Our Brand Story

Cherehani—a Swahili word for “sewing machine”—symbolizes where our journey toward financial inclusion began and continues to anchor our mission of building thriving communities.

We started by providing sewing machines to women tailors in rural markets who had been renting them indefinitely, believing that ownership would restore dignity and help households save. The success of this initiative quickly revealed a deeper need: working capital. As tailors began requesting loans to expand their businesses, we designed and delivered flexible financing. Soon, women micro-entrepreneurs beyond tailoring sought similar support, and today tailors represent less than 4% of our customer base.

To meet this growing demand, we built a proprietary platform informed by our close customer relationships, enabling us to scale efficiently. Today, Cherehani leverages technology and a dedicated network of field officers to deliver financial literacy and tailored credit solutions to women entrepreneurs in rural markets. Our financial products now extend to working capital, school fees, dairy, and agricultural tools.

Throughout this journey, we have remained true to a single conviction: empowering women is one of the most powerful ways to build thriving communities.