I was married here five months ago as a second wife to my husband who is a motorcycle taxi rider earning around 13000 KES monthly. I'm not yet economically involved as I was previously a polytechnic student taking tailoring. I still do not have much bills to pay because I am just yet to deliver my first baby, meaning my family is still very small. But in the village the only economic activity is charcoal burning and selling which I would not wish to involve in because of the physical nature of the job and the low returns that surrounds it. It will be such a big pleasure if I could put my learnt skills into good use here to be able to earn a living that way. Therefore I plan to buy a sewing machine so that I can start a tailoring business.

I was very happy when my husband got employment in December last year as a supplier for a local bakery. This improved our income as a family to 13000 KES from a life of a motorcycle taxi rider who just depend on random customers. He used to do that in Kilifi town where life was expensive and income so low and unreliable, but right now we live in the village where life is affordable and with a fixed salary that doesn't change with different economic situations.

All my challenges are financial steming from lack of a reliable source of income. When I got here, I started by trying to bake cakes and wholesale to local shop keepers who were happy to try them out, but unfortunately they did not move as I expected and so I had to stop. I then tried burning charcoal but this was a little too physical for someone who is pregnant. I had to stop and depend on my husband for the time being. It hurts me a lot to be fully dependant on him as this comes with limitations.