Jenny Nuccio: Imani Collective Founder Turned Her Dream Into a Reality

 “Trust me,” she said. “We’re going to build something beautiful.” And they did.

Jenny Nuccio is a dreamer.  She is full of wild ideas about empowering overlooked and underserved women and is on a mission to show the world that we can “own what we’re made for.” This dream took her all the way to the Mtepeni Village in Kenya when she was 18 and then again every few years until she settled there in 2013.  

Did I mention that she just gave birth to her youngest child four months ago? But that hasn’t slowed her down. In fact, her family is currently driving through the U.S. to personally meet with supporters and investors. Needless to say, she is the driving force behind Imani Collective, a start-up community of artisans based in Kenya – about fifty Kenyan men and women in the Mtepeni Village and Mombasa – and Dallas, Texas.

“When I was 18, I went on a missions trip to Kenya and even though I was in school at the time, I knew that I had to go back one day,” said Jenny.  “It was really the Holy Spirit saying ‘go back there, there is something more for you there.’ So in 2010, I went and I worked with a couple there who were starting a school and that’s when I originally met my women. I was helping to build the child sponsorship profiles for this school and would do home visits almost every day. While I was visiting the homes in the village, I realized that the most disadvantaged kids were coming from the homes where the mothers were single, widowed, or disabled. They were sent home from school even though it was only $2 a month. They just didn’t have it.”

That’s when something started stirring in Jenny’s heart. She knew that she had to do more to change the generational cycle of poverty. She was determined to break the cycle for these women who she had come to care for so deeply. That’s when Imani Collective was born. In 2011, she started the collective with the intention of serving other local organizations in various countries. Then in 2012, she spent three months living in the village and laid the groundwork for the collective to flourish in Kenya.

“I invited every woman in that village to a preliminary training program,” Jenny said. “There were about 40 to 50 women who showed up and I interviewed them and visited their homes to see if the program would fit into their lives. I also visited the chief of the village to see if I were to start a program if he would allow the women to attend. I just wanted to see if we would fit in the community that we were going to be in. And by the end of that summer, there were 16 women still in the program.”

Jenny couldn’t afford to pay the women that summer but she would meet with them twice a week to train them and teach jewelry-making and crocheting. She told those 16 women that they would be a part of her collective if she decided to return to Kenya one day. Jenny stayed true to her word and, in May 2013, she sold everything she owned and moved to the Mtepeni Village. This was the moment when she turned her dreams into plans and began to build and champion the dreams of the women now in her care.

“My passion and inspiration was just focusing on the women, who they are, and building their confidence,” says Jenny. “In the beginning, I just wanted to teach these women a skill and really have them leave and go off and find a job. But what I realized is that it was so much more than that. By building into them, it was completely changing their family dynamics and their kids’ confidence and the way that they thought about their future. Now five years down the road it’s been really cool to see them transform, to be able to provide and fix their home and provide for their kids’ education and want better for their kids. It’s been really cool to see that.”

Update: Since publishing Jenny’s story in our print magazine earlier this year, Imani Collective has grown to 80 artisans and Jenny has a third baby on the way! Give the gift of Imani Collective this holiday season by shopping their collection at www.imanicollective.com.

Jenny’s Tips for Success:

On starting a business:

“Starting something is really hard and there’s still some really hard moments now, and so, I think it’s important to push through and trust the process. There were so many moments when I wanted to throw in the towel and quit because it was really hard. But I am proud of myself for sticking it out because it’s become something greater than I ever imagined and it still has so much potential to grow.”

On building her girl gang:  

“I’m just so proud of the team that’s developed both stateside and in Kenya especially.  In the States, it’s rare to find people who are willing to take massive pay cuts and who really believe in the mission. And then in Kenya, I’m so proud of the quality of the products that the women create and that their items can be sold in markets globally.  We’ve come so far. It’s not just the work force or a women’s program, it’s a family. And everyone who has come into our program can feel that. I’m proud that we have created a community that fosters that.”

On faith:

“You know that saying; if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans? Well, everything that I’ve planned for has turned out not as planned. Imani Collective has been a faith journey and every week the Lord surprises me by providing. I don’t think I would have continued knowing that it wasn’t of His will. He reminds me that this is the direction that we needed to go. Every time as we are growing sales and sustainability and seeking donations for different things – every week it comes in. It’s been a crazy faith journey and I’m glad that I haven’t given up on it but continued to stay strong and let go of the control.”

On staying true to the mission:

“I want to be very clear that our mission is Christ. It’s in our vision and mission but it’s hard when you get into circles that love what you are doing but won’t want to support you on other levels because they know that one piece – that we follow Christ. It can be frustrating on a business front when you are trying to make sales or make a connection. So it’s been interesting standing firm as the founder and leading the organization and saying yes, this is who we are even if we lose some customers in the process. We don’t just want to be an ethical source for clients to customize things. We always have to remind ourselves of that and keep to our mission. It’s hard financially but freeing.”