In 2023, Solar Sister launched the Apprenticeship Program in Kenya. The program works predominantly in urban slums to recruit participants looking to earn money, develop entrepreneurial skills, and potentially start their own businesses.
We can tell you that all of us here today will become Solar Sister Entrepreneurs as there is so much potential in Nairobi if we put into practice the lessons taught to us in class by Madam Leonidah. I even have a family here, and the exposure has helped me to know how to run a business properly. What a day this is for me!”
Graduate of the Apprentice Program, May 2024, Nairobi, Kenya
Participants work as clean energy sales agents for three months, receiving Solar Sister training on entrepreneurship and earning commissions on the products they sell. At the end of the three-month period, they can use the commissions they earn to purchase Solar Sister products and start their own clean energy businesses or use their new skills and earned commissions to pursue other endeavors.
This May, Solar Sister welcomed graduates from Kisii to Nairobi, and from Nakuru to Mombassa. These graduates began their studies in January, attending class five days a week and learning about business, marketing, and selling. The graduates received a Solar Sister Apprenticeship Certificate plus our small starter pack gift to the graduates. This was incorporated with extensive fieldwork, giving them exposure to real sales and marketing!
They bring home plenty of knowledge in entrepreneurship, and many have pledged to transition to becoming Solar Sister Entrepreneurs since they have experienced the fruits of entrepreneurship as they make sales and pay themselves.
Read about Christine Ayieko, one of our first graduates from the Apprentice Program in Mombassa who has blossomed into a successful entrepreneur.
Despite the disruptive rains in Nairobi, the Kawangware Group graduation went off as planned.
One graduate announced at the graduation:
“I would never have imagined getting an opportunity where no one is asking me for registration fees, tuition, or even a downpayment to check out products. I have much respect for Solar Sister for the opportunity they have accorded us. We can tell you that all of us here today will become Solar Sister Entrepreneurs as there is so much potential in Nairobi if we put into practice the lessons taught to us in class by Madam Leonidah. I even have a family here, and the exposure has helped me to know how to run a business properly. What a day this is for me!”
