What's Happening With Women

It’s sad how quickly things that were so completely foreign to me such a short time ago, now barely warrant a second glance.  The first few trips to Africa, I had my camera with me every second, stopping to take a picture of a lady walking down the street with a gigantic bundle of Irish potatoes balancing precariously on her head or a donkey laden down walking through a maze of cars and people with his owner silently striding beside him.  Everything was new, strangely fascinating, requiring at best a photo, at worst making a wide-eyed and inquisitive comment to Roger, “Did you see that?!” Now, I find I want to take pictures of friends I know, smiles either new or familiar, places and events that hold my heart.  It’s these I hope you will enjoy (attached).  Mostly it’s women I get to connect with, the beautiful African women.  Each face tells a story of love and loss, hardships and joys.  Many of their tales are the same, whether from a city and it’s “riches” or from extreme poverty in a small remote village.  They all hope for a better life for themselves and like most of us, want more for their children than they have had. Unfortunately, I have to let go of many of the needs, the hopes, the desperate pleas of these women I meet, but for some, because of you, we do get to offer a small cup of water hoping that they will reach out and drink, and drink deeply.   The Women’s Vocational Center in Kitale continues to evolve.  As you know, our desire is not to create one more non-profit in Africa, begging the system to remain the same that creates such dependency on Europe or the US for funding.  We are trying desperately to lift up spiritually and physically so lives are transformed and self-respect and self-esteem given.  Far too many years have been spent with the mzungu giving from hearts of compassion, but leaving so many waiting for the next hand-out to come along.  It’s our fault; we’ve done it to them.  Lives are not changed, skills are not learned.  Thinking is distorted.  Mindsets are cemented. Appleseed, with Dawson Mudenyo in Kitale is trying to change this through the Women’s Center Dorcas Hands.  He has taken the center out to the village of Wamuini, a half hour from Kitale town.  It’s there women are coming to meet the tailor trainer several days a week.  They are paying a few shillings to learn skills for a better life.  This helps pay the teacher, the rent and the materials.  It’s working.  We help, we support, we encourage, but they are well on their way to being a self-supporting training center.  The room in Kitale town is still maintained for training several girls, but is being used also as a center for selling clothes made there and in the village.  I’ve met the girls in this village.  They are dedicated, hopeful and excited.  Their teacher has been a tailor for a long, long time.  He is skilled not only as a tailor but as a teacher.  You can see from the photo of Dawson and Ed that they are making beautiful things to sell.  While at the school in town, I met several clients who had come in to buy something.  It’s very exciting to see the changes taking place, to see girls committed to their training, hopeful for their futures. In Kakamega, several hours south of Kitale, the same is happening.  Under church planter and trainer Amy’s direction, many projects are happening for the women in their house church network.  With seed money from Appleseed several groups from different house churches are working hard to better their lives.  There is a center for tailoring training several of the girls, raising rabbits for selling for meat, Sundays they gather as a group and make beaded bracelets or crochet the sought after decorations for homes in Kenya.  All these things are sold on market day in close by Kisumu.  They are farming together, selling kale and maize.  Some are starting small businesses selling vegetables and soaps.  John Omondi, church planter in this region is holding class once a month training/teaching business skills, so needed to learn to live not only for today, but tomorrow also.  These small groups of spiritual communities are helping, encouraging and standing by each other so they can live lives that are more than they’ve ever had before. One woman, I may have spoken of before, Josephine, was very vocal about her life today.  She said she always felt worthless and alone, trying to somehow exist.  We cannot imagine life in these remote areas…most have been raped as young children and older; most are thin, not because it’s fashionable, but from hunger; most live in dirt floored hovels; most exist on less that 100 shillings a day ($1), meaning they and their children eat ONE meal a day of ugali and maybe beans or porridge.  Not only physically are they sickly and deprived, but emotionally they are depressed and beyond discouraged.  Josephine tells that when she was invited into relationship with Jesus Christ, found out she was not invisible, but known by a God who loves and cares about her, her entire life changed.  She found a Father who would not abuse, a God who would not leave her AND a community that would help her in real practical ways, to teach her, stand with her, be there for her.  Today she does the same for them and is even able to reach out to others and do the same. What’s happening with the women?  Polle polle…slowly by slowly…we are helping, we are making a difference.  Don’t give up, please.  They are many; we can help some.  We are helping some…not by handing out, but by helping up.  Thank you. (P.S.  Because of the horrific political unrest in DR Congo right now due to their upcoming election, I can’t report on the work with women there.  Sadly, we weren’t able to go be with Angel and Steven, but I hope to receive a report in the next month as to the progress there.  In the meantime, please join with us in praying for them, their family and their nation.) Wamuini Tailoring School: Crafts for selling at market: Raising beets: Storing maize: Women in Kakamega: