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Women Business Hub's -Trade Over Aid (TOA) Initiative Progress in 2025


Trade Over Aid (TOA) is Women Business Hub’s practical pathway from aid-dependency to trade-driven dignity. In Kisumu, TOA is implemented in partnership with Inua Village SACCO (IVS) – Kisumu Branch. Women Business Hub leads community mobilization, mentorship, and enterprise training for young women entrepreneurs and non-binary youth, while IVS provides the regulated financial rails: member onboarding, passbooks, share capital, and safe savings channels via mobile money and in-branch services.

This partnership operationalizes TOA’s model: mobilize youth cohorts, help them formalize membership (registration and passbooks), build ownership (share capital), and cultivate continuous savings habits aligned to enterprise goals. The SACCO’s cooperative structure protects member funds and fosters disciplined growth; WBH’s mentorship and market-linkages translate that savings into enterprise resilience and revenue.

Participation and gender engagement in TOA (Kisumu, Sep–Dec 2025)

Between September and December 2025, the Trade Over Aid (TOA) Initiative recorded Ksh 20,000 in member registrations, representing approximately 40 new entrants at the standard rate of Ksh 500 per member. This cohort reflects strong grassroots traction and growing interest in TOA’s inclusive economic empowerment model. Gender engagement during this period was led by female youth, who comprised approximately 65% of registered members (28 unique individuals). Male youth accounted for the remaining 35%, with 12 unique participants. These figures underscore TOA’s success in mobilizing young women while highlighting opportunities to further engage male and non-binary youth in future outreach efforts.



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