Get to know Maureen Kiganga, a Kenyan living in Germany. Through her engagement with WIDU, she has supported the development of a family-run business in Kenya that has grown into a source of income, empowerment, and pride. In this interview, she shares her journey—from initial skepticism to the joy of seeing real impact on the ground.
Kindly tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Maureen Kiganga. I live in a small town called Neuss in Germany. I originally come from Kabras, Kenya and I just moved to Germany some years back due to education. After finishing my studies, I stayed here and founded my own family.
Can you please tell us a little bit about your experience of participating in WIDU?
It has been a very beautiful journey since we got to know WIDU in 2021. My sister saw it on Facebook and she talked to me about it, and I was like, oh maybe it’s not real, so I called the German Embassy in Berlin and they told me about it and that it is in fact real. After that, we were able to start a project quickly. Until now, the new businesses that we’ve been able to create with assistance from WIDU are doing well, my family is happy. It’s nice to see how it does not only benefit them but also the community, the youth. So, it’s a positive experience I’ve had so far and I’m grateful for it.
When you think of a project that you have supported in your home country, what would you say were the knowledge and skills that you successfully contributed?
As I said earlier, I helped realizing the project for my sister, the Maliki Bakers. We started this project with WIDU because she was baking at home. With that, we were able to encourage her to move out. Once she had her bakery outside of her house, the smell attracted more costumers. And with that she was able to get a higher revenue as well as got into social media which led to even more costumers. So, she started delivering her cakes country-wide. All the cakes she makes are personalized which makes them unique. The business expanded and now she’s been able to get all the big machines that she needed for the bakery. Like, she got the mixer, she got a big oven. The grant enabled her to even make wedding cakes now, no matter how tall they are because of the equipment she was able to buy. She even established a branch in Mombasa with my other sister. We are now working as a team of three sisters and were able to create jobs. My sister in Nairobi has employed two permanent female workers and in times of high demand, she employs up to three more. I’m happy to say that we have created jobs which is not only supporting our own family but also others.
I also brought in my knowledge in documentation and encouraged her to keep the records and to know what is in stock. Otherwise, before she was just going to buy ingredients when she needed them and that was time-consuming. Now that she’s keeping book, she knows for example what amount of sugar is remaining and when it’s necessary to add. She also started documenting her customers which helps to track upcoming events. So, instead of waiting for the customers to contact her, she can check if they are interested in ordering a cake for their upcoming birthday for example.
Did you face any challenges in supporting the projects in your home country and how did you overcome them?
One of the challenges we faced the dropping of the exchange rate. So, if my sister for example was taking time in implementing the project, I had to add extra money since the exchange rate dropped.
Another challenge that turned out well is that I was not sure if the coaches would be able to get to my mother in the village. But the coaches adapted to the circumstances and were able to reach her with their motorbikes. So, I thought it would be a challenge that would be difficult to overcome but turned out that it was possible since they were willing to go the extra mile. I’m really grateful for that effort.
What motivates you to continue investing in the development of your home country and what advice would you give to other members of the diaspora who would also like to make similar contributions?
What motivates me? Creating jobs. Especially for women. With the help of WIDU, we’ve created jobs, no matter the age. Let me use my mum who is over 70 as an example. It has helped her a lot to stay active. She was starting to become a little bit dement and with the working, the project implementation of the rearing of chicks, it has kept her active. We also realized that she is now happier than before since she is contributing to the community, she feels needed. She is even planning to start selling her eggs and chicks to Nairobi. She actually already did it once because there was a time where she had a lot.
Yeah, so creating jobs has really motivated me and it has eased a little bit of my burden of sending home money all the time. It has really reduced because now, they are able to work and are ultimately generating their own income. And they are happy about it. When your family is at ease, you are at ease, too.
On behalf of my family, I want to say thank you WIDU, thank you GIZ, it has been a pleasure. I’m already planning on supporting projects of two friends of mine soon.