Report from BHW Kenya Partnership Facilitator Following Visit

Key Person: Bob Abdalla

We visited Bob and his family at their home in Kisumu on 30th September. It was good to spend time with them and hear their heart for their village. We went and saw where they are training the women in tailoring and went for walk to the markets to see the kiosk that Bob has set up on his property. We then shared a meal together.

Recent Events

Context

During the last elections there was trouble with riots and unrest on and off which has had some impact on the women’s business progress. It seems that the village Bob is based in has particularly more political unrest than some other areas. 

Activities

Bob was deeply saddened by the passing of his friend Ken from Harvest Partnership (BUR02). Ken supported Bob financially and with encouragement and friendship. Bob said when he passed, they found it very hard.

Lillian is currently training five women and I believe one man in tailoring, and they currently have seven women running kiosks in the village markets.

Bob has also gone to the church he started back in his home village where they trained four women in tailoring and supported them to start a business. Two have done really well and two have not done so well.

Bob has said that the training is going well but they need to be offering the women better mentorship or follow up support for the women to persevere when things are getting challenging. He is thinking about how he can do this. 

Personal

Bob and his family are doing well. Lillian, Bob’s wife, has had a hard time with her ankle. During the political unrest two elections ago, there was a lot of unrest, protests and violence going on. Bob and his wife were being attacked by some protestors and needed to run away. Lillian tripped over and hurt her ankle. Unfortunately, she did not get the help she needed for it early enough and over the years it has become significantly worse to the point where she became paralysed down one side of her body and had to stay in her house for a couple of years. They went to get help, and she started physio which did not help and now she has had two operations to attempt to correct the issue. She is still aided by a crutch while she hopes to heal.

Bob and Lillian's two sons are doing well, one is at secondary school, and the other is studying Criminology at university. Linda, their eldest, has nearly completed her degree in Strategic Community Development studies at university. As the eldest daughter she is helping her mother at home as she is limited in how much she can do with her ankle.

Personal Stories

There is a woman who lived in the slums of the village Bob is based in. Her name is Auma and her husband had died leaving her with three children and no money or income. When Bob found her, she lived in a very tiny shack and they were all starving and hopeless. They had lost all hope for the future. Bob took her to his church and the congregation prayed for her. Bob helped her start a small business selling cereals and vegetables. Once she had the hang of it, they trained her in tailoring. She had a natural talent for this and quickly started to expand her business.

She would go to where the second-hand clothes (matumba) were sold and sort through them to find the best quality clothes for her village. She would then on sell them and offer a service to alter them for people. She also started sourcing material and making her own dresses to sell as well as school uniforms for families in the village. She would make things like school socks and sell them at the time of school enrolments. She was able to save enough to open a tin kiosk in the markets where she could have a little shop and is now able to provide for her family. Her children are doing well and attending school and can help their mum in the store.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

This village is mostly a Muslim village with a mosque and Muslim school. The mosque has ways to bring the poor into their religion including a community borehole, feeding programmes and Bob has said they also supply the youth with a drug they chew and become addicted to and then welcome them into the mosque.

At the start they did not want Bob to come and start a church in their community. Since he moved in 25 years ago, he has built relationship and trust amongst the Muslim community and shares the gospel with them.

Bob has purchased a piece of land where he has also set up a borehole which the community are free to take from. He works hard to assist members of his congregation who are poor and struggling to start small businesses so that they have a way to financially support themselves.

Bob also built a nice metal kiosk on the edge of his piece of land. The government are fixing the road that runs past his kiosk and so now others in the community are opening stores and kiosks along the strip. Bob's kiosk contains about six spaces for stores that are now in a good market position. These kiosks are for those he trains in small businesses to open stores. Already he has one being used by the women who train in tailoring to learn and sell their wares. There is also a barber shop started by a man Bob assisted to train and taught him how to run a business. Bob also rents one area out to a Muslim woman who sells food supplies and another two are available for more businesses once the road is finished.

Ideas for the Future

Bob has a vision for the piece of land that he has purchased. He would like to have it as a central hub for his ministry. He currently has the community borehole and his kiosk which contains 6 stores for members of his congregation to open shops. He would like to move the church here where he can also have a space to train the women and now men in tailoring and other business skills.

His longer-term vision is to also have a primary school on the land if he can purchase the neighbour's land one day.

One area he wants to improve on now that the trainings and the business establishments are running well, is the follow up care and he is considering how this could work. I spoke to him about training up mentors that could go around and follow up and support the women.

Current Issues and Challenges

Bob has said that it is difficult to teach and form new habits with women who have experienced poverty and trauma.

Some of the women succeed with their businesses although it is hard to make enough to fully provide for them. Some however become discouraged as business can begin slow and they don’t do well.

The provision of education for the children when the families are struggling financially.

One issue with the Muslim community is if someone decides to change to the Christian faith there can be a war, and they can be come disowned. They need to keep it quiet and read their bibles in secret. If they come for prayer or support, they need to do this very discreetly.

When talking to the Muslim community Bob will start talking just about God with them and this is ok. If he mentions Jesus, they will become violent so he needs to not do this until he has built trust.

Currently Bob’s house is right next to the church meaning there is no separation from his home life and his church life. He would like to move the church to the piece of land he has purchased with the borehole and the kiosk.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) The tailoring business has become a source of income for the committed women. Due to their hard work they are able to make some profit and feed their children.
2) The women are able to visit their communities to help the children know and identify with their clans twice a year.
3) The church has been committed in giving spiritual nourishment at all times.
4) They have built a trusting relationship with the Muslim community. There is peace and a good relationship between the two faiths now.
5) Lillian has been able to have two surgeries on her ankle and the kids are doing well in their studies.

Comments

After seeing the project and meeting the ladies that are training and those that are now running businesses successfully, I recommend that we continue to support Bob in this project. In the past we have spoken to Bob about asking the women to pay back part of the loan, but he did say he has noticed that when it is a loan and the women feel they cannot repay they end up leaving the church out of fear or shame. When the women are gifted the money, they feel more comfortable working hard in their business without the worry or threat of having to pay these loans back.

Bob would like to install an electric pump into the borehole well so that they can have easier access to the water supply. He said the hand pump ones often break easier. When asked about power he said a solar panel one would be best. This could however be stolen or damaged so will need future thought.