Community Shares

by Hayley Still

Through the 2019 Helping-Hand Appeal, you are invited to supportcommunities as they work to overcome poverty together.

In the urban slums of Nairobi, Kenya, every day is a struggle for survival.

It is harsh. It is squalid. It is unfair. It is neglected. But it is not hopeless.

Not content with life as it is, people are coming together and taking their future into their own hands. Together they are pursuing life as it could be, as it was intended to be.

As part of a community self-help group, members regularly contribute small amounts of money to build up a communal fund. They can then each take loans from this shared pot to start or expand their business, or pay for unexpected costs.

The Salvation Army is already working and walking alongside these communities. Money raised through Helping-Hand 2019 will help to provide training, facilities and support to equip and enable these self-help groups to thrive.

Training individuals in business management, accounting, marketing, healthcare and anti-human trafficking helps to improve opportunities, grow confidence, generate income and strengthen resilience within the whole community.

It is the epitome of empowerment, equality and accountability.

Kibera slum is one of the largest in the world, and the challenges people face there are extensive. It is overcrowded and dangerous. There is violence and theft on a regular basis.

The Salvation Army compound in Kibera is based in the heart of the slum. In the midst of the chaos, the Kibera Mamas group provides safety and solace to the women who take part. There, they can talk and laugh with friends, leave their challenges outside or choose to discuss them in a safe environment.

Group members learn to make bead animals which are sold and the profit shared between the members.

Miriam lives in Kibera where she shares a one room dwelling with her husband, three children and niece and nephew. Miriam knows too well the difficulties of living in the slum. ‘We are struggling’ she said ‘it is not good… but we are just used to it.’

As part of the Kibera Mamas group, Miriam has learnt to make bead animals. She said, ‘[The group has] made a difference because I have got some new friends… When I’m there, I don’t have stress. I have learnt a lot of things there… and it has helped me in many ways.’

'The group has helped me in many ways' - Miriam

Like Miriam, Cecelia also lives in a one room dwelling with her family in the Kibera slum. Cecelia heard about Kibera Mamas from the group leader Nfrieda and was interested in attending so she could learn a new skill. ‘The group is nice because it helps us and I can talk with the other mamas. It makes us grow our minds, instead of just sitting [and doing nothing].’

In the slum, everything has a price; water, toilets, showers, even a place to throw rubbish. Yet, as Cecelia explains, ‘Most people in the slum are jobless’.

Before joining the group Cecelia would get occasional work washing dishes for her neighbours.

This would bring in a small amount of money which she could use to pay for food for her children. But the unpredictable nature of this meant Cecelia would not know, from one day to the next, if she would be able to earn enough money to provide for her family. Some nights they would have to go to bed hungry. She said, ‘Life before was difficult. I would look for something to do like cleaning clothes and I would get just 100 shillings (approximately 76p) to feed my children, but I would not know about tomorrow.’

Now, Cecelia and her children do not go hungry. As part of the Kibera Mamas group she has learnt to make beaded animals and can share in the profits with the other group members.

Cecelia said, ‘I no longer say that I am jobless because I am doing beadwork.’

Through The Salvation Army’s income generation project, 30 self-help groups like Kibera Mamas have already been established and 30 more are planned. Through these groups, members receive training to help them start or grow their businesses, and a safe place to save money with their fellow group members. Alongside the opportunity to overcome material poverty, is the chance to build relationships and create community. The Kibera Mamas laugh and talk together, comforting one another in their sorrows, and celebrating their successes.

In these seemingly desperate surroundings, community has flourished and potential is being fulfilled.

When a community shares, it can thrive.