The challenge
Young deaf people leaving school on the Kenyan coast have very few chances of work. GIFT has supported Kakuyuni School for the Deaf for many years, and this project grew out of that relationship.
What GIFT did
In 2023–24 GIFT helped set up premises for a tailoring business, Smart Gift Fashion Studio & Accessories, and funded sewing machines and equipment for buttonholes and hemming. In 2024–25 GIFT added a super-fine sewing machine, and in 2025 more stock and equipment.
What changed
- The first graduate is employed and now mentors others.
- The studio won a contract for school uniforms.
- Sales have been steady, and a former student came back to visit.
The next challenge
In 2025 a new market opened next door selling cheap imported second-hand clothes (mitumba), and the business suffered a setback. GIFT continues to support the studio.
