London, February 2020
When we founded Bidhaa Sasa, our mission was clear: deliver life-improving products to rural households in Kenya. But we quickly realized that to truly make an impact, we needed to center our approach around the women who form the backbone of these communities.
As Rocío aptly put it,
“They think women in the countryside aren’t empowered, that they don’t have money. But rural life is very much a female business.”
Understanding that women are the primary decision-makers in rural households, we tailored our model to meet their needs. We introduced a credit system allowing clients to pay in instalments, ensuring affordability. Products are delivered directly to their doors, addressing the last-mile distribution challenge.
Our approach also leveraged the strong female networks prevalent in villages. Women began promoting our products to friends and neighbors, leading us to formalize this through a host-party model. These gatherings became platforms for product demonstrations, fostering trust and community engagement.
The results speak for themselves: a 98% repayment rate and a growing customer base, with 70% being women.