TV Dragon says 'I'm in' to meeting African business women in Kenyan slum

To mark International Women's Day on Saturday 8th March and announce £10million from the UK Government for this year's Sport Relief, Kelly Hoppen MBE visited Kenya to see how Sport Relief cash is helping some of the poorest women in Africa become entrepreneurs.

British designer and TV Dragon Kelly visited organisations in Kibera slum in Nairobi that help young women to get jobs and start successful businesses, providing training, loans and mentors to set them, their families and often whole communities up on the right path for a better future.

Kelly Hoppen said: "The women I have met are incredibly inspiring. Not only are they working hard to achieve their goals in business, but they're doing it whilst living in unimaginably tough circumstances. I've judged many people in the Dragon's Den who could definitely learn some business tips and lessons in perseverance from these women."

Thirty two year old Susan from Kibera, who launched a nursery school business to educate 120 children in the slum community spoke of her excitement at meeting the renowned designer, she said: "It's really fantastic to meet such a successful and supportive businesswoman from the UK. Kelly's visit means a lot to people like me and shows us that we can succeed. My new business helps not only me and my family but many other families in our community."

Kelly's visit comes just ahead of International Woman's Day which shines a light on the continuing inequality around the world. In the world's poorest countries like Kenya for example, a woman's wage is, on average, 17% lower than a man who does the same work.

Some of the money raised for Sport Relief is spent on giving women the tools to improve their own lives - since last Sport Relief, Comic Relief funding has helped more than 157,800 women in Africa and across the world to benefit from increased incomes to provide crucial extra cash to support their families.

Kelly added: "The UK government's pledge to match fund up to £10 million of public donations to Sport Relief to help create jobs and build businesses will help thousands of other women living tough lives around the world, just like the ones I met in Kenya.

"I've seen first-hand how a small amount of money can be all that's needed to help people in really tough situations turn their lives around. It not only changes one person's life but also starts a chain reaction that transforms the lives of their family and even entire communities. This is making women who felt they were nothing into something. This is not the end - it is just the beginning."

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Our mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.