Jul23121 MEA | Business Awards 2025 17 Most Innovative Women’s Empowerment Initiative 2025 - Kenya Based in Njoro town in the heart of rural Kenya, Kenana Knitters is changing women’s lives, stitch by stitch. Founded by Paddy Nightingale in 1998, Kenana Knitters is dedicated to supporting the local community by offering women safe, family-friendly, dignified work. We chat with Managing Director, Melissa Shepherd, to find out more about the company, its products and its plans for the future. ife can be challenging in rural Kenya, and especially so for women caring for large or extended families. Agricultural wages are often insufficient, and equal pay is just a dream. As the backbone of the family, women juggling domestic chores with tough agricultural work and caring for children and elderly family members often struggle to make ends meet. Kenana Knitters was born out of a need to empower these women by offering them a sustainable income and opportunities to improve their situation. Melissa Shepherd, who has worked with Kenana Knitters for over 5 years, tells us: “Kenana Knitters is 100% owned and operated by women. We’ve created a safe, supportive community, built on respect for women from diverse backgrounds and tribes. We move together towards the betterment of our whole group. Kenana Knitters is designed to offer women a sustainable and respectful life in a rural part of Kenya, where most paid work is agricultural, and traditionally done by men. By improving conditions and opportunities for women in our area, we’re helping them gain independence and self-confidence.” The company produces a beautifully curated selection of handspun soft toys, plush home furnishings, and high-quality knitwear, which it supplies to stockists locally and across the world. Using carefully selected organic fibres and natural dyes, Kenana Knitters’ products are eco-conscious and environmentally-friendly. Melissa explains: “We have a clear and thorough quality control process that begins with the materials we use. All our wool is sourced from our local region in Kenya, and we support 200 local spinners and the farms that supply them. We source our 100% artisanal organic cotton from a socially responsible farm in Tanzania, as it is not available in Kenya. Our soft toys are made to the highest levels of quality and safety that you would expect for your children.” Continuing to grow year on year, providing its knitters with a lifechanging source of income, Kenana Knitters is committed to offering a range of additional benefits too. Growing up in rural Kenya, many women have limited access to formal education, with some missing out on much of their primary education, and others who never attended school at all. As part of its initiative to empower women, Kenana Knitters offers knitters adult literacy classes, encouraging them to learn and grow. Engaging registered health practitioners to visit the workshop to offer family planning advice, women’s health screening, counselling, and homoeopathic clinics, Kenana Knitters encourages its knitters to take care of themselves. The company provides additional nutrition to women in the most vulnerable groups and has also recently introduced a company pension scheme for its permanent staff. Looking to 2026, we ask Melissa about the company’s goals. She says: “In the coming year, ideally, we will be able to move to a more retailfacing location with a shop where we can better showcase the wonderful work our knitters are doing.” For Kenana’s current list of stockists, or to make a wholesale enquiry, please visit the company website. Company: Kenana Knitters Web Address: https://www.kenanaknitters.com/ L
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