OneLove Africa Foundation works to create economic development opportunities for rural women in East Africa which in turn impacts children and families. 

In addition to the positive economic impact, women that received training and support from OneLove Africa indicate that participating in training and starting their own ventures provided them with a greater level of respect in their communities and from their husbands and children.

Why village entrepreneurs? Why women?

 A large number of women (particularly those in villages) operate in very poor environment with little prospect of being able to work their way out of poverty. They often have a double or triple workload, combining economic activities while looking after the household and providing family care. Many women stay close to their home village, lack contact with the outside world and face mobility/transportation constraints. As a result, many villagers never have an opportunity to access resources often available in more developed centres and they seldom have opportunities for education or training. These women are often engaged in family survival strategies and businesses spring up out of necessity. Having said this, they are often creative, entrepreneurial, determined and very hard working. With even a small amount of training, tools and support they are better positioned for success. 

Entrepreneurial Training

OneLove Africa travels into rural areas to deliver entrepreneurial training to village women. The training is delivered in modules that are highly participatory and include both exercises and opportunities for discussion to maximize the learning. The training sessions are at a primary school level since many of the women do not have a formal education. Handouts and training materials are in both English and Kiswahili and include a lot of pictures and illustrations for those who do not have reading skills.   

Grants and Financial Aid

OneLove Africa provides small grants to women entrepreneurs to assist with the start up or expansion of their businesses. Grants are not based on the written word or the specific skills and education of the women. They are given to women who have a vision of their venture, a passion for what they're doing and a desire to succeed.

Ongoing Support and Mentoring

We provide resources that support the ongoing development of the micro businesses. This is critically important with any venture and even more so for village entrepreneurs who have little formal education. OneLove has developed a series of tools for group an/or peer mentoring.

What are the common businesses?

Batiking
Catering
Brick making
Crushing stone
Water harvesting
Rental of large catering dishes for weddings and special events
Growing fruits and vegetables
Making straw hats and rugs
Reselling fabric 

Sewing
Pig farming
Bead making and jewelry
Raising chickens
Reselling rice
Reselling firewood
Braiding shop
Roasting maize (corn)
Restaurant
Market stall with farm products