Nadharia Kenya: Vocational Training for LBQ+ Women
Meet the Partners, Part 2
Finishing a course is not the same as having a job. Anyone who has held a new certificate and wondered “now what?” knows the gap.
Closing that gap is the aim of Tujenge Community, a project by Nadharia Kenya. It is one of the 13 projects in the LesbianGlobal Economic Empowerment Fund, and it offers vocational training for LBQ+ women that doesn’t stop at graduation.
Vocational Training for LBQ+ Women: Mechanics, Carpentry, and Design
Nadharia trained LBQ+ women in automotive mechanics, carpentry, and graphic design through the LesbianGlobal Economic Empowerment Fund. Those are trades with steady demand and a real chance of an income. For LBQ+ women, a skill in one of them can mean the difference between depending on others and paying your own way.
Tujenge Community takes the next step: it moves graduates into sustainable livelihoods, with mentorship and financial training alongside.
"Tujenge" is Swahili for “let us build.” The idea is simple. A skill is the start. A mentor, a plan for the money, and a way into paid work are what turn it into a living.
Why It Matters for LBQ+ Women
Getting hired can be hard for reasons that have nothing to do with skill. Nadharia’s own website shares the story of a person who was unemployed because of discrimination, took up carpentry with Nadharia’s support, and went on to start a registered carpentry business. In the person’s words: “Nadharia gave me a chance to do carpentry.”
That is the path this vocational training for LBQ+ women hopes to open for more people: from trainingto work to a business of their own.
Who Is Nadharia Kenya?
Nadharia is a community-led organization working with sexual and gender minorities in Kenya. Its tagline is “Creating Safety. Dignity. Healing.” It works on protection, well-being, and long-term empowerment, and it builds on community ownership.
The project runs from May 2026 to May 2027. We’ll share what the graduates build as it unfolds. What we can say now is that vocational training for LBQ+ women works best when someone is still there after the last class.
Help Us Fund More Vocational Trainings for LBQ+ Women
Seventy organizations from 39 countries applied to the Fund. Thirteen were funded. LesbianGlobal is working to open more funds with other trusted intermediaries, and every gift helps us say yes to more.
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