When her three children didn’t have enough to eat, Monica Atieno decided to apply for a job through a new program that was recruiting women to become motorcycle taxi drivers — a profession long dominated by men.

At first, she kept her plan a secret from her husband, who was himself a motorcycle taxi driver in their town of Ukwala in western Kenya. When he found out, he was furious and threatened to leave. But Ms. Atieno, who is 29, says she told him: “I’m going to do it, because I know what I’m going to achieve.”

Last year, after hundreds of hours of training, she became a motorcycle taxi driver — a “Boda Girl,” as they’re called. She’s now one of only about 1,000 women among the estimated 2.5 million motorcycle taxi drivers in the east African nation of Kenya, according to the Boda Boda Safety Association, an advocacy group.

The road to success has been full of obstacles. Many of the women who signed up, like Ms. Atieno, had never before driven a motorbike, let alone a car. They have faced harassment from passengers and fellow drivers. Their husbands voiced disapproval.