Dreaming Bigger: Gabriel's Craft Became a Calling

More Than a Workshop

The smell of tanned leather filled the air as Gabriel watched Dolphin, one of his employees, put the finishing touches on another pair of school shoes.

When Gabriel Anzala founded Gonzala Leathers 14 years ago, he never imagined how deeply his business would impact his community. Gonzala began as a side hustle, but in 2019 Gabriel enrolled in the Sinapis Entrepreneur Academy and everything changed.

Sinapis inspired Gabriel to dream bigger. He realized his craft was a calling and a way to serve God. That shift inspired him to invest in better equipment, streamline operations, and create a lean but effective team.

Sinapis also equipped Gabriel with marketing insights that helped him identify his target customer, refine his product line, and focus on high-margin goods rather than just personal preferences.

But perhaps the biggest transformation was how Gabriel viewed the impact his business could have. “I saw it as a ministry,” he explains.

Sinapis helped Gabriel see that his business could be more than income. It could be ministry. It could be discipleship. It could be a tool for Kingdom impact.

Inspired by his experience in the Entrepreneur Academy, Gabriel launched a free training program for aspiring artisans. By offering anyone with passion and commitment the chance to learn, he built a pipeline of seasonal workers and equipped over 200 young leatherworkers with employable skills that will help them build sustainable livelihoods, whether at Gonzala or beyond.

Today, Gabriel leads a thriving enterprise and a growing team. His workshop is a place of dignity, discipleship, and opportunity.

Recently, Gonzala Leathers landed a major government contract to produce school shoes across Kenya.

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This is the power of equipping one Kingdom entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs trained by Sinapis go on to:

• create 5+ jobs within three years
• 70% say the training saved their business from failure
• and 72% have seen someone come to Christ through their business.

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Opportunity for a Future

When Dolphin walked into Gabriel’s workshop eight years ago, she was like so many Kenyan youth. She had finished school, but not yet found employment. She was living below the poverty line with no clear direction and no way to provide for herself or her family.

A friend told her about the free leather-worker training program Gabriel launched as a way of giving back to his community after graduating from the Sinapis Entrepreneur Academy.

So Dolphin came—quiet, unsure, but hopeful.

What she found changed everything.

Gabriel saw her potential. He trained her, patiently building her confidence and craft.

Today, Dolphin is Gonzala’s top artisan and earns a stable, full-time income.

In her own words:

"My life has really changed. I'm paying school fees for my daughter, supporting my family, and finally building my future. Gabriel mentors me in the Bible as well."

Dolphin has dignified work that provides for her family because Gabriel’s business exists.

According to the World Bank, 1.2 billion young people will reach working age in developing nations over the next decade. Without immediate action to create more jobs, millions of young men and women like Dolphin will be left without a clear path to employment.

Good jobs, like those Gabriel created, restore dignity, strengthen families, and allow communities to flourish.

That’s why Sinapis exists.

Profitable businesses create jobs, eliminate a need for aid, and create a dignified way for people to put food on the table, send kids to school, access healthcare, and give to their local churches.

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Join the movement.