October Kenyan Woman of the Month

Name

Purity Adhiambo

Age

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

Agruppa Mandasi Women Cooperative

Tell us about yourself

I am 33 years old, a wife mother of two boys as well as a businesswoman. My educational background is in Community Health and Development. However, after unsuccessful attempts at securing jobs, I decided to venture into business. My first business was running a canteen within the area I live in. However, that went down and closed due to its location. In 2019, I began another business that majorly dealt with selling clothes such as socks, trousers, and dresses. I live and operate my business in Rongai, Kajiado County.

What are you most proud of?

I am proud of the fact that I took a step of faith and joined the Agruppa Mandasi Women group whose members have enlightened me in many ways. Through them, I was able to get ideas of businesses to run and also found in them a place I can be heard when I have life challenges. I have seen myself grow and I know I will go far socially and economically. In addition, I am proud of being able to contribute to my family’s breadbasket. I have a sense of worth and have plenty more things to look forward to.

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

Since my main aim was to start and operate a business successfully, I gained greatly from the business topics and especially liked the training on Record Keeping, Profit and Loss, and Business Management. Since the products I sell are seasonal, I need to be aware of when to bring what so as not to lack in sales. I also learned that as a business person I need to be flexible as the business environment changes frequently. In addition, the training on Stress Management has helped me to better cope with life’s challenges in areas of family, marriage, finance, friendships, and dealings with different people like my landlord and suppliers. I am grateful to Pangea for impacting me with the knowledge I would otherwise have not gotten from anywhere.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?

In this season of the COVID 19 pandemic, peoples’ preferences have changed. Most customers are buying food items as opposed to clothes. They are making do with the clothes they have. As a result, I found it logical to shift and sell items that customers are buying and so I sell fruits such as bananas, oranges, and avocados. I put my clothes selling business to a halt and will resume it once I sense the market demands of those items. Income is low and even meeting my households’ basic needs has been a challenge. Despite all these, we hope for better times in the near future.