Quiet Power: How the Modogashe Women Milk Group are Changing their Lives One Milk Jar at a Time

Garissa County, home to vast desert landscapes and predominantly pastoralist communities, has weathered its share of hard times. In light of climate change, the recent floods – part of the heavy rains of late 2023 – displaced families and claimed lives, testing an already fragile system. Yet, stories like Siyadha’s reveal another side of the region: one of quiet perseverance, collective strength, and women leading the charge in rebuilding and sustaining their communities.

When Siyadha wakes up each morning, her day begins long before she opens the doors of the milk shop. As a widow and mother to one child, she tends to her daughter, prepares the household for the day, and then heads out to do the work that sustains her family. After training sessions on financial management and saving, offered by Cooperative Bank in 2024, the group received a grant of KSh 200,000 and a crucial linkage to the Livestock Market System. With this, their milk business was born.

“We opened a bank account where we deposit our monthly savings”. Says Siyadha.

The grant allowed the women to purchase milk storage jars, a refrigerator, a solar-powered generator, an office table, chair, and even a savings box – signalling the beginning of a formalized operation. In 2025, additional financial support of KSh 121,000 from Pastoralists Girls Initiative in collaboration with Oxfam Kenya strengthened the group’s footing, enabling them to package and brand their products. Today, the group not only sells fresh milk but also adds value to surplus milk, turning it into yogurt and sour milk – popularly referred to as maziwa mala.

The ambitions of the Modogashe Women Milk Savings and Credit Co-operative Society Limited stretch beyond Modogashe. The women dream of distributing their products across neighbouring counties, throughout Kenya and beyond. To diversify their income, the women buy and sell goats at a profit – a practice deeply rooted in the pastoralist traditions of Garissa County. Through the cooperative, women can also access soft loans – small but significant amounts that can be life-changing when the time is tight and resources are scarce. For many, these loans have ensured that their children’s school fees is paid on time and that family needs are met without sliding into debt. For Siyadha, the ripple-effects have been transformative. Eight months ago, she opened a small hotel in the market – a venture made possible by disciplined saving and the steady income from the milk and livestock business. At her hotel, she has hired help and she prepares and sells mandazi (doughnuts) rice, beans, spaghetti, tea, ugali and other meals to traders and customers passing through. It is a space she runs with quiet pride, a symbol of how far she has come.

Born and raised in Modogashe, Siyadha grew up at a time when girls were rarely taken to school, and income generating opportunities for women felt distant. “Now things have changed,” she reflects. At 32, she is a business owner. “Women in Modogashe are working, earning and taking care of their families alongside their husbands.” For the women of the Modogashe Women Milk Savings and Credit Co-operative Society Limited, the cooperative has not only nurtured financial resilience, it has shaped what is possible.

“Now things have changed. Women in Modogashe are working, earning and taking care of their families alongside their husbands,” she reflects. Pastoralist Girls Initiative and Oxfam Kenya are working together to help the group acquire Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) certification which will not only ensure product safety and quality, but also build consumer confidence and facilitate market access within Garissa County and beyond. “I am very happy. I would like to thank PGI and all the stakeholders for the support we have received. I cannot even express how grateful we are”, says Siyadha.

Modogashe Women Milk Savings and Credit Co-operative Society Limited’s story is one of resilience – crafted daily in a small shop, in jars of milk and in the determined footsteps of women like Siyadha who refuse to stand still. This group is a testament of what is possible when women are offered support and the space to spread their wings.