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Struck by optimism...
Returning from my trip to Nairobi, I am struck by the images in my mind. In the face of a global economic crisis and three years of drought that are causing widespread starvation and soaring food prices, what is imprinted on my mind are the faces of optimism and gratitude that met me each day.
I visited our programs in Kenya from August 12th to August 22nd meeting with the women and documenting the progress of our micro finance programs. The women of our cooperatives, selected because they were at great economic risk, have made their businesses flourish, lifted by the training and support we have provided.
As an example, Rose started her business buying four pounds of peanuts each day that she sold in small packets by the roadside. Today, she rents a small restaurant space where she serves hot meals to eat in or to go all day long. She makes enough profit to feed, clothe and educate her eight children.
Another woman named Rose started her business mending and tailoring clothes in her home. With her first loan she obtained additional sewing machines and fabric. With her second loan, she rented a space in an office building in the center of Nairobi's business district. She now runs a sewing school, training 15 women while creating finished products that are sold to large retail chains. She recently provided an order of aprons and oven mitts to Kenya's largest supermarket chain.
Not all the news is as positive. Among our poorest participants, the rising price of food continues to restrict the amount of profits the women are able to reinvest in their businesses while also depressing demand for their goods. In these groups, we are experiencing some growth mixed with challenges.
Up country, in our Kunya Women's Group, drought has destroyed their agricultural project for the second year in a row. Starvation is a real risk, causing us to request emergency funds from the Board. These funds will be immediately deployed to build a commercial chicken coop. This business, owned and operated by the women's cooperative, will provide sorely needed financial support to the 30 families enrolled in this program.
But one of the brightest spots in our visit was surely our new "Sponsor a Child's Education" program. This initiative was born out of the story of Rosaline and Millicent, two sisters. Rosaline, a woman in our Kibera program, died of AIDS in early 2008. Her sister Millicent, took her eight orphaned children into her home joining them with her own five children. The emotional and financial burden on the entire family was enormous. Two children are HIV positive and two others attempted suicide within a few months of their mother's death. Through the generosity of a Texas donor, 6 children were sponsored to attend boarding school. Now, ensured food, healthcare and an education through high school, removed from the exposure to gangs and crime of the slums, the boys are thriving. They love school. They are growing and demonstrating greatly improved emotional stability. Their lives have truly been saved.
Please check the web site in the coming weeks as I will be loading video clips of the boys descr ibing their new lives in the country. Also look for ways that you can sign up to sponsor a child's education or sponsor a woman's business.
In the coming weeks I will be highlighting the individual stories of our women. I will also be offering an on-line method to support a woman in one of our cooperatives. It will be a new, economically viable way to make a difference for a woman, and therefore, a family, a community and the world.
Thanks to all of you for the many ways you enrich our work and help to change the world....one woman at a time.
