Rebecca Nyaboke Gesaka is a 28-year-old wife and mother living in Kisii, Kenya. After graduating with a teaching degree several years ago, she could not find a teaching position. A friend told her about Solar Sister Kenya, and, needing work, she signed on.
Kisii town is a growing urban area in southwestern Kenya known for its fertile soil, year-round rain, and temperate climate, thanks to its positioning in the Lake Victoria lake basin. Much of Kenya’s fruits and vegetables come from the Kissi area, and the town is experiencing a lot of growth with companies and industries moving there.
Selling was new to Rebecca when she joined Solar Sister.
“Initially, I didn’t know how to sell or what it was all about,” Rebecca said. “The training taught us how to approach customers and talk with them. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
Rebecca says she enjoys her work mainly because she believes in the clean cookstoves, or “jikos,” she sells.
“I purchased a stove for myself. I’ve told people about my experience with the stove, making it easy to sell. For one thing, you can regulate the temperature much easier than with the older charcoal stoves.”
Many people in Kenya cook using charcoal. The old or traditional charcoal stove is made of clay or thin metal. It cooks hot, produces a lot of smoke, uses a lot of charcoal, and is not durable. So while the newer “jikos” are more expensive, the family saves a lot of money on charcoal. The stove lasts many years, unlike the older charcoal stoves that may only last months. And the newer, cleaner charcoal stoves do not produce smoke like traditional ones.
“I am proud of working with Solar Sister. It blesses me. It feeds me. It makes me what I am. Now, I have my own money. I can budget my money for myself. I don’t have to ask my husband for money. I even make enough to pay the school fees for my brother to attend secondary school.”