By Amanda Teppo, BOMA Project Intern

Each moment is a chance to make history. At the BOMA Project, participants in our Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP) are not only breaking the cycle of extreme poverty but driving social change as well.

A new market, only 4 weeks old, was established in Kirimon by BOMA participants who recently graduated from our two-year pilot with the Government of Kenya’s Programme for Rural Outreach of Financial and Innovation Technologies (PROFIT).

“Nalala BOMA Market” draws a crowd of about 300 people from far and wide each Friday to buy and sell an assortment of goods and connect traders from across the community. The market is vibrant, colorful, and busy—in other words, it is a success. And as a women-run market, it is making history.  In a male-dominated society, the BOMA businesswomen have created something unique which is not only empowering them economically but establishing them as leaders and changing the social dynamics of their community. Their BOMA Village Mentor Fred Lelelit is proud of what these determined women have accomplished and says that the market is helping the whole community overcome many challenges. “Seeing pastoralist women taking control and having leadership roles in managing resources in a male-dominated society, it’s amazing.”