For the past three years, TechnoServe has partnered with Citi Foundation to celebrate Global Community Day — an opportunity to give back to local communities through service. This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Citi is partnering with TechnoServe’s Smart Duka program to distribute care packages to children’s homes and senior homes in Nairobi, Kenya.
Like many other micro-retailers in Mozambique, Juliana Mário has seen her sales decrease because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the support of TechnoServe’s Business Women Connect team, Juliana has learned how to keep her business open and maintain her livelihood through these difficult times.
In Mozambique, micro-retailers provide essential food and household goods to consumers. However, these entrepreneurs are facing new challenges as they try to adapt to the impact of COVID-19. TechnoServe surveyed micro-retailers to identify their biggest challenges in this changing environment in order to shape an effective response.
In Kenya, the coronavirus pandemic is presenting new challenges for shopkeepers who must continue supplying their customers with essential goods, even amidst a global crisis. We talked to Alice Waweru, TechnoServe’s entrepreneurship regional program manager, about the challenges these micro-retailers are facing and what TechnoServe is doing to help.
Through TechnoServe’s work with over 8,000 shopkeepers in more than half a dozen countries, we have identified four skills that all microretailers need in order to transform their businesses – and their lives.
The Smart Duka program helps entrepreneurs in Kenya’s micro-retail sector improve the profitability of their shops. Today, we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the daily activities of a TechnoServe business advisor who works on this program.
TechnoServe and Moody’s Foundation have partnered to support micro-entrepreneurs in Kenya’s micro-retail sector through the Smart Duka Initiative.
TechnoServe’s projects yield a wealth of lessons that can help us – and others – improve our work. In this series, we reflect on the lessons we have learned from our programs in Africa, India, and Latin America, sharing insights from program staff.
Owners of mom and pop shops in Nairobi are making small changes that add up to big profits.
