Having unexpectedly discovered her talent after finishing school, Purity has built a business that provides her sole source of income and supports her mental well-being.
Purity’s journey as a professional painter began after an encounter with an elderly man. His mentorship and encouragement, together with gifts of used canvases and paint, inspired Purity to begin her journey as a full-time artist in Mombasa.
A significant portion of Purity’s clients come through referrals from satisfied customers, but to further promote and sell her work, Purity also hawks her paintings in the streets. Purity experiences many challenges in being a professional painter, not least of which is gender bias which can lead to unfair pay.
Purity aspires to create a free art gallery in Mombasa, offering a space where artists can showcase their work without some of the social and financial barriers that she has had to overcome.
The importance of the informal economy in Kenya cannot be overstated; it accounts for 24% of Kenya’s GDP and also employs five times more workers than the formal economy.
TRANSFORM has been working to understand the current realities and future possibilities for the millions of entrepreneurial Kenyans who hustle to sustain livelihoods across the informal economy (read more about the context of the work here).
Brink, Procol Africa, Busara, Laterite, Ideas Unplugged, and TRANSFORM have collaborated throughout to deliver this work, alongside hundreds of ecosystem actors and informal economy entrepreneurs.
These blogs offer an insight into the lives of some informal workers we spoke to over the course of the project, told through images.
