When our Karatu loan hub began several years ago, local ladies unanimously elected Josephine Silo as the perfect powerhouse to head the program. At nearly 70 years old and still running a small farm, keeping a beading business and until recently serving as GWOCO chairwoman, Josephine has more than earned her retirement. So it was … Continue reading A party in Tloma
Lions and tembo and microloans
There is a Swahili proverb—mtu ni watu—translating to a person is people, or something akin to no man is an island. This concept is central to our local, women’s microloan program and was reiterated yesterday in nearby Tloma. After about a month of very hard work on everyone’s parts, our GWOCO leaders were finally able … Continue reading Lions and tembo and microloans
Seeing our women in action
After passing Loan Chairperson Josephine’s house dozens of times without ever stopping, we finally went over yesterday. Josephine, along with a couple of female family members, gave us a glimpse into a beading business she’s been operating for quite some time. Though they do some jewelry, the women’s main craft is creating leather wall hangings … Continue reading Seeing our women in action
Babies, baptisms and Christmas
Though we technically had work off the past few days, our holiday weekend was nothing short of event-filled. We started Christmas morning with snickerdoodles, kahawa (coffee) and cinnamon buns home made by our friend and neighbor Adrienne. And a few paper snowflakes later, we headed to our loan program treasurer Levina’s house in nearby Tloma. … Continue reading Babies, baptisms and Christmas