Community Voices Shaping Yamoi’s Approach in Chesikaki Ward

Over the past two days, Yamoi Women Enterprise Initiative engaged six women’s groups in Chesikaki Ward, Bungoma, as part of a community needs assessment aimed at understanding local priorities before designing enterprise support programmes.

The groups engaged were Chemeker, Leelmo, Tuikut A, Tuungane, Anyuon and Focus, representing a combined membership of 180 women. While not every member was able to attend the meetings, representatives from each group participated in the discussions and shared the priorities, challenges and aspirations of their members.

The needs assessment revealed that four of the six groups identified poultry farming as their preferred enterprise, recognising its potential to generate regular household income. One group expressed strong interest in water storage tanks to support farming activities, highlighting water access as a major challenge affecting agricultural productivity. One group is still exploring the most suitable enterprise and will continue working with the Yamoi team to identify an intervention that best aligns with its needs and opportunities.

These conversations reaffirmed an important principle that guides Yamoi’s work: there is no one-size-fits-all solution to economic empowerment. Every group has different priorities, resources and capacities, and meaningful interventions must be shaped by the people they are intended to serve.

The insights gathered will inform the next phase of engagement, including enterprise training, mentorship and tailored livelihood support that responds to the unique needs of each group.

At Yamoi, we believe sustainable change begins by listening, understanding and building solutions together with communities.