It is Saturday morning in Nairobi's Kangemi slum, and everyone is basking in the sun after enduring days of cold weather.

Amid the shouts and play of children, Emily is seated outside her makeshift shop (kibanda), glued to her phone, thinking about how she would expand her business if given a chance.

Emily has been doing this business for the last six months. Using the little money she had saved to build something that could support her child and younger brother in school, she started her kibanda after her casual job ended.

And in the six months, she admits it has not been easy.

“I have been doing this business for the last six months. Initially, I was a casual labourer somewhere before I was terminated. Instead of squandering what I had saved, I decided to save myself from the hustle of searching for another job but instead start this kasmall business,” she narrates.

Although the kibanda plays a vital role in her upkeep, she says when it rains, customers shy away.

“Many times, I have thought of closing shop, but when I think about my child and my brother who depend on me, I have no option but to push on. As you can see, restocking is my biggest challenge. When it rains, I struggle a lot but keep going because people depend on me,” she says.

On the day we meet Emily, her reflections focus on how she often depends on daily sales and unpredictable margins.

Fortunately for her, within this fragile economic landscape, a silent corporate social responsibility initiative by Bangbet is taking shape, offering not just financial relief, but a sense of renewed possibility.

In Nairobi, it is an open secret that informal trading spaces, where small kiosks and roadside stalls like Emily’s form the backbone of urban survival.

For her, an interruption in cash flow determines whether she opens the shop the next morning or not.

But Bangbet, through its business boost programme, comes in handy by supporting micro-entrepreneurs like Emily, whose livelihoods depend on daily sales and rapidly changing market conditions.

The initiative, observed through a series of interactions with traders across the city, focuses on direct, practical assistance rather than large-scale projects.

For beneficiaries like Emily, the initiative is not framed as philanthropy in the abstract, but as immediate relief that happens at the point of interaction with Bangbet and one that keeps their businesses afloat.

The main purpose of the Biashara Boost CSR initiative is to give back to the community by supporting struggling small business owners through stock boosts and business support.

The programme is designed to strengthen small businesses, improve livelihoods, and inspire hope among hardworking entrepreneurs facing financial challenges.

“Biashara Boost focuses on uplifting small-scale traders who depend entirely on their businesses for daily survival and family support,” the firm tells The Standard.

Area selection and business identification

According to the firm, the initiative has already covered several parts of Nairobi and is gradually expanding to upcountry to reach more struggling entrepreneurs.

Once on the ground, the team moves around different locations identifying struggling small businesses, including mama mboga vendors, food vendors, tailors, roadside hotels, small kiosks and other informal small-scale businesses.

The main objective during this stage, the firm said, is to identify genuinely deserving entrepreneurs who are already in business and somehow in urgent need of support.

Vendor engagement

The Bangbet team engages vendors in one-on-one conversations to understand their business journey, daily challenges, family responsibilities, dreams and future plans

The team captures stories through interviews, photos, and videos to better understand each vendor’s situation.

The firm said the long-term vision is to build stronger communities and reach every corner of the nation by supporting small businesses that form the backbone of everyday livelihoods.

And for Emily, the firm, through the BangbetNaJamii business boost programme, stepped in to support her with more stock and remind her that her effort has not gone unnoticed.

“This kiosk is more than an income source for me; it is a foundation for my family's stability and education plan,” she says.

She is lucky because her business was chosen for its immediate cash flow potential and low startup cost, allowing her to prioritise school fees for her child and brother.

“Limited working capital has always made my restocking difficult, which in the end creates a cycle of missed sales amid constrained growth,” says Emily.

“I am grateful to God because today he sent Bangbet my way. This social and financial responsibility is such a big motivation for me,” she adds.

Her sentiments are echoed by Samira, another small business lady operating a small food kiosk selling fried snacks and quick meals.

For her, the pressure of the rising cost of living is constant and unrelenting, which has made cooking oil, potatoes, tomatoes and other basic inputs very expensive.

“At a personal level, I am trying my best to sustain myself and my family. The only hurdle is the cost of commodities that is pushing me to the edge,” she said, adding, “If only small traders like me can be supported financially, we can be able to withstand the pressures.”

In her case, Bangbet’s CSR support arrives in the form of stock replenishment.

Although small, she said it is timely assistance that helps keep her business running and shields her from immediate economic hardship.