Last year I started writing a series of articles about businesses which were being setup in Mtwapa with help from Milele business grants. Having arrived back in Kenya a couple of weeks ago we went around to find out how things had been going. The biggest success story has to be Fauzia (Mother to Ummy) who has been running her cookery business for the entire year and is still going really strong. She continues to cook three times a day and has been able to support her family with the profit she has been making. Fauzia is the perfect example of how a business grant can work, providing a small amount of money upfront enabled her to purchase the basics she needed to get started and then her skills and passion made it work!

Khadija (Mother to Saidi) got off to a great start and had been running a profitable charcoal business via a local shop for over a year. Unfortunately she started to pay into a ill-fated saving scheme which collapsed just before her pay out was due, this put her into a really difficult situation which meant she was unable to continue operating. We have spent some time talking to her about what happened, whilst we are here we will be working with her to improve her financial planning and try to find an alternative business for her to run in the near future.

The final story I have to tell is about Isaac's Mother; we originally helped her to setup a cafe business which was going well until her landlord decided to redevelop the plot which she was using. This was a big set back and we were really disappointed to see all her hard work go to waste, but we needn't have worried. Mama Isaac regrouped and adapted, she took the profits from her cafe and bought the ingredients needed to make soap and bleach which she now sells around Mtwapa. Building on this success, she has started to make pillows with recycled materials and foraged cotton pods which she plans to start selling (for a tidy profit) in the near future. Not content with 2 business plans, she also collects any small glass bottles she finds on her travels which she cleans (with her bleach) and sells. I have honestly not met a more dedicated business woman in Mtwapa and it just goes to show that if you have the will to succeed and a positive attitude there can be opportunities everywhere!

Richard

Hello everyone! Welcome to our monthly updates.We really pass our thanks to everybody who has contributed towards Milele program no matter how little or small it was but we really appreciate your effort and it has helped someone and you will be blessed.

Recently we have been working with Agnes with the books at Royal Academy thus making sure they are in good use. As well to all other project which received the books have adapted the same idea. This idea has really helped the kids to know how to read at a very young age.

We also visited some of the family's of the children who received mosquito net and it was really amazing to see how the parents appreciated your donation hence you have save a future leader from malaria.

Currently we started small projects for our sponsored kids family's who are not able to take care for themselves yet.  We have chicken project and fire wood business which will help them earn a living.

Our sponsored kids plus the new ones are really doing good work in school and all this happened because of your support  we thank you for your support.