March 25, 2021
No Longer Living On Hand-Outs
Agnes
Angeline
Their lives have been changed for the better. Agnes and Angeline are members of one of the co-ops that Tumaini has partnered with to bring socio-economic transformation. Agnes, a 44-year-old mother of six children has been a member of the Tumanthane community-based organization (CBO). She had this to say about her transformational experience: "I am now a qualified poultry farmer. Before I received training my chicks used to die. Not anymore. I sell at least 5 mature chickens every month which helps me pay school fees and pay for other basic needs." This is a far cry from the life of poverty that Agnes lived before joining the group and receiving technical training through Tumaini. She also has been trained in goat keeping. She was excited to share that through Tumaini, "I learned cross-breeding in goats, and it was effective because currently, I have 15 goats even after selling some in January to pay school fees for my children."
Angeline, a 39-year-old mother of four is equally excited. In a recent interview, she recalled how tough life had been before joining the CBO. "…I used to borrow food and money from people to take care of my family." But by joining a CBO and receiving training through Tumaini, Angeline was able to learn skills in farming and poultry keeping. She remembers those humble beginnings. "I gained knowledge in farming and I was able to plant mango trees. I learned how to build terraces on my farm to prevent soil erosion. Through these skills, I can now produce enough food to feed my family. I am also able to sell the surplus to meet other basic needs." Also because of the money management skills that Tumaini offers to these groups, Angeline is now able to borrow funds from the group's table banking account at a low-interest rate to run her poultry project. Angeline was so proud to share her economic independence. "I can sincerely say that many basic problems have been solved and my daily budget rose from 1 dollar to over 5 dollars a day which is a great improvement in my family's standard of living."
It has been a joy to watch members of Tumanthane CBO coming out of extreme poverty. They live by a motto: "We are blessed to bless." As members of this group, Agnes and Angeline participate in the group's financial sponsorship of one vulnerable child and a needy elderly lady in their village. It is encouraging to us as an organization to see the poor who have been lifted from poverty giving back by helping others. Bringing tumaini (hope) to others in their midst who are vulnerable.
Thank you for giving hope through our socio-economic development programs. You are not only changing one child at a time but one village at a time. If you would like to give a designated donation to our socio-economic fund, please do so TODAY and let us begin the journey of transforming another village.
Sincerely,
Stanley Mutunga
President/CEO
COVID-19 Update:
As of Wednesday, March 24, 2021
-This week the daily positivity rate rose to a worrying 22% as the third wave rages on.
-There were 8,397 new positive cases, a sharp increase from last week bringing the total so far to 124,707.
-129 people lost their lives this past week, almost four times the number bringing the total to 2,066 to date. Trending in the wrong direction.
-Due to the rising cases, the nightly curfew (from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am) has been extended for another two months.
-So far, a little over 40,000 people have been vaccinated. Still, a long way to go for a country with over 40 million people. Nevertheless, a start.
-To our knowledge, no significant cases have been reported since schools re-opened in January country-wide.
We continue to thank God for His protection. All the children and the families that we support remain safe. Our staff is all doing well and continuing to serve.