Emily Shitsimi’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and success. Hailing from Kawangware, Nairobi, she joined the Solar Sister Kenyan Team, then Livelyhoods Kenya, in January 2013. Until January 2018, she worked as a sales agent with remarkable success before she took a break to start a family after getting married. Life took an unexpected turn during those four years. With only one breadwinner, Emily was overwhelmed by the financial burden on her husband.
Emily had a son during her break but realized how crucial financial independence and earning her own money were. She returned to Solar Sister to help support her young family to provide a better education for her son. Her son, now four, became her main inspiration and the driving force behind her decision to rejoin the Solar Sister family.
“As a woman there is power in having your own money. You help your husband in decision-making and the prosperity of the family. I had to get back to helping my husband to provide for our young family and work towards giving my son better schooling than I received. I will be pleased to see him get picked up by a school bus to school and back. I never went to school by bus. I walked to school!”
Emily’s hard work and success as a sales agent allowed her to invest in a parcel of land and venture into sugarcane farming.
“The sugarcane is currently 3 months old, and I expect my first harvest in 15 months. This I attribute to the opportunity that Solar Sister gave me as a young girl who did not know where and how to start life. My relationship skills and hard work saw me make great returns from selling solar lamps and cookstoves before I embarked on getting married and starting a family, like every woman’s dream.”
Solar Sister’s training and support opened her mind to entrepreneurship. She hopes to get funding to increase her revenue to make this a reality.
“Before this training, I couldn’t think of starting my own business. The training that we receive regularly has helped me open my mind about having a self-sustaining business as a Solar Sister Entrepreneur other than just relying and waiting on commission as an agent. I have matured in business.”
In her marketing efforts, Emily uses her online presence, leveraging her Facebook page and connections at a local bank. It has been an essential part of her strategy. She actively builds and then maintains client relationships to secure referrals and expand her network.
“Most of my customers came from the bank, law firms, doctors, and teachers. I just discovered and identified a niche of those that would promote my sales and talk to the rest about environmental improvement. I rely mainly on word of mouth and target to get at least ten connections each, which has helped broaden my network. I then got a hold of supermarket workers and women in the market who sell cereals. Even these would get me ten new connections.
My favorite products are the Malkia Jiko (by Biolite) and Mama Yao Jiko (by Ecozoom) as I find them effective in clean energy. I am good with words and have convinced the community members to use these two stoves. As a sales agent, you must have a sweet tongue and convincing power.”
Despite her challenges, like the recent political turmoil affecting her sales, Emily’s hard work and determination shine through. She remains grateful for the support of the Solar Sister management team. She acknowledges that the opportunity has positively shaped her family’s life.
She takes every challenge as an opportunity to find solutions and grow.
In parting, Emily reiterates her dedication to Solar Sister.
“All the development that I have made, including the house that we live in, I attribute it to the work with Solar Sister. My family life has been shaped by the opportunity. Challenges are part of everyday life, and so I take them positively and get solutions through the support of the Solar Sister management team.”