Sustainability + Empowerment
We are a platform that enables African refugees to become entrepreneurs. We are a team of 10 refugees in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya with a population of 200,000 and growing rapidly. Our goal is to build sustainable businesses that provide healthy food, clean water, logistics services, healthcare, education, shelter, clothing, and technology services. By doing this we enhance our lives and also create jobs. We invite you to join us in building new companies at our home, in Kakuma.
Governance
The management and governance of our enterprise are transparent and open to all without discrimination. We provide training to local people to enable them to be part of our team and make good use of our services. We also raise digital awareness to disseminate information across different layers of our end-users. We have promoted the underserved groups through subsidized offerings. 100% of our team and 80% of our users are young people between the age of 12 and 35 years old. 60% of our team and 50% of our users are female
Our Proposition
Our solution allows our users to save up to 70% of their internet budget and our local partners to eliminate the need to rely on raw materials such as fuel to power their homes or businesses. With our solution, our users leave no carbon footprint on the environment. Partner entrepreneurs are increasing their sales by 20%. The saving that our users and partners make as the result of using our services is useful to cushion economic shocks they experience including the ones caused by climate change.
Our Approach
Our business relies on partnering with the local community that we serve, and they play a crucial role in our organization serving as our advisory board for our future plans, strategies, and growth. We also have an open-door policy that allows anyone to give feedback to our management, service delivery, and approaches. The development of our products has 80% inputs from the communities we serve and the local partners we work with.
Platform
Our services enable our end-users to have access to business, employment, and education opportunities. Through our services, our users are able to sell their products to other markets, learn new skills or upgrade one, to increase their revenues and have many streams of income. Our solution provides flexibility that promotes the inclusion of women, youths, and people living with disability for building sustainable development communities.
Entrepreneurship
Through our innovative partnership approach, we create passive income for our partners (refugee entrepreneurs) to help them finance the acquisition of a solar system to power their homes, businesses, and the WI-Fi access point for reliable and affordable access to the internet in their neighborhood. We provide training and raise the general digital literacy to improve the adoption of technology-based solutions in communities we work with.
Partnership
Our business model is built on partnerships with local communities for the growth, expansion, management, and maintenance of our organization. We work with the communities we serve to plan, design, evaluate and develop products that meet their most pressing needs. Both displaced people and the host community access our services to advance their business, professional, academic, and personal goals. Kakuma Ventures is 100% youth-led among them 60% women.
"After working for other people for 15 years, Kakuma Ventures enabled me to live my dream of being the boss of myself. I proudly own a motorbike and recharging point"
Kakuma Entrepreneur
"Through Kakuma Ventures wifi, I have seen my revenue growing rapidly and the performance of my kids at school improved remarkably"
Kakuma businesswoman and mother of six
"I attended an intensive ICT training with Kakuma Ventures. I am now working and earning an income while contributing to the development of my people and community"
Youth from Kakuma
Future Plans
Our solution is applicable to rural areas, refugee camps, and slams in urban areas where there is limited access to employment, education, and business opportunities. In the next 3 years, we want to meet the energy and internet needs of 10,000 households and 1000 businesses in the Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei and expand our operations to at least 2 to 3 other refugee camps or rural areas in Kenya and the region.
Internet Connectivity
We build public wifi in neighborhoods around Kakuma Ventures and provide home internet to refugees and host communities. Our goal is to provide affordable and reliable access to the internet to users across the entire camp and the host community. Through our listing platform, members of the refugee and host communities are able to sell and buy on a secured and easy-to-navigate e-commerce portal.
Business capitals
Our free training offering equips youth from both the refugee and host communities with skills in digital literacy, e-commerce, and basic maintenance of solar systems and ICT. We then accompanied those with an entrepreneurial mindset to get started or grow their enterprises. Our goal is to reach as many young people as possible and to help drive development and innovation in their communities.