Series #2: Beyond tech: What can a fish cage teach us about inclusive growth and business sustainability?

At Lake Victoria in Kenya, our System Changer Network partner Wa-Wa Kenya is advancing a transformative model that connects aquaculture, women’s empowerment, and healthcare access—with valuable lessons for business leaders worldwide.

In partnership with Rio Fish Farm, Wa-Wa Kenya has launched its first fish cage, capable of holding 35,000 fish. But this project is about more than food production—it’s a practical case study in social enterprise and circular impact.

Here’s how it works:

30% of the fish sales in December will directly fund health insurance for 20 local women, providing vital healthcare access. The remaining profits will be reinvested to install additional cages, creating a self-sustaining model for income and impact.

Wa-Wa Kenya works with several women’s groups who also take part in regular training on health, mental wellbeing, and entrepreneurship. Crucially, men are also included—because true empowerment and healthy development must be integrative and community-wide.

This initiative is supported by the System Changer Network Kenya, a collaborative platform of NGOs working together to create holistic, grassroots-led solutions to systemic poverty.

So what’s the takeaway for the Western business world?

• Integrative impact models work: Combine income, health, and inclusion to build more resilient systems.
• Profit can fund purpose: Social enterprise models can drive both economic returns and measurable social outcomes.
• Inclusion isn’t optional: Gender equity and mental health support are essential for long-term growth and employee wellbeing.
• Community-led is smarter: Solutions built with people are more effective than those built for them.

This is what sustainable development—and smart business—can look like.

Learn more about Wa-Wa Kenya: https://www.wawakenya.org