Street Business School (SBS) Entrepreneurship Training

Street Business School is a grassroots entrepreneurship training programme which is open to all, regardless of education level. Even those who do not know how to read and write are welcome to join this programme. This 6 month programme aims to equip micro-level entrepreneurs with the skills and support needed to start or grow their enterprise. To date, 107 community members have graduated from the Street Business School programme, with an additional cohort due to take place in the second half of 2022. The overall objective of the Street Business School is to eradicate poverty by igniting the entrepreneurial potential in Maasai Mara communities.

The entrepreneurs attend classes twice a week for six months to complete all eight modules in the SBS programme. These are:

Getting out of your comfort zone
Business opportunity identification
Finding capital and starting small
Record keeping and bookkeeping
Market research
Business planning
Growing your customer base
Money management

In addition to the classes, each entrepreneur also takes part in baselines, mid-coaching visits, and exit coaching visits. The objectives of the visits are to build a strong rapport with participants, and capture baseline midline and end line information using the SBS Taro works app so as to track project impact. The Street Business School partners with women groups and individuals to develop their entrepreneurial skills, build their confidence and increase their financial literacy creating an innovative, achievable and sociable pathway out of poverty.

SBS Success Story:

Judith is a single mother who previously worked as a room steward in a tourism camp but lost her job due to Covid-19. When she lost her job, she didn't know how she would find another job, but then she heard of the SBS training starting in Aitong and decided to join.

Thanks to the knowledge that she gained, she used her redundancy package to start a small shop and the income that she now earns is significantly higher than her previous employment. She loves now being her own boss and hopes to hire other people in the future. Her colleagues who also lost their jobs during Covid are now coming to her asking for advice on how they can also start businesses.

“All I can say is, SBS should reach more women so that they can learn what I have learned and pull themselves from stagnant businesses that do not grow. Thank you Maa Trust.”

Judith Nasieku, SBS member Aitong cohort.