Monica Onduru knows everyone in her community near Migori, Kenya.
She’s not only a familiar face at village business meetings but also a brewer of a popular local sugarcane gin.
Monica discovered the durable solar lamps and clean cookstoves through Grace Atieno, a Solar Sister Business Associate, in the fall of 2023. She immediately recognized that these products would be a great fit for her business.
“There is no electricity in our area,” Monica explains. “People are using candles and “bush lamps,” crude kerosene lamps that burn toxic fumes.”
Along with her two business ventures, Monica actively participates in her community. She receives business training from Grace at the monthly Sisterhood meetings, advancing her in her business endeavors. Monica regularly attends networking meetings in her community where women entrepreneurs support each other by sharing skills and promoting each other’s businesses, regardless of the products they sell – be it soap or soybeans.
Monica has two Sun King lamps hanging from the ceiling in her living room, which are good examples of lanterns in use when customers visit. Several regular customers that we met during our visit told us that they had purchased lamps and even a clean cookstove, a product Monica herself prioritizes.
“The three-stone fire I used to cook on was terrible,” Monica admits. “The clean cookstove does not put out smoke, and it saves money on firewood and charcoal.”
Monica told us that her solar products and stoves have generated a lot of curiosity.
“Women are hard-working, so becoming entrepreneurs and selling these products is a good fit for women. Also, women are the ones who buy the stoves and lamps.”
Even though she has only been with Solar Sister for a few months, her clean cookstove has helped her to save money that she used to spend on charcoal or wood, while the additional income from selling the lamps and stoves has helped her to pay her children’s school fees and she even bought several goats that she uses for milk.