Threads of hope: Refugee entrepreneur finds new markets online

Masika Masimengo, a Congolese mother in Kakuma, keeps her culture alive by hand-weaving colourful baskets. Through the Jamii Biashara, an online market platform developed by the ILO and the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), she now markets her craft online, reaches customers she once never knew, and applies marketing tips that help her adapt styles and prices. Trained in Digitalize Your Business (DYB), Masika shows how digital access can turn waiting for walk-in buyers into a vibrant, county-wide market.

This story comes from ILO PROSPECTS Kenya, a multi-year initiative funded by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented by the ILO KNCCI. In Turkana and Garissa counties the programme strengthens local chambers, offers business-development and financial-literacy training, and expands market access—through initiatives such as the Jamii Biashara digital marketplace—to help refugee and host-community entrepreneurs start, grow, and formalise sustainable enterprises.