I used to wash clothes for people – Caroline Awuor opens up on her journey into Hydroponics farming

brian oruta

December 30, 2020 9:30 PM

Caroline Awuor is a hydroponics farmer, and the owner of Agrilets Enterprise in Rungiri, Kikuyu. Before she earned this title, she worked as a casual worker, washing clothes for other people to earn a living.

Caroline Awuor opens up on her journey into Hydroponics farming

Washing clothes was what she would mostly end up doing but she would also do other small jobs, like plaiting hair, and any other jobs that would come her way to make ends meet.

Ms Awuor joined KCB Foundation’s 2jiajiri programme in 2018 after learning of it online and from a few of her friends. She underwent a three-month training and was then among those who were given loans by KCB to establish her business.

2jiajiri is an enterprise development programme that aims to catalyse job and wealth creation for youth across Eastern Africa, and is part of KCB Group’s support towards uplifting society through skills development and job creation among youth.

Caroline Awuor specialised in hydroponics farming and she says the decision she made with some of her friends because they needed to better their lives, and she would not hesitate to advise anyone interested in moving that direction to go for it.

“2jiajiri has helped me with finding a ready market for my lettuce. Our market has been constant and we’ve been selling our produce despite the challenges posed by the spread of Covid-19, and we have been receiving our money,” said Awuor.

The Agrilets Enterprise owner said 2jiajiri has walked with them through all steps they have made, and always comes in to offer solutions whenever there are challenges, and they have even hired a farm manager, who she sends daily reports on how each greenhouse is doing.

Caroline Awuor's lettuce Green House Pulse Live Kenya

The program also follows up on everything, and when they have difficulty repaying the loan, 2jiajiri sends a team to meet with them and find solutions to whatever it is that is making it difficult for them to repay the loan.

“They have employed a farm manager on the ground, they bought us a water storage tank, they pay our water bills and when we are unable to buy water for the greenhouses, they do it for us,” she says.

From her experience with 2jiajiri, Ms Awuor can see the change that KCB Foundation seeks to bring to people’s lives and she would recommend the programme to the youth as they can learn and get a start into business.

She sees 2jiajiri as a gateway to job creation and employment opportunities for many young people.