We have often heard it said, “most entrepreneurs don’t begin their journey by falling in love with the problem, they begin by falling in love with the solution.” Five years ago, when Ivanna Waweru was eighteen years old, she found herself at odds with life. She had just given birth and was the proud mother of her son Nathaniel Wanuma. Being young, with no support took a toll on her, and more so affected her emotional balance as a person. Feelings of inadequacy plagued her and to compensate, she began several businesses. She started writing for the love of it and opened an account on a website called iWriter. She tried doing articles for clients but it was taxing because she did not have wireless internet connection at home, so that fell through. She then ventured into selling baby second hand clothes, and for a few months, she was doing well, until she noticed her life-work balance was not up to per. She was doing her studies at the time and mixing the two became unbearable. She had to give up one, and naturally the business suffered. She later on tried marketing jobs, and much to her dismay, she came to the realisation that marketing was not her strong suit. They say the third time’s a charm; however for Ivanna, her ninth time was the charm: Weza Dada Foundation, a young women’s empowerment forum, that aims at economically and psychologically empowering young mothers and mentoring girls. Ivanna has been at it for the past three years and in 10/20 years, she sees an empire, a hub, and herself as an authority in young women empowerment. She sees a place where women are equipped not only to be positive influencers in their communities but also in their homes. The quality of the women she works with will be home builders and makers, and will experience happy marriages and happy experiences with other community members. Weza Dada will be the true definition of women and happiness, and eventually men.
On your Marks
All through her journey into business, Ivanna has always had a passion for young moms. Being a mother herself, she was cognizant of the challenges they face and was determined to have a solution for young mothers facing negative life outcomes.
She began Weza Dada with three things; Kshs 500, 12 friends and a lot of passion. That is all she had. She leveraged on the friendships and mentors that surrounded her to offer venues, resources and trainings. As she trudged on, she got lucky and was selected for a WECREATE training in entrepreneurship for women, and did several short courses on different fields, that boosted her confidence levels. Earlier on, when she was 7 months pregnant she had registered for a course in Counselling Psychology and obtained a diploma. Last year in October she graduated with a BA in the same field. Counselling is a key ingredient to the success of her business.
With her friends, Ivanna began to organise for trainings for young mothers and all matters affecting young girls. She also started visiting schools, especially the ones in the low-income areas, to raise awareness, speak about teenage pregnancy and offer support to needy pregnant mothers. The team became big on word of mouth as they learned the power of association. They also invested quite a bit on social media to raise awareness about issues facing young women and how they can be supported, because if they are not, they end up with unwanted pregnancies and it’s harder to deal with that. Therefore as much as Weza Dada wants to help the young mothers already existing, they would also like to reduce the rate of early unintended pregnancies. Their efforts paid off, because in the past two years, they have realised that most young mothers who come for trainings are new faces.
Get Set
Weza Dada, now a hub for young women, started with troubles of its own. Ivanna’s dreams were lofty and she envisioned a building that created self-sustaining work for teenage moms and increasing their livelihood. However this was not to happen. So she built resilience. Weza Dada’s first hoop was financing. Their ideas were nice, but with no money they were unable to implement them. After two years, they chose to re-evaluate their mode of working and their model, so as to sustain their projects and trainings.
Their second hoop was growth. As they began trainings for the young mothers, Ivanna realised what a complicated web of corruption lies in the heart of man, and discovered that most people when organising for trainings, pay people to attend. Since this was never the intent from the beginning, Ivanna chose not to give handouts but instead do clean business, and she has continued to suffer, as the trainings she holds do not gain much traction. She is hopeful that in time, she will reach people who understand her mission and vision and with that, she still stays on course.
For human resource Ivanna works mostly with volunteers. She does it by asking for help on social media, and from there she gets the most passionate of all applicants who believes in Weza Dada solution. She also acquires talent with the help of some of the members and mentors. With the vast pool of talent they have gotten over the years, they have been able to create a membership program, which Ivanna calls ‘Friends of Weza Dada’ who are always ready to give her support when she needs it because they understand the benefit of the work Weza Dada is doing and the impact it creates better than anyone else because they are experienced.
GO
Five years into the business has taught Ivanna quite a bit. The discouraging moments have been there, and more than once she has felt like the ultimate failure, especially when the results are not forthcoming from the girls she works with, or when it is hard to execute a training or project because of no income and partners are not able to support. In those moments of disquiet Ivanna remembers why she does this. She remembers the problem she wants to solve. She remembers counseling a young girl and she kept her pregnancy. She remembers the girl who came for a training on weaving mats and started earning a living. She remembers the girl who came for their talks, and left her toxic boyfriend. Ivanna remembers that her work is a calling and if she gives up, she gives up not only on herself, but on the entire Weza Dada community. She gives up on the responsibility to be the change she desires to see. So when things are stagnant and at a standstill, when her energies are low, and she has no more fight left in her, Ivanna remembers and keeps going.
Even though the journey has been long and hard, Ivanna feels she is doing well for a startup in the industry of young women empowerment. As a woman, she considers that a great advantage as she believes women are great creators of lasting solutions. “Women need to stop being afraid and take the top seats as they come. We have the solution for Kenya and more so Africa. Social solutions are what we need as Africans because the social aspect is what keeps us behind; may it be mental health, poverty of the mind, jealousy, inferiority complex and the like,” she remarks. “Emotionally okay people are more successful. Therefore, I see women being able to use their emotional side to formulate solutions to our societal problems and bringing us to a place of sane people who can in turn be successful in other areas of their lives.” As a woman, Ivanna is glad that her natural abilities of compassion, a sense of intuition and emotional intelligence, play a very big role in the growth of her business. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
For her daily dose, she watches Oprah. She is her inspiration and Ivanna thinks she is a true definition of legacy. She is currently reading Making the Best of a Bad Decision by Erwin W. Lutzer. When she is not changing the world, one young girl at a time, Ivanna listens to positive music. She loves to listen to songs that give her motivation to be better and to continue working at her goals despite hardship. Ivanna also loves to have a good laugh with friends who bring out the best in her. She also spends a good deal listening to talk shows as they help her relax and put her motivation high.
Lessons on the Go
As an entrepreneur it is important to learn how to manage your time. Have to-do lists and include your personal time in the to-do list. Remember, there is a higher power at work in you and in the world; so take your strides in business and personal life one step at a time. Look at tasks in terms of urgency and work on them that way. Also, when you have humongous tasks break them down into small manageable tasks. “One of my mentors taught me to say NO when you already have enough on your plate. As a budding entrepreneur and community developer, I used to believe in grabbing quickly every opportunity that comes. But now I evaluate whether I can actually take it up as I know taking everything that comes your way leads to burnout, undue stress and anxiety.”
To the budding entrepreneur, Ivanna’s advice is “Do not go in for the money. Go in for the problem you want to solve. Have that clear in your mind. Money may take some time to come and the only thing that will keep you going is your vision and drive to see it come to life”. Ivanna doesn’t believe in waiting for the money to start your idea. “Money will not come to those who are not doing,” she declares. “Just start! Now! We always have something within us, use that. Then that which you have can be increased.”
Ivanna also advises to be smart while selecting your team. “Your team is your everything and you should choose them wisely. They can make or break you.” Lastly, “Pray. God is real. Your story is your mission. Whatever you feel bothers you so much in this world, it is yours to solve. Never look too far for your purpose, it is within you!”
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Photos courtesy of Weza Dada Foundation
