Night Nanjala
Beadwork
A bead artisan working with the group's mentors toward a home of her own.
“They taught me how to start a business, manage money, and most importantly how to grow and love myself again.”
Night is a widow and a mother of five. Her entire life has been spent in the Kipsongo slum, and she was never able to go to school because her parents could not afford it.
She married young and had five children. Then her husband became gravely ill. They went to every hospital they could, but no one could identify the problem. They spent all their savings, and even the help of well-wishers could not stop his health deteriorating. Watching the person she loved get worse by the day was the hardest season her family had known.
The weight of his illness made her give up on life. Her children were suffering and she could not provide three meals a day, and in that despair she turned to selling alcohol. Instead of things improving, her husband passed away, leaving her alone with five children and no idea how she would live.
When she first heard about a group of women helping each other she did not want to hear about it, having given up hope. But after attending one of their meetings she felt completely at home, and became a member of Baskets and Beads. Since joining she has been encouraged, uplifted, and loved. She can dream and hope again.
In Night’s words
“To have a stable home for my children, provide for them, and give them the educational opportunities I was denied.”
Stand behind Night
Gifts go into the group’s shared table banking pool and the programs that support every woman in the circle: materials, literacy, medical help, and school fees for their children.
