Divorcees from Garissa Town have come together and formed an empowerment group that will see them confront economic challenges they normally go through after being left by their husbands.
Upendo Women Empowerment Group which was formed five years ago has forty active members who engage in making washing bleaches, shampoos, detergents and even tomato sauce.
The group has incorporated other women with almost the same challenges like those with husbands who cannot provide for their families, widows and with those living with the disability.
In a Somali community that allows men to marry up to four wives, the number of divorcees keeps on going up because the man with already four wives will be forced to divorce one in order to marry another one something the women said it has brought suffering and poverty to many of them.
The group chairlady Madina Hussein said they decided to pool their resources together through member’s monthly contributions and started a soap and detergent making business where they buy raw materials from Nairobi and mix them to produce detergents and other products.
"With the little capital we have, the group has opened up a shop in the heart of the town to serve as stocking place for our products while other women will hawk them in some estates within the town or restaurants and lodges," said Medina.
She said they chose to do that kind of business as opposed to selling miraa which is now a reserved business for divorcees arguing that miraa business is associated with promiscuity where a number of women have died due to the deadly disease.
Although their business is yet to pick up, Madina said they face a range of challenges including illiteracy since 90% of the group members never stepped their foot in a classroom.
The chairlady appealed to the Garissa County government to prioritize women groups in awarding supply tenders to the county offices and even the hospitals.
"The group members still require capacity building programs that will open up their minds and look for more funding such as the women and uwezo fund," Madina said
With this, according to the chairlady will enable the group open more branches in the seven sub-counties and assist other women with similar challenges.
The group also encouraged the local community to embrace homemade products to promote their business.
Members of the group can now send their children back to school and have food on the table on their own.