AWICI Mashinani Brings Training and Opportunity to Women at the Heart of Kenya’s Coffee Sector
On March 7, 2025, something powerful took root at the Kipkelion Coffee Mill in Kericho County. IWCA Kenya, known locally as AWICI, officially launched AWICI Mashinani, a grassroots training program designed to meet women where coffee actually happens: on farms, in mills, and within local communities.
“Mashinani” means “at the grassroots,” and the name reflects the heart of the initiative. AWICI Mashinani is a year-long training program focused on equipping women across the coffee value chain with practical skills, deeper technical knowledge, and greater access to markets. The goal is simple and ambitious at the same time: improve productivity and quality today while building a model that can be scaled to other regions tomorrow.
The launch aligned with International Women’s Day and its theme, For All Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment. But beyond the theme, the energy on the ground told the real story. More than 150 women gathered to learn, connect, and claim space in an industry where their labor has long been essential and too often undervalued.
The event was led by AWICI’s committed leadership and members, including Chairperson Lucy Njine-Maina, alongside Faith Karimi, Josephine Ndikwe, Nancy Cheruiyot, Jeniffer Marusoi, Getrude Alworah, Josephine Chepkwony, Sandra Ndichu, and Esther Atieno (Tess). Women’s groups such as Transsolid Women in Coffee and Chepsangor Women in Coffee also joined, reinforcing the collective strength behind the program.
AWICI Mashinani was made possible through collaboration with partners including the Coffee Research Institute, Kipkelion Coffee Mill, and Solidaridad, and welcomed participation from a wide range of stakeholders across the coffee sector. Representatives from county and national institutions, financial and commodity organizations, and private sector partners came together to support a shared vision of inclusive growth.
We were honored to see strong local leadership represented, including Hon. Magerer Langat, CEC for Agriculture in Kericho County, Hon. Lily Ng’ok, Board Chairperson of Kenya Industrial Estates, and Mr. Festus Bett, CEO of Kipkelion Coffee Mill.
For IWCA Global, AWICI Mashinani represents exactly what chapter-led impact looks like. It is locally grounded, thoughtfully designed, and deeply responsive to the realities women face in coffee. By investing in skills, confidence, and access at the grassroots level, AWICI is helping ensure that women are not only participants in Kenya’s coffee sector, but leaders shaping its future.