operate in Silanga area if Ndere town, Siaya county. I also make ‘mandazis’ (a type of pastry) for sale.

What are you most proud of?

I am proud of my association with like-minded women through whom I have learned and been able to get ideas for my social and economic growth. In our cooperative, we women strive to help each other grow in life. I started making ‘mandazis’ in 2015, but the income was not enough. My fellow women encouraged me to venture into farming. I did. I found out that I loved farming and hence I turned it into commercial farming. Since the farm produce I get is seasonal, relying mostly on the two main rain seasons in Kenya, I decided to keep my ‘mandazi’ business going so as to get a steady flow of income all year round.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned with The Pangea Network?

The most important lesson from the Pangea training was Book Keeping. I now understand when and how my business is growing. By recording my business transactions, I know where the money is spent, my business costs as well as business income, making it easy for me to calculate my profit. In addition, Personal Development enlightened me on what coping mechanisms I could use when faced with stressful situations.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?

The major effects of the pandemic are on my business. For my mandazi selling business, there is low customer turnout. Most have decided to stay in their homes as they practice the social distancing advised. More people are also cooking from home. On the other hand, I usually take bananas to the market on market days which happens twice a week. However, this too has proven a challenge as transport cost to the market is higher than before. I, therefore, choose to sell from my home to willing buyers who find their own means of transporting the bananas with them. Moreover, at the market, my regular customers want to buy the bananas on credit, which further hurts my business income. Sustaining my business is proving to be a challenge and I hope the pandemic will subside sooner rather than later.