Name: Gladys Wanzala
Age: 40
Number of Children: 6
Project: Gladys is a very busy lady! She has two small businesses – selling clothes and operating a kiosk! She also volunteers as a cook at BWCP, where she helps cook for the more than 80 children who attend our preschool, PLUS she is raising six kids! In spite of her busy schedule, Gladys is always smiling and seems to have an endless amount of energy! Her projects currently generate approximately 100 kshs per day in profit. Investing in this project would allow her to expand her kiosk and diversify the produce she sells.
Name: Rose Musimbi
Age: 42
Number of Children: 2
Project: Rose sells vegetables at a roadside kiosk in Kaptembwo. But in Kaptembwo, the word “road” must be interpreted loosely- in this region, the roads are nothing more than beaten paths, and Rose’s days are filled with the dust, heat and noise that are Kaptembwo. The 150 kshs she receives in profit each day helps sustain her family. Invest in this project, and Rose will be able to expand her kiosk and diversify the produce she sells.
Name: Harriet Mught
Age: 38
Number of Children: 5
Project: Harriet supports her family of five children by raising chickens. She sells the chickens and their eggs.
Name: Lynette Obonya
Age: 32
Number of Children: 3
Project: Lynette is very well-loved at BWCP. She is very involved in the project, never misses a single meeting, and volunteers as our treasurer. Lynette sustains her family by selling vegetables outside the gate of their home. Investment would allow her to rent a kiosk and expand her business.
Name: Susan Akinyi
Age: 35
Number of Children: 7
Project: Susan is a hairdresser. However, she lost her hair salon in the clashes that affected Kenya in early 2008. Now, she is forced to support her seven children by going from house to house, offering haircuts. She is also a widow. Investment would allow Susan to rent a salon.
Name: Mary Aol
Age: 38
Number of Children: 4
Project: Mary is a hairdresser. She does not have her own salon, but has a spot in the street. Like most hairdressers, Mary has a lot of patience – a good characteristic, as hairstyling in Kenya can often take hours! In addition to hairstyling, Mary also sells fish. An investment in her project would allow Mary to rent her own salon.
Name: Josephine Mbonne
Age: 29
Number of Children: 7
Project: Josephine is a talented seamstress, who makes uniforms for the children at the BWCP preschool. She also supports her family of seven children by selling vegetables at a kiosk outside her house. An investment in this project would allow her to purchase a better sewing machine.
Name: Rose Mebeke
Age: 61
Number of Children: 6 + grandchildren
Project: Rose makes baskets and handbags at BWCP, a project that allows her to demonstrate her creativity. She also sells charcoal in the hot, dusty roads of Kaptembwo – a project that earns her about 70-120 kshs per day. Rose would like to improve her current conditions by renting a kiosk – something that sponsorship would allow her to do.
Name: Alice Boyani
Age: 54
Number of Children: 9
Project: Alice is one of backbones of the Bliss Women and Children Project, as she is very involved in all of our initiatives. She makes baskets and handbags from recycled plastic. This is a slow, painstaking process, and it can take up to two days to make a single one. Alice says, on a good week, she can make a maximum of five baskets. But even then, they can be difficult to sell, as the market is currently saturated. In addition to this, Alice also supports her family by selling vegetables. An investment in this project would give Alice the freedom to expand her projects.
Name: Benta Juma
Age: 42
Number of Children: 1
Project: Benta is also part of our basket and handbag making project. She spends hours crocheting beautiful handicrafts. She also sells fish at a kiosk in the local market. An investment in her projects would give Banta a chance to better her life and that of her family.
Name: Ruth Buchere
Age: 35
Number of Children: 4
Project: Ruth participates in our yarn-making project. While spinning wheels are a thing of the past in developed countries, in Kenya they continue to present a way for women to sustain their families. It’s a painstaking process. The wheel is used to spin yarn from fibers, and it’s hard because you spin the wheel by pumping it with your foot, while feeding the wool into the machine at the same time. An investment in Ruth’s project will allow us to expand this initiative, by purchasing more of these machines, buying more wool and being able to sell to more people.
Name: Judy Standa
Age: 30
Number of Children: 5
Project: Like so many people in Kenya, Judy runs a small shop, where she sells basic necessities, like soap, beverages, flour and candies. At the end of a long, hard day, she earns about 200 kshs in profit (about $2.50). The problem with these shops is that everyone sells the same thing. An investment in Judy’s project would allow her to diversify what she sells and expand her shop.
Name: Grace Cheserek
Age: 40
Number of Children: 5
Project: Grace supports her family by keeping chickens. She makes money from selling the eggs and the chickens. Some days she makes money – other days Grace and her family get nothing. Investing in this project would give Grace the freedom to think about how she can improve her project to make it more sustainable.
Name: Hannah Cherotich
Age: 41
Number of Children: 6
Project: Hannah is supporting a family of six children – four of her own, and two orphans whom she has taken in. She does her best to meet their needs by hawking clothes. Every two weeks, she makes the eight-hour to-and-fro trip between Nakuru and Nairobi, where she purchases the clothes. Investment in this project would allow Hannah to rent a kiosk and expand her business.
