KEPSA Foundation led by the Executive Director, Ms. Gloria Ndekei in partnership with World Vision Kenya (WV-Kenya) on 12^th April 2023, organised a workshop to undertake Salgaa Area Program Market Value Chain Analysis. The workshop sought to identify critical market value chains in Salgaa with a view to engaging women and youth groups in gainful economic empowerment activities. Other participants in the forum included the community members and DHL.

Ms. Ndekei in her remarks underscored the value of women's economic empowerment geared towards uplifting women who more often than not are faced with the impacts of poverty's vicious cycle at the bottom of the pyramid.  Ms. Ndekei hailed the idea of conducting a situation analysis in salgaa to establish women's participation in business. She advised on the importance of generating business ideas and opportunities through a Gender Sensitive Value Chain analysis. This would make it possible for women to join lucrative areas thus allowing more women to participate in male-dominated sectors like transport and in hospitality in Salgaa. She further advised on embracing technological solutions to efficiently run businesses and expounding other ways of boosting productivity and competitiveness of women-led and owned businesses.

Ms. Jacqueline Rioba, the WV- Kenya Director of Resource Acquisition and Management, provided an overview of World Vision and the Salgaa area as per the results of a project feasibility study undertaken in 2020. She noted that despite the area being a fast-growing industrial town that sits on a trans-national highway used by long-haul cargo vehicles, horticultural farms, industries, and educational institutions, the area is also characterized by numerous challenges. These challenges include neglected children exposed to high risk of abuse, exploitation, and diseases; low household income hence unable to meet their children’s basic needs; abusive and exploitative social environment, and Gender-Based Violence.

The inclusion of representatives of Salgaa area community members, Mr. Vincent Koech and Ms. Mercy Tuguye provided critical input into the discussion by voicing out the challenges faced by the women of the Salgaa area and being vocal in mapping out the existing economic activities and proposals on viable business ideas.

Under the technical facilitation of Ms. Jedidah Ganira, the WV - Kenya Livelihood and Resilience Technical Advisor, the workshop conducted an enterprise analysis by identifying all potential market value chains in Salgaa and surrounding areas, profitability analysis for narrowing down to the most viable value chain suitable for women and youth groups at the bottom of the pyramid in Salgaa; outlined critical resource requirements for the development of the identified value chains; and mapped out key value chains and potential partners for the engagement.

Following this workshop, Hay, Goat and Sheep, Poultry, and Kiondo weaving value chains were identified as highly potent value chains with a high return on investment, acceptable, profitable value chains, and minimum risk for women in the Salgaa area.