I visited Shade Business Group’s hotel in Kakuma refugee camp spending the better part of the morning with Ayantu Bizune. Ayantu, along with her two partners-Aleer Aja Achol and Johnson Korok Muchi- are the owners of the business. Bizune’s warmth was immediate as she introduced herself: “My name is Ayantu Bizune. I come from Ethiopia, and I am from the Oromo region. Our Business Group is comprised of 3 people, and our Business Group name is Shade Business Group.”
Bizune traces their journey back to a small roadside stall. “We started off with a small kiosk and we were also selling vegetables but then after some time, we realized that the business wasn’t so profitable. If you don’t sell all the vegetables within a day, they would go bad.” Determined not to give up, they experimented with new ideas, each misstep sharpening their resilience.
Their breakthrough came when they spotted a gap in the local market. “In Kakuma Zone 3, we discovered that there was no Ethiopian anjera and people love Ethiopian anjera. I am Ethiopian, and I know how to make anjera. we decided to meet the market demand around here,” Bizune explains. Next came tea, but not the ordinary kind. “We decided to start making tea since people love tea but there were no hotels in this area that make tea,” she says. “We started making anjera and tea. But this not just your everyday tea. Our tea also has health benefits and that’s what we sell here.”
Bizune’s deep knowledge of local herbs turns every cup into a remedy. “The coffee we sell is not the instant coffee that you buy at the market. We infuse it with different herbs that act as medicine. If someone comes with a stomachache, we know the exact herbs to use to ensure that the ache goes away. If they had diarrhea, once they take the herbal infused tea it stops.” She pauses to point at jars lined up on a wooden stand; Moringa, hibiscus, ginger, and other herbs. “Moringa helps regulate blood sugar, high blood pressure and ulcers. When we infuse it with tea, it really helps customers. We also have hibiscus that we make as tea and juice too. It helps increase blood flow and treat cold.” Her passion for traditional medicine is inseparable from her respect for nature.
Shade Business Group was formed under the Livelihoods and Inclusion For Transformation Northern Kenya (LIFT-NK) program which champions climate-conscious entrepreneurs. Bizune credits BOMA’s training with equipping them for success: “Even though I was in business, the training we received from BOMA was very beneficial. I never used to know how to budget, I did not know how to save, I did not know that I could be a part of a group that saves money in a savings box and that this money saved would be of great help.” Recording sales and tracking profits brought clarity and pride. “When you go through your records at the end of the day, your morale is boosted because you can be able to track your expenses…you get to see what your profits are and when you see all this, it just makes you happy.”
Under LIFT-NK’s mandate to support environmentally friendly businesses, Shade Business Group adopted practices that protect scarce resources. “We were taught how to dispose of dirty water. If you throw it out as it is, it will attract flies which in turn can bring about diseases. So, we were taught that if you put some ashes in the dirty water then throw it away the flies won’t come about.” In their kitchen stands a traditional Ethiopian stove designed to consume less firewood, retain more heat and keep the food warm all day. “The stove I use to cook is a traditional Ethiopian stove that consumes less firewood and retains more heat. This makes the food get ready very fast and ensures that I do less harm to the environment.”
Bizune beams as she describes the ripple effect of their success. “The hotel business ensures that our children never sleep hungry. They also get to enjoy a variety of meals as opposed to only eating the ration food that we get as aid.” They employ young men from the camp, offering livelihoods and purpose. “If they were not in employment, they’d think of making bad decisions. When we employ young people, they get to eat here and not just eat,they get money to buy the basic things that they require at home.” Bizune explains.
Arriving in Kakuma in 2013, Bizune reflects on twelve years of adaptation and growth: “If I were to do something else other than this business, I would have been a traditional healer/herbalist. Traditional medicine is great in helping people.”
On this World Refugee Day, Shade Business Group embodies the spirit of refugee ingenuity. Through ancestral herb knowledge, climate-aware practices, and the training they received, three women have built a business that heals bodies, empowers families, and nurtures the environment—proving that from displacement can spring sustainable innovation and hope.
