Two brothers establish a social enterprise dedicated to empowering informal housekeepers, commonly referred to as "Mama Fua" by providing them with a conducive environment to excel in their profession.
In 2016, two brothers embarked on a mission to revolutionize women’s lives in marginalized communities. And this mission was to establish a social enterprise dedicated to empowering informal housekeepers, commonly referred to as “Mama Fua” by providing them with a conducive environment to excel in their profession.
‘Mama Fua’ are predominantly female individuals who secure cleaning casual jobs. Ordinarily these women solicit for this type of work from household to household or sit the streets under sting of the scorching Sun waiting for a random client that would pick them either for laundry or house cleaning services.
The nature of this work is not only challenging but also riddled with various obstacles such as low wages, mistreatment, sexual assault, theft on the Clients side, lack of expertise in using modern household tools, unfavorable working conditions, and inadequate resources, among others.
Stephene Ngutah and his brother Zachary Ramogo embarked on a project to develop a mobile application to address these challenges.
This innovative application would connect skilled and screened housekeepers (Mama Fua’s) with consumers in need of such services effortlessly. However, this initiative held a deeper significance for the two siblings.
“It was not merely a business endeavor, but rather a passion project. Our aim was to honor and expand upon the legacy of our late mother, who worked as a domestic worker. Although passing away when we were young, her memory lived on through the domestic workers we encountered,” says Ngutah during an interview.
“We specifically focused on women residing in marginalized communities, engaging in household tasks to establish a secure platform for them to generate income,” he adds.
While enrolled at Daystar University, the two brothers collaborated with a few peers to analyze the potential of their envisioned business.
This involved conducting market research on the status of Mama Fua’s in various areas of Nairobi and its surroundings. Starting in 2016 they visited different Mama Fua spots to engage in discussions that would reveal the obstacles they faced and identify suitable solutions.
“It’s crucial to understand the background of a problem before attempting to implement a solution. On our end, we lacked a comprehensive understanding of the market; all we knew was that there was a demand for more training,” says Ngutah.
“Our aim was to develop a model that not only benefited us but also catered to their needs. As a result, we engaged with these individuals in person, had meaningful conversations, and registered those who expressed interest in what we had to offer,” he explains.
The reception….
Consumers voiced grievances regarding poor service delivery, privacy breaches, lack of professionalism, and instances of theft, among other issues. On the other hand, Mama Fua’s encountered obstacles such as sexual assault and harassment, verbal abuse, inadequate compensation, and excessive workloads, among various other challenges. These insights gathered by Ngutah and his team facilitated the development of a framework aimed at addressing these issues.
In 2021, the Mama Fua initiative was launched in Eldoret Town, marking the commencement of its implementation. A total of 250 service providers underwent training in housekeeping within the initial month following the inception of the project.
“One thing we realized was that they struggled with exposure, making use of house appliances like the microwave and dryer, etc. Those were things we had to make available so that they could familiarize themselves with,” explained Ngutah.
“We not only taught them on cleaning but the nature of our training is such that we train them on the usual housekeeping routine. We wanted them to perform their work as best as they could and in conditions that are suitable for them to work in,” said Ngutah.
The training covered a variety of topics including communication skills, grooming, etiquette, financial literacy, gender-based violence (GBV) awareness, financial literacy,, as well as the use and maintenance of household appliances, laundry sorting, and garment care, among others.
By the conclusion of 2022, the two expanded their operations to Nairobi, resulting in the successful training of an additional 4,500 individuals across both regions.
The “Mama Fua App”.
But how does the Mama Fua App fit in all these?
The application is a component of a larger enterprise named Mama Kazi, a holding Company that encompasses various brands such as Mama Fua App itself, Soap Ya Mtaa, FuaCity, Mama Fua Academy, and more.
Each of these brands provides services related to home care, domestic care, and housekeeping expertise.
The Mobile application can be accessed via USSD (843999#), available on Google Play store added to a Web App available on www.mamafua.ke. Upon logging in, clients can explore a wide range of services offered by nearby housekeepers and handymen, including House cleaning, Airbnb Services, Therapeutic Massage, Laundry /Mama Fua, Pet sitting, and Petcare, among others.
“Mama Fua functions similarly to Uber Eats, presenting a diverse array of services available along with detailed profiles of the service providers, in this case, the Mama Fua themselves. Their profiles include information such as location, skills, star ratings, and pricing. Clients can select their preferred service provider and await their arrival,” Ngutah explains.
80% of the payment is designated for the Mama Fua, with the remaining 20% being retained by the company. In the event of any grievances from either the client or the service providers, an emergency hotline is available for resolution.
Prospective Mama Fuas have the opportunity to apply as service providers by completing an application form available on the platform. Their applications will undergo a thorough evaluation, and those who are selected will be contacted for training at the Mama Fua Academy.
The Academy plays a key role in the expansion of the venture, serving as the primary hub for training sessions. This institution was established through a partnership with the Young Men Christian Association ( YMCA) in Shauri Moyo.
It features on-site hostels to accommodate women traveling from outside Nairobi for training. These women are required to pay a fee of Ksh1000 to cover their two-day stay at the hostel.
“Mama Fua has grown enough such that initially the goal was to help them gain skills worthy to help them enroll in the service industry but now we’ve trained them to equally function as cleaning consultants. And they are getting there. They now earn between Ksh 1000 to Ksh 4000 a day something that they weren’t earning before,” he adds.
Some of the notable advancements the venture has achieved include establishing various laundry access points, providing permanent employment for some domestic workers, expanding their operations to include Kisumu and Mombasa. Additionally, they have successfully established the Mama Fua Sacco, enabling women to save money for future investments.
“This was to ensure the wellbeing of the Mama Fua’s we have that are advancing in age. We know it will eventually get to a point where they are not flexible enough to perform the task given. Thus, we put them in a group of 10 plus individual investing towards setting up their own launder matt,” says Ngutah.
“They have also connected with 6,500 skilled and verified Mama Fuas. These are just a few of the enhancements they have made, although not without facing challenges,” he adds.
The challenges…
“The majority of the expenses proved to be quite burdensome, particularly in the initial stages, as we had to provide Mama Fuas with a stipend for their training sessions. This posed a significant challenge since these women were only able to comprehend value in monetary terms. Each individual received either Ksh 500 or Ks. 300 to facilitate their training towards sustainable livelihoods,” he says.
The proprietor explains that securing the necessary capital to cover expenses still remains a significant hurdle, as funds are required for the acquisition of equipment and protective gear for the Mama Fuas.
Additionally, there is a pressing need for job opportunities to accommodate the increasing number of service providers.
Ngutah attributes a portion of the venture’s success to technology, underscoring the significance of utilizing it in a responsible manner.
“Technology is multifaceted, capable of yielding both favorable and unfavorable results based on its utilization. Understanding the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence is essential in our endeavors thats why it has been instrumental in our research efforts and remains extremely advantageous in our day-to-day operations,”Ngutah explains.
Despite the huddles Ngutah believes in the venture success in the years to come.
“I pursue this endeavor out of passion rather than necessity, with the hope of passing down this legacy to my children in the near future. I envision the creation of a Mama Fua estate, where a community of empowered women who have overcome their adversities and achieved success can thrive together. Witnessing their independent success would bring immense pride,” concludes Ngutah.
His parting words: “Life is short, pack light.”
