Community Based Organization · Bungoma, Kenya
Helping women take the next step.
STAIRS is a community-led organization. We walk alongside women as they learn a skill that pays, save together, protect their rights, and build a steadier future for their families.
Skills training
From surviving to building.
Our goal isn't just to help a woman through a hard moment. It's to help her build the foundations for a more secure future.
- 1
A woman gains a skill
- 2
She joins a savings group
- 3
She starts or grows an income-generating activity
- 4
She becomes more financially secure
- 5
Her family has greater stability and opportunity
- 6
A community becomes more resilient
Behind every program is a person
Take a woman finishing our tailoring course this term. Six months ago, she had the skill but no machine. Today, through her savings group, she's bought one secondhand and takes in orders from regular customers in her neighborhood. That's the shift we're after: not just a certificate, but a working income, and a family standing on steadier ground.
Inside a Monday session
Every Monday, the room fills up.
Two hours of skills training each week: the first hour on running and growing an income, the second on mental health. Illustrated from photos of the women in our program, on an ordinary Monday.
An hour on business, an hour on mental health
Four pathways. One goal: stronger families.
Money problems, childcare, and legal trouble don’t show up one at a time. They hit all at once. So every woman we work with gets help with all four, not just one.
Economic Empowerment & Financial Inclusion
Equip 1,500 women with income-generating skills and access to micro-capital.
- Hands-on training in trades people can get hired or start a business with: tailoring, agribusiness, catering
- Basic computer and phone skills for online work like data entry and freelance jobs
- Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), small savings groups where members save together and take turns borrowing
Psychological Well-being & Legal Support
Provide mental health counselling and legal aid to 1,000 women facing trauma, stigma, or rights violations.
- Weekly support groups where women talk through what they're going through with people who understand
- Free legal help with child support, custody, and land rights cases
- Community conversations that push back on the stigma women face
Child Welfare & Educational Support
Support educational continuity of 2,500 children of women in our programs to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
- A childcare space at our office so women can attend training without worrying about their kids
- Help paying school fees and buying uniforms for kids who'd otherwise be sent home
- Early learning support for children under 5
Organizational Growth & Sustainability
Build a resilient, well-funded, and data-driven CBO capable of scaling operations regionally.
- A small community business, like a bakery, that helps cover our running costs
- Regular check-ins to track what's actually working, and fix what isn't
- Partnerships with local leaders, county government, and other organizations
These are 2026–2030 targets we’re working toward. We track progress every year and share it openly, so you know exactly where your support goes.
0%
Steady Income
of women who finish our program are earning steady income above the poverty line within five years.
0+
Savings Groups
savings groups running on their own, saving, lending, and growing, by year four.
0+
Legal & Counseling Help
women helped through a legal case or counseling that actually got resolved, not just started.
0
Kids Stay in School
children pulled out of school because their family couldn't afford fees or uniforms.
Community
Change begins close to home.
STAIRS works alongside women, families, community leaders, service providers, local institutions, and other partners to build solutions that respond to real needs on the ground, not ones handed down from outside.
Listen to the community. Build with the community. Grow with the community.
What guides every program we run
Respect & Empathy
We treat every woman with respect. No judgment about her past, her marriage, or how she ended up here.
Resilience
We believe in what a woman can build for herself, given the right support and enough time to get there.
Inclusivity
It doesn't matter your age, your background, or your marital status. If you're a woman who needs support, you're welcome here.
Collaboration
We work alongside local leaders, county government, and other organizations, because no single group can carry this on its own.
Accountability
We keep clear, honest records of every shilling that comes in, and we're upfront about what's working and what still needs fixing.