She Lost Everything. Then She Built Something New.

Josephine’s story from Kenya | Tirzah’s Impact 2025

On a quiet side-street in Nairobi, Kenya, Josephine sits across from Suzy and begins to share her story. There is a steadiness in her voice now. A confidence that wasn’t always there. Because Josephine’s story didn’t begin this way.

Josephine bringing the sunshine of her smile and personality to a gathering with Tirzah Trip travelers in Nairobi, February, 2026.

When Everything Changed

More than a decade ago, Josephine’s husband died suddenly. Overnight, she became a single mother of three. Without the protection of a husband in a deeply traditional context, everything unraveled. She and her children were forced out of their home, losing nearly everything they owned.

With nowhere else to go, they moved to Kibera, one of the largest informal settlements on the continent of Africa.

Life there was unstable and uncertain. Without consistent income, Josephine struggled to provide for her family. Her children had to leave school. Around this time, Josephine contracted HIV. As her health declined, so did her ability to provide, and the future felt impossibly small.

A Different Kind of Opportunity

Everything began to shift when Josephine joined a small business training cohort led by one of Tirzah’s local partners. She was one of hundreds of women who stepped into leadership and training opportunities through Tirzah’s network.

It wasn’t just about learning skills. This shift was about stepping into a community of women who understood her story and believed a different future was possible.

She learned how to create products, how to run a business, how to begin again.

And alongside that, something deeper began to grow.

Confidence.

Belonging.

Hope.

What She Built

Today, Josephine runs her own small business in Kibera and the surrounding areas. She earns a steady income. She is healthy. She is no longer surviving. She is healthy and thriving, with access to the care she once struggled to find.She is building. But what she’s most proud of isn’t just what she’s created for herself: it’s what she’s created for her children.

Her oldest has now graduated from college.

She walks alongside other women who are arriving where she once was, in need of both opportunity and hope. The other women in her cohort are also navigating similar health and economic challenges, and together they found strength in shared experience.

This Is How Change Happens

Josephine’s story is not an exception, it is a glimpse into how Tirzah works.

In 2025, Tirzah partnered with women across more than 30 countries.

264 women participated in small business training.

368 women were equipped through mentorship and leadership development.

Because lasting change does not come from the outside; it grows from within communities when women are equipped, connected, and given the opportunity to lead.

Watch Josephine’s Story

Hear from Josephine herself as she chats with Tirzah’s Executive Director, Suzy.

Follow Along

There are hundreds of stories like Josephine’s unfolding across Tirzah’s network. Stories of resilience, leadership, of women building transformational circles of sisterhood.

Follow us on Instagram to see more stories from the field: @tirzahintl