Coca-cola pushes plan to help women, donates 500 coolers

Coca-Cola has facilitated 500 women from Nairobi's slums to start small businesses, as part of its 5by20 global commitment to empower five million women entrepreneurs across the company's value chain by 2020.

The firm has provided free business skills training and an ice-box to each of the women to set up Coca-Cola outlets. The women were drawn from various slums in Nairobi. It is part of the International Women's Day celebrations.

Speaking during an event to hand over the ice-boxes to the women who had completed the business skills training, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation President Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero said women, around the world, are already pillars of the business system.

"We are building on that foundation by implementing programmes to help women entrepreneurs throughout the Coca-Cola value chain - from fruit farmers to artisans," she added.

"The theme for the International Women's Day 2015 is 'Make it happen', which is in line with Coca-Cola aims to achieve through this initiative. We want to enable these women to overcome financial barriers to start their own business and earn a living for their families, thus making it happen for them and theirs," she added.

The women who received business skills training and ice-boxes are volunteers at Child Rock Initiative, an informal school for disadvantaged children in Mukuru Fuata Nyayo slums.