By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 9 December 2025 - Stawisha Dada (STADA) is positioning itself as a major force in rural skills development with an ambitious plan to train up to 5,000 new hairdressers over the next five years.
The initiative is part of the organisation’s broader strategy to empower girls in remote villages with practical skills that can immediately translate into income and financial independence.
The move signals a significant expansion for the STADA Vocational Training School, which is emerging as a key pillar in the CBO’s efforts to address economic vulnerability among young women.
Founder and director Patricia Orao unveiled the plan during the institution’s first graduation ceremony, where 11 pioneer hairdressing trainees were awarded their certificates at the school’s precincts in Rabuor village, Kisumu County.
The event was presided over by Dr Amani Richards, who lauded the initiative and offered to support and encourage as many girls as possible to register for the training.
According to Ms Orao, the decision to scale up vocational training is driven by the need to equip girls—especially those in rural settings—with employable skills that can help reduce dependence, early marriages, and exposure to risky survival tactics.
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“We want girls in the villages to gain skills that can help them build their own livelihoods. Training 5,000 hairdressers in the next five years is part of our long-term vision of economically empowering young women,” Ms Orao noted.
The expansion of training programmes marks a shift in STADA’s focus from primarily advocacy and health education toward deeper investment in economic empowerment.
In targeting hairdressing—a skill with steady community demand—the organization aims to create a pipeline of young women capable of running home-based salons, mobile services, or formal beauty businesses.
For communities in Kisumu County, the programme could have a ripple effect: increased income for women-led households, reduced school dropout rates, and a strengthened local economy driven by female entrepreneurship.
As STADA looks ahead, the success of its first cohort signals both the urgency and promise of scaling up vocational education for rural girls—an effort that positions the organization as a key player in grassroots economic transformation.
