Our Brand Story

Cherehani is a Swahili noun meaning "sewing machine."

This is where our journey toward financial inclusion began and what continues to anchor us in our mission to build thriving communities.

The original idea was to provide sewing machines to tailors who had been renting them indefinitely, with the hope that ownership would restore their dignity and generate savings for their households. When this initiative succeeded, the tailors began requesting working capital loans to expand their businesses. We responded by designing and delivering those loans. Interest from other women micro-entrepreneurs soon followed, and today, tailors make up less than 4% of our customer base. We developed a proprietary platform that reflects our close relationship with customers, enabling us to scale our solutions.

When COVID-19 struck, it severely disrupted our operations, causing us to lose a significant portion of our portfolio. It felt like starting over in a post-COVID world, but with improved appraisal processes, risk management, teamwork, and innovative products. This resurgence was supported by a hands-on board and committed investors.

In less than 18 months, we grew our portfolio to 10 times its pre-COVID size!

Today, Cherehani continues to leverage technology and a dedicated team of field officers to deliver financial literacy content and credit to women entrepreneurs in rural markets. Our financial products now focus on working capital, school fees, dairy, and agricultural tools.