Report from BHW Kenya Partnership Facilitators

Key Person: Robert Omundi

Recent Events

Activities

Robert has reported that over the last year the women’s soap making project has been doing well and is now self-sustaining. It has brought together vulnerable women and has helped transform their lives so much so that now the men in the community are wanting to also be involved. The two years prior were a real challenge to the business due to the impact of Covid but now things are improving. Many of the vulnerable women were idle and struggling with alcohol addictions. Now they are working hard and have become role models in their communities.

Robert is doing well but has recently broken his ankle and had malaria. He said is doing better now thankfully.

Personal Stories

Joyce is a middle-aged women with four children. Her husband passed away six years ago due to excessive drinking, leaving Joyce a widow and solo mother. Years later she was struggling to provide for her children, had depression, and was feeling hopeless. This led to her seeking refuge in the beer den where she became addicted to drinking. Her two oldest sons ran away and lived on the streets and the two that were at home struggled. Once, when drunk, Joyce was abused and became pregnant again to an unknown father. After giving birth to a beautiful daughter Joyce joined the soap making project and her life has been transformed. She is now a role model in the community, heads the church choir and leads the women’s ministry.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

Robert has said the women whose lives have been transformed by the project are now role models in the community, inspiring change in the men too. The community also has more access to health products and Robert has said that their community is healthier and more hygienic, and their homes are cleaner. 

Current Issues and Challenges

Prices for materials have again increased due to the Ukraine/Russia war which has put a strain on the project budget.

The men in the community have seen the impact the project is having on the women and are wanting to also join the project. This will require an expansion in the project’s capacity.

Robert has restarted the school for street children, and it is beginning to expand again. He has also requested support for this as the need is great.

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Pray for wisdom on expanding the soap making programme to include men from the community.
2) Pray for God’s continued provision and blessing on the project and those involved.
3) Pray that they will continue to make a difference in their community.
4) Pray for the health and protection of Robert as he continues to coordinate the project.

Comments

We have not been able to visit the project, so we are relying on Robert's reports at this stage. Kevin Honore, BHW's New Partnership Facilitator, was able to spend two days with him on a recent trip recent but Robert does not reside where the projects are based so Kevin wasn’t able to see it either. By Robert's reports the project is going well and they are keen to expand. We think that it is worth a shot to expand to men as there is little risk but potentially could have a big impact in the community. We will submit a proposal for this once we have all the information from Robert.

We also need to gather more information from Robert regarding the school as there were issues with the running of the previous one which came to a head during the pandemic.