Strength in Number: How Women are Stepping Into New Futures in Garissa County

In Masalani, two women’s groups are rewriting what economic possibility looks like for young women and mothers who once stayed quietly on the margins of their community. Their stories begin in small rooms and under the shade of trees where ideas were first shared – and where many of them, for the first time, learned that their hands could build something of their own.

Development Girls Group

For the ten women of the Development Girls Group, the journey started in September 2022. Before then, most of them were stay-at-home wives with no income, no savings and no exposure to skills training. “Most of us used to depend on our husbands for every need,” says Chairlady Nasra Shafey. Today, that reality is changing. The women decided to form their group after a series of training and a cash grant by Pastoralist Girls Initiative (PGI). They bought fabric, dyes and ventured into the world of tie-and-dye custom-made deras (Dera is a loose, flowing dress commonly worn by women in the Somali community)

The group reinvests their profits and meets every Friday to discuss their weekly progress and contribute KSh 200 for group saving and a social fund they use to help community members in need. The women now carry the confidence of knowing the value of their work and hope to open a big shop as a group. Some have even started small businesses on the side. “A group is stronger than individuals working by themselves,” remarks Nasra Shafey

Alliance One Youth Group

A few kilometers away in Gumerei Village, is a group dreaming beyond their constraints, proving that when women organize, they build more than livelihoods – they build communities capable of liberating themselves. Led by their mentor and chairlady Nasra Abdi, the group counts 25 and have been trained by Pastoralist Girls Initiative (PGI), an Oxfam local partner, on financial literacy, savings, hygiene, sanitation and reproductive health – knowledge that many had never had access to.

They also received hands-on skills training: tie and dye, making shampoo, and incense (locally known as udi). “Eight targeted groups have received financial assistance in Garissa County under the Denamark-funded IBIS Project by Oxfam Kenya,” says Madina Mahat, the Gender and Health Coordinator at PGI. The Alliance One Youth Group received of a grant KSh 125,000 which they used to purchase three sewing machines at KSh 33,000 each. These machines are now used by three members of the group with tailoring skills to make affordable clothes for their community.

Beyond garment-making, the group sells honey, ghee, shampoo and incense slowly diversifying their income. “Cultural beliefs are one of the biggest challenges women and girls face. Sometimes, some group members are unable to attend meetings because their husbands refuse. Women still have to prove they can achieve their own goals in this community,” says Nasra Abdi.

While patriarchy still shapes everyday decision-making in their community – limiting what women can pursue and when – the group is pushing back through unity, knowledge and financial independence. They dream of buying a group car, which they can use to transport their items and tents for hire. Already, they are learning about farming as a future venture.

Across the two groups, a simple truth emerges: the power of women working together is transformative. Their collective strength gives them the courage to imagine more for themselves, their families, and their communities. Their stories – of new skills, new income and new identities – show that change does not arrive all at once. It begins quietly, in rooms where women gather, teach each other and decide that they are capable of more. In Masalani, that decision is reshaping lives. Their journey is only beginning – and it is undeniable powerful.