Name: Josephine Mbone
Age: 38
Number of Children: 3
Project: Josephine is one of our happiest members, with a non-stop smile, and an endless amount of energy. She supports her family of three children by selling vegetables at the side of the road. She does not have a kiosk, but instead spreads the produce out on a tarp, and squats by the side of the road. Investment in this project would allow her to rent a kiosk and increase her revenues.
Name: Joyce Myabuke
Age: 28
Number of Children: 2
Project: Joyce makes chips and sells them by the side of the road. You can imagine what this is like – every morning, she wakes up early to start peeling the potatoes. Then, she spends hours stooped in front of the fire, only to sell a few chips by the side of a dusty road. For her trouble, Joyce makes about 50 kshs – less than $1 USD per day. An investment in this project will give Joyce the opportunity to improve her project and consider, then follow, the steps she can take to increase her income.
Name: Grace Machoka
Age: 42
Number of Children: 5
Project: Grace’s entire family is currently living off 100 kshs per day – approximately $1.25 USD. This is the profit she makes from two small businesses - selling vegetables and making and selling chips. It is very hard work, and an investment in Grace’s projects would help her and her family to take that first, most important step to get ahead.
Name: Alima Wangere
Age: 38
Number of Children: 2
Project: Alima is a saleswoman. She buys clothes in Nairobi, then spends her days walking endlessly through the streets of Nakuru, hawking what she’s purchased. An investment in Alima’s project would give her a chance to improve her business by renting a kiosk.
Name: Grace Cherotich
Age: 38
Number of Children: 5
Project: Grace is one of the incredibly patient women who spends hours every day crocheting baskets and handbags for sale. She also sustains her family through a poultry project, where she keeps chickens, and sells the eggs and the chickens. From these projects she makes about $1USD per day. An investment in this project will allow Grace to build a chicken coop and make other changes to improve her businesses.
Name: Jane Homje
Age: 46
Number of Children: 6
Project: In Nakuru, many people use charcoal stoves, due to the prohibitive cost of gas. Jane sells charcoal and vegetables in the street. Investing in this project would allow Jane to rent a kiosk.
Name: Gladys Wadwa
Age: 28
Number of Children: 3
Project: Gladys participates in our cake-making project. Under this initiative, the women make small heart-shaped cakes that are absolutely delicious! As you can see by the picture, the equipment we use is very different than ovens that can be found in North America or Europe. Due to the expense of gas, the women cook with firewood.
Name: Grace Cassova
Age: 38
Number of Children: 4
Project: Grace participates in our basket-making project. She also sells vegetables by the roadside, where she spends her days sitting in the dust and chaos that is Kaptembwa. An investment in her project would allow her to rent a kiosk.
Name: Janet Aol
Age: 39
Number of Children: 6
Project: Janet is part of our basket and handbag-making project. She also sells small fish called Omena. Omena measure about two inches long and is found in Lake Victoria. They are used to feed chickens.
Name: Doricas Wagre
Age: 38
Number of Children: 3
Project: Doricas participates in our handbag and basket-making project, where she spends hours weaving beautiful baskets and bags out of recycled plastic. She also sells vegetables by the roadside.
Name: Isnas Fidi
Age: 40
Number of Children: 5
Project: Isnas supports her family of five children by making baskets and selling vegetables by the side of the road. From both of these projects, she makes 50 kshs per day (less than $1 USD). Life is extremely difficult for this family, and investing in Isnas’ vegetable selling project, would allow them to take one step out of extreme poverty.
Name: Lynette Cherotich
Age: 38
Number of Children: 5
Project: Lynette makes and sells the most beautiful table cloths. It is hard to capture in words the beauty of what she produces – imagine someone who lives surrounded by dirt and poverty producing a cloth that is flawlessly made, soft to the touch, and imbued with the most startlingly beautiful colours. An investment in Lynette’s project will allow her to continue expressing her soul and creativity.
Name: Leah Mtai
Age: 38
Number of Children: 3
Project: Leah raises goats. She supports her family by selling the goats’ milk and selling the goats. Investment in this project would allow Leah to increase her herd by purchasing more goats. Goats can be purchased in Kenya for about $15 to $20 each – so just one month’s funding would allow her to buy two more goats.
Name: Sarah Kamau
Age: 42
Number of Children: 5
Project: Sarah is a little more fortunate than many of the women participating in our project, as her family owns a plot of land. She uses this land to raise cows, and supports her family by selling the cows and their milk. Investment in this project would allow Sarah to ensure the animals get proper veterinary care, and better feed, and would also allow Sarah to diversify her project by purchasing other animals (such as chickens).
Name: Mercy Cherotich
Age: 36
Number of Children: 3
Project: Mercy is the star of our cake-baking project. Every day, she spends hours in our kitchen making delicious cakes. Then, she heads into the center of Nakuru, where she walks from place to place, selling bags of five cakes for 30 kshs. Parts of the profits are then invested back in the project.