In 2011, from her home in Kilimani, Nairobi, a mother of three found herself confronting a challenge common to many households in Kenya. That of finding trustworthy, skilled and reliable domestic help.

After repeated attempts to secure a housekeeper and nanny capable of balancing childcare, cooking and managing the household, Evelyne Kihia turned the experience into a business idea that would later become significant to efforts to formalise Kenya’s domestic work sector.