Expanding opportunities for women’s participation in the gig economy through an e-commerce platform for B2C and B2B linkages. The story of Caroline Wanjiku.
Meet Caroline Wanjiku, a 33-year old mother of three and one of the growing cohort of budding highly-skilled women artisans at Lynk Kenya. In 2018, Caroline was a jobless single mother eking meagre livelihood in Nairobi’s Huruma slums, where she encountered a local CBO, Vision Sisters, who introduced her to women’s skilling program conducted by Buildher.
She joined the programme and after 4 months, graduated with entry level skills on Carpentry and Joinery. She thereafter secured a placement at Lynk Kenya as an apprentice, guided by professionals for 8 months, to attain her Grade 3 National Industrial Training certification. With a broad smile, she now handles her own projects (making client furniture), she earns reasonably and has since moved her family to a safer middle-income Umoja Estate in Nairobi.
Caroline aims to start her own gig by 2025 and become a satellite producer for Lynk and other firms. A story of empowerment, job creation and better livelihood.