The 40-year-old Lucy goes about her daily work with quiet confidence. I met her this week when our vision team paid a visit to their co-op group, popularly known as a community-based organization (CBO), in SE Kenya. Lucy is the current chairperson of Tumanthane CBO, and it was clear during our visit that everyone in the group loves her focused leadership. After a hearty welcome that was punctuated with dancing, I sat down with Lucy to talk about how her participation in the group had helped her economically. A mother of five children, she talked about how her husband, in the years past had struggled as a day laborer to provide for the family’s needs. However, after joining the CBO, things began to change for the better. As a person of faith, Lucy views their partnership with Tumaini as a miracle from God. She was particularly grateful for the high-grade goats that Tumaini bought for them. With a beaming face, she shared the following, “I took good care of the high-grade goat that I received. Our policy is that once the goats give birth, you keep the first kid and then give back to the CBO the next one, and this sequence is repeated through the life of the goat. From that one goat, I now have 13 goats and I am grateful.” Lucy said that the goats have not only provided enough milk for her family but sometimes she can sell the extra and use the funds to meet other family needs. Indeed, Lucy had more goats but recently sold four for $220! She used the funds to pay fees for her two children who are in high school. Her oldest child is getting ready to join college this fall to study electrical engineering. Lucy is confident that she will be able to support her daughter through college.
I also talked with Margaret. The soft-spoken 70-year-old grandmother was equally grateful. From the one goat that she received, she now has 5. Margaret was especially grateful for the grant and training that Tumaini gave them on poultry keeping. She got emotional when she shared how the chickens she was keeping provided for her when her now late husband fell ill a few months ago. She said, "Without the chickens, I don't know how I would have fed my ailing husband.”
Lucy and Margaret also get supplemental earnings from other group projects such as rent that they receive from their 100-seater tent, farming, merry-go-rounds, and table banking. Merry-go-rounds are small weekly contributions that are collected when the group meets and are given to one member and rotated weekly. Table banking includes larger contributions they give monthly and put in their joint bank account. From the account, members can borrow at small interest rates. Over a long time, this credit facility has been a major economic boost to all the members.
It is gratifying to see how through our socio-economic programs, thousands of poor people have been lifted from extreme poverty. It is gratifying to see how simple things like raising chickens and goats can change the economic trajectory of entire communities. Thank you to everyone who has donated small and large donations to our socio-economic programs. Even as we provide child sponsorship, we are seeing the communities where these vulnerable children come from also being lifted socio-economically; thus, providing holistic community development. Thank you all. If you would like to make a designated donation to our socio-economic programs, please do so TODAY as the need is still great in our regions of operation.
Thank you for your tireless partnership. You are changing one child…one village…at a time.
COVID-19 UPDATE:
As of Tuesday, June 15th, 2021
The daily positivity rate continues to fluctuate standing at 8.1% on Tuesday this week.
Since schools re-opened for in-person learning last month, there has not been any sharp rise in new cases. Terrific news!
Except for passengers traveling from India, international travel restrictions have been lifted but still with covid protocols specific to the country being observed.
There were 3,498 new positive cases, almost double the number from last week, bringing the total to 176, 137.
There were 120 deaths this past week which is slightly lower compared to the previous week. Total deaths stand at 3,428.
Nightly curfews (10:00 pm to 4:00 am) were extended for another 60 days.
Some 989,422 people have been partially vaccinated with only over 149,326 having received two doses of AstraZeneca.
We continue to thank God for His protection over our staff, sponsored children, and their families.