Build a Bridge of Support and Hope
When we first started working with the ladies in Kenya we would get them some food packs from time to time as a bonus for their hard work. We shared that people in big companies sometimes got bonuses. This was a bonus so they didn’t have to worry about food for the month. We usually got that for them on our visits twice a year.
We were almost to sustainability with them placing regular orders and a couple of our ladies had started another business by opening a kiosk in the slum. The next step was to get some land to build a small manufacturing and work area and start them on planting on the land that 2 of them had been given to grow their own food and sell some to be further sustainable.
Then COVID hit and everything shut down. It shut down to where there were no groups going on mission trips anymore which was a significant source of income for them. Every group that visited would buy beads from them so they had steady income from that throughout the year. They also had some other Fair Trade retailers that we had connected them with ordering paper beads from them. Plus we were placing regular orders and they were selling in the street market in town.
Once everything shut down there was no way for them to earn any income. All sales came to a screeching halt. Unfortunately there was also no way for them to get food to feed their families.
There are no food banks in Kenya, no food pantries, food stamps or any programs to get food. Because they live in a slum that was built on an old landfill, there is no place for them to plant and grow food and with the shut down, the land they do have isn’t able to be farmed at the moment because it’s outside the slum and they have been staying in the slum and not leaving due to the shut down and nightly curfew.
We made a commitment at the beginning of the shut down that we would raise money and ensure they had food throughout the entire time.
$750-$800 feeds the 34 women and their children, over 100 people in total. $1,000 would provide some additional food and necessities but we have raised a consistent $750-$800 a month since March.
The just got their food packs for the month of September and we are funded through October. We are raising funds to support them for November and December and beyond if need be. We are committed to building a bridge and ensuring they have food.
A Bridge is something that connects one thing to another. On land it can be a structure carrying a road, path, railroad, or canal across a river, ravine, road, railroad, or other obstacle.
We are building a bridge of hope for our ladies and their families by providing monthly food packs until the COVID situation has resolved and things open up again.
We are accepting help. If you would like to donate any amount, $5, $10, $50, $100 or more any amount will help get us to our goal each month.
You can also donate to our double high five program where you become a monthly supporter. The thought of any child going hungry is hurtful. There are people starving here in the US and around the world. My church has provided food to some 40,000 families during this pandemic in Southern California.
This is Elizabeth who we helped get medical care in February. She had septic dermatitis all over her face and was able to get medical care thanks to the generosity of our donors. Your donation helps to ensure she and all the children in our group of women have food to sustain themselves.
If you’d like to donate to help with the food pack program go to https://basketsandbeadskenya.org/#donate
Thank you for your continued support of Baskets and Beads.