As many of you have learned from following this blog, the main reason I’ve been living overseas in Cambodia and Kenya for the past year has been to support a women’s empowerment, literacy, and micro-finance program called WORTH. I have been extremely fortunate in my assignment, because not only has my placement provided an opportunity to work with some incredible people and to be involved in several interesting projects, but I also genuinely believe in the tremendous quality of this program.

WORTH helps women fundamentally transform their lives by changing the way they see themselves and the world around them. Through literacy training, weekly saving in WORTH groups, and subsequent formation of village banks, women recognize the power they have within themselves to challenge the poverty surrounding them.

One of the ways in which we celebrate accomplishments in WORTH is by having the women tell their stories of success – how they’ve triumphed over the largest odds to learn to read, save money, and start a successful business with a loan from their group; how their lives are forever changed for the better.

Last Wednesday I had the honor of making my first field trip to one of our programs in Kenya, with the sole purpose of collecting some of these success stories. We went with Lena, the Program Coordinator at our partner organization, The Salvation Army, and spent the day in Embu – an area about 2.5 hours outside of Nairobi.

In the morning we met at a Salvation Army church in Embu town where I met Gertrude, Estella, and Bessie – three amazing women who have benefited from 10+ months in our program. Outfitted with a notepad, my camera, and a small video camera, I sat with these women and recorded their stories with the help of Caro (an Assistant Coordinator) and Lena as translators.

Since I’ve been telling my own story for years here, I figured I’d turn over the spotlight here and introduce you to some inspirational women from Embu, Kenya.

Gertrude Rwamba

With an incredibly warm and loving face, reminiscent of a grandmother with warm cookies, Gertrude exudes strength and happiness from the smile on her face to her very stature.

Gertrude is a 58-year-old retired widow from Embu, Kenya. She is the mother of five, and as is the case with many Kenyan families, only one of her elder sons has been able to find employment.

Before she joined the WORTH program Gertrude had no income or savings.

She even found it difficult to save money when she was fully employed – life in rural Kenya is very difficult.

Now Gertrude has changed all of that. Each week she contributes 10 KSH ($.13 cents) to her WORTH group’s savings, and often finds extra money averaging 50 KSH ($.70 cents) to deposit in her voluntary savings.

After learning how to save money with WORTH, Gertrude bought 10 hens in order to sell their eggs for profit. With her own business, she’s now making 100 KSH ($1.50) each week. She sells the eggs from her home to local villagers for 5 shillings each. The income from her egg sales helps her pay for her daughter Martha’s (age 8) school transport fees and household expenses, and provides extra money she can invest in her voluntary savings. The total of her voluntary savings has reached 2000 KSH ($28.00)! In the future she hopes to buy a goat (1500 KSH) so she can sell milk and breed the baby goats for market.

Her family is very supportive of the WORTH program, hoping to join their own savings group when they’re older. Her children no longer miss important things like sugar and salt, and washing soap. “Every small bit makes a difference. So we are happy!”

Before raising hens, she used to rely on a very small cash flow from selling maize and beans, which cut into the amount of food she grew for her family’s consumption. She became very scared when there was a drought, and was unsure how she would feed her children. WORTH has given her the confidence to start her small business and realistically plan for its expansion. Gertrude’s savings group has also invested in three fruit driers, which they keep in her yard. The group dries fruits and vegetables, such as mangos, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, and greens, for sale in the community. The profits are shared among the group and much is reinvested into the group’s savings. Now Gertrude feels more positive about the future and how she can better manage the uncertainty.

When Gertrude talks about how WORTH has changed her life, her face lights up. She is joyful. “Now all the mama’s can sign their names. We are happy. Those who could read and write before were selfish and did not teach others, but with WORTH, we remember to do something, to think, and to share our knowledge with others.”

Estella Wangari

Estella is a 36 year old woman from Embu, Kenya. She is as full of energy as her smile is wide. She is married with three children, aged 15, 12, and 9 years. They all attend school – a great feat for any woman!

Being part of the WORTH has changed Estella’s life and provided her family many benefits. She says that before the program she was “just a housewife”, but through group meetings and literacy classes, Estella has found the self-confidence to save more money and become a businesswoman too.

She recognized her family’s large consumption of milk and decided to turn those costs into an opportunity, using some of her voluntary savings to buy a goat. Now there is plenty of milk for her children to drink and the extra she is able to sell to other people in the community. Since she no longer needs to buy milk, she can use that money to buy salt and sugar, as well as plan for expanding her business. Besides her goats milk business, Estella is also raising 12 hens and growing kale. Through all of these activities she can provide better support to her family and add even more money to her voluntary savings.

Estella’s weekly income is 170 KSH ($2.40) and she saves 20 KSH ($.28 cents) per week in mandatory savings, and 50 KSH ($.70 cents) per week in her voluntary savings. So far she has saved 2500 KSH ($35.70) in her voluntary account!

Her husband was initially opposed to her joining the WORTH program, but now he thinks that all women should be like his wife – energetic about making money and contributing to the family finances. He used to complain when she asked him to give her money for things she needed around the house, but now she is able to manage the household fund and save money, while her husband remains responsible for paying school fees. Her husband is especially happy when she has a cup of tea, slices of chicken, and several eggs ready for his afternoon tea. Her daughters love to play with the goat, and now her mother – also a WORTH women – is finally able to read. There is renewed joy in the house.

Estella talks about how wonderful WORTH has been for her community. Where she comes from, people don’t know about the importance of reading and writing. As more women become part of WORTH groups, the community has begun to recognize the importance of literacy. With a shy smile on her face, Estella says what she would do If she could change one thing about WORTH: “I would educate more women and teachers so that the program could reach even more women.”

Bessie Kagema

Bessie is a 64-year-old widow with three grown up sons, living in Embu, Kenya. Two of her sons are jobless and rely on Bessie for financial support.

Before she retired she was a schoolteacher. After her husband died she moved back to the area where she grew up to begin rebuilding her life. Lucky for her the WORTH program was just being organized in her village, and she eagerly joined a savings group.

With prior knowledge of soap making, Bessie decided to start her own avocado and neem soap making business. Using chemicals that she buys wholesale and avocado and neem that she either grows or collects from her mother’s garden, she is able to make a profit of 100 KSH ($1.40) most weeks, and 300 KSH ($4.20) during the best weeks. She mostly sells the soap out of her home and in local shops, but once in awhile a middleman comes to purchase some of her merchandise for greater consumption.

The money she earns from her soap making business helps Bessie add to her group savings, while also managing household costs and supporting her two sons. Her mandatory savings is 20 KSH ($.28 cents) a week and she adds an additional 50 KSH ($.70 cents) to her voluntary savings when she can. She’s managed to save a total of 500 KSH ($7.14) in her voluntary savings, with the additional income she’s earned from her soap making business. She also supplements her income by raising 15 chickens, and growing and selling maize and beans. She hopes to take a loan from her group in the future, but wants to make sure she has made a good plan for how she will use that money. She’s thinking about buying a cow.

Bessie also teaches other women in her group to make soap, inspiring a group-wide business. The group makes the soap together and then each member sells the soap individually. The profits from their soap making business are used to buy goods – such as soap, clothes, and food – for the needy in their community. Bessie explains that people who are blind and disabled, and orphan children, all benefit from this group project.

When talking about her experience, Bessie stresses the importance of women starting businesses. If it weren’t for WORTH, she said, she would not have gone into business for herself. Now she is proud of what she’s accomplished for herself and her community. WORTH has reminded her to continue dreaming of a better future, and for that, she is grateful.