Because it is the Soweto Slums

We got to visit one of the slums yesterday in Nairobi. TI has a project feeding children in a school there. For many of these children this is the only meal they will recieve.

I also had the honor of being there when TI started their project helping women start a micro business. They are making paper bead necklaces to sell in Nairobi, as well as ship them to Reno. Robert came and taught the ladies how to make the beads and we spent all day around a table practicing making the beads. It was the best day for me! I really feel that my heart is to help women and be with them. These women are mostly widows with young children. One is HIV positive, one a prostitute, one out of the home because her husband beat her. All poor. Poor meaning they having NO money at all and NO job or hope for one. What they do is dig through the dump hoping to find food for their family for that day and maybe something to sell. That is it!!

Now they have hope. Not many people know how to make the paper beads. They have not arrived in Nairobi yet so the market is very good. Daniel and Robert talked to them about keeping the secret on how to make the beads and how important it is for them to learn to save their profit and how to also budget for more supplies. TI bought the first set of supplies and now they must figure out how to get them again when they run out. I sat most of the day trying to master the process. I must admit that Robert spent most of the day correcting what I had done and encouraging me to try again. He said I was improving but I know it was only slowly!! The women worked all day and they were doing a great job. Most caught on quickly. They are excited and now have hope. Robert said to them "In one day your life has changed". It is true. Their lives have changed. What an honor for me to be part of it!!