First Lady in waiting, Mama Rachel Ruto, has run successful initiatives in a bid to serve the community and mobilise support for her husband.
During the campaign season, she mobilized a strong team of leaders using seven strategic initiatives, with experts arguing that she played a key role in getting President-elect William Ruto the much sought win.
Kenyans.co.ke looks at these seven initiatives run by Mama Rachel Ruto.
Mama Fresh
This initiative was established to help women and youth who are small-scale agri-prenuers.
The initiative is a social enterprise that strives to support the production of quality farm produce, provide market linkage and advocate for fair trade practices in food systems.
Destiny Women Capital
This initiative was birthed due to the growth of the table banks under Joyful Women, where the pooled resources on the table were insufficient to meet the needs of the table bank members.
Its is a women's credit institution that strives to support women's groups by providing flexible and affordable financial services.
Mama Feeding program
This is another initiative by Mama Rachel that boosts access to education for vulnerable children through a feeding program that provides nutrition and health.
The program provides meals for children in informal settlements during the school term. This initiative focuses on nutrition for child health, mental wellness, dignity, and hope.
A similar initiative was proposed by Nairobi governor-elect, Johnson Sakaja, who pledged to roll out the programme in over 200 public primary schools so as to ensure that no child missed school due to lack of food.
Ruto attended one of the programs by Sakaja and endorsed the proposal by noting that it will help boost enrollments. He further noted that if the Kenya Kwanza team takes over power in the August election, his government will fully support the project implementation.
Carakana
The initiative promotes transformation for vulnerable groups by facilitating income-generating skills.
"Carakana enhances the awareness and appreciation of quality handmade products and facilitates the transfer of indigenous knowledge of their production," the initiative described its activities.
Mama Cycling
The First Lady in waiting also endorses Mama Cycling which is an initiative that encourages healthy living by making cycling safe, accessible, functional and fun.
This initiative encourages society to embrace practices that reduce carbon emissions by advocating for non-motorized transport.
Rear Guard
This initiative promotes peace, family and national values through faith-based initiatives.
Joyful Women Initiative
The Joyful Women Organisation (JOYWO) is an initiative by Mama Rachel which gave women a platform to empower themselves.
JOYWO was founded in 2009 and has a membership of over 200,000 women drawn from all 47 counties.
Members of JOYWO are encouraged to pursue their passion with courage and strength and the organization has continued to reach out to many women at the grassroots and boosted their economic wellbeing.
