When the Rose Colored Glasses Come Off…

Many of you have followed from time to time a project that I decided to do while creating an empowerment and leadership program here in East Africa. The project involved a group of single mothers who were making ends meet the only way they knew how… by brewing illegal alcohol. They had a dream of leaving that way of life and having a dairy herd. The project I created was to make their dream a reality. For those not familiar, a media company here in East Africa did a short 5 minute documentary of their efforts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCSjudNPoS0

There have been many challenges and they have have made much progress since the exciting days of the cows arriving. But in my admiration and absolute respect for what these women are trying to do, I sometimes forget what they are truly facing and the real challenges that surround them each day. I forget until I take off my rose colored lenses and take a look from a different perspective. When seeing what they have done and what still needs to happen from a “non-rosy” viewpoint, their success is anything but certain. Here is some of the views from that perspective:

* One simply cannot ignore that the women are in their society “just women” who are not supposed to run large businesses. They live in a male dominated culture where to be a women, a girl must only do three things: get married, have children, and submit to their husbands. Women who are “old” which is to say older than 40 are considered to be too old to marry with many men (and women) assuming that something must be terribly “wrong” with the older woman making her unmarryable. An older woman might become a second or third wife of a man but probably not a first wife at their age. As a humbling example, a couple of women in the group are “standing in” for older members who are sick, giving birth, or otherwise unable to attend meetings or work for the project. These women are married. If they are not home when there husbands come home they are beaten. If they need to help grind maize for feed for the cow project, their husbands will refuse to give them permission as it is not work suitable for women and as wives, they should remain in their home. Yet, these women must attend the meetings of the group as “stand ins” so it is not uncommon for them to run home after seeing or hearing their husbands heading home so as to be there before he arrives.

* Family alliances are a real issue. The family structure in many of Kenya’s tribes are very complex… at least from my perspective. And, since most families have been in “survival mode” for many generations, there has developed a “do what must be done to support the family’s attempt to survive” mentality. If one needs to steal, lie, cheat, threaten or force in order to obtain money needed for food or basic needs all is fair and ok since it is for one’s family. So imagine what is going through the minds of the women and their family members when they see cows showing up of great value, and money coming in from donors all over the world to further purchase more cows, feed, land etc. And if you think you can sense the reactive nature of somehow wanting one of the cows or some of the money for themselves or their families… multiply it by a factor of 10 and you have it. PLUS the added pressure of family “elders” (men) who are asking what is in this new project for them or the children of relatives of family member further removed. It is a real issue that is being dealt with almost every day. In another case, a woman of the group received some money from the fund raiser the group held not too long ago. She was beaten and her home searched by other family members living elsewhere until they found and took the money she had been given. Such is the way life can be for many women in Kenya… more in the conservative countryside that in the larger more educated urban centers.

* Thinking in a business sense and for the long term is simply a new line of thinking. There is no baseline for comparison or for a foundation of what to do as they have always spent each day what was obtained that day in order to get to tomorrow. The concept of allowing money to accumulate in order to expand the business, have a reserve for emergencies, and to create more capital is simply a foreign concept. They get the concept easily enough but the pressures to take the money that is “right there” NOW for the pressing needs is almost overwhelming.

* The work they have had to do to get enough grass and feed to last through the coming dry season (now here) has been hard. It is hard because they are working and not being paid (although they know it will pay off in the long run) and because it competes sometimes with the needs of their own personal businesses that they desperately need to create the short term income each need if they are to remain out of brewing. They have enough time, but managing that time is a very disciplined mindset and the Kenyan sense of time is very laid back. If one understands the Native American Indian’s sense of time then you have a good sense of “Kenyan Time”. It is very hard to be time bound when everyone around you are not.

* Finally, the unseen economic pressures have hit them full force… international oil prices and the International monetary system. They are on a very strict income where every penny (shilling) counts. When fuel, kerosene in this case, rises 60% and as a consequence basic food requirements (flour, sugar, vegetables and fruits) rise more than 100% in a few months, that is as close to an economic disaster that one can get anywhere in the world. The impact obviously is what they were making with their new businesses to replace their old brewing income is not near enough and school fees for their children are now fast approaching. Most do not see a way they will be able to pay and they are committed to their children going to school… boys AND girls. So the pressures to go back to the “sure thing” income of brewing mounts daily and the needs for the women to help each other also increases each day.

This is the real world these women find themselves in today. It is hard. They are stretching what has been considered to be the norm and they are having to learn how to think and respond rather than simply react and repeat. They are stretching and expanding the norms of society and culture and in some ways society and culture are pushing back. Yet, they are committed, focused, and truly want to create a better life for themselves, their families, their community and region. What the actual outcome will be is anyone’s guess. Yet I believe in them and I get a sense that they see what their future can be as they slowly begin to believe it will be if they can just hold on, work hard, and have a whole lot of faith.

An After Thought: The women’s group has 6 children in secondary school at this time. Primary school is free but secondary schools have fees attached for attending. The cost to send one child to secondary school for a year is about 16,000 shillings or approximately $188 USD (assuming the shilling to be near 85 to the dollar). So for $1,128 dollars the pressure of the fees would be off their shoulders for a year as they work to stabilize and grow their dairy business. Relieving that pressure will give them some breathing room… something that they desperately need at the moment. If you would like to help, please send a check payable to: David Bernard-Stevens (me) and send it to 501 Hazelwood Drive, Lincoln, Nebraska 68510. When received, family members will deposit it into the proper account and I will withdraw it via an ATM in shillings to give to the women when a meaningful level is reached. Please put “School Fees” in the notation portion of your check. If you would rather send your donation directly to me here in Kenya via MoneyGram or Western Union, let me know and I will send you the Swift Codes and other pertinent information. You will be advised when your donation has been received and kept updated on the effort. Please note that your donation will not be tax deductible.

These women have the potential of changing the very social fabric that has kept women and children “down” in most developing countries. The impact they could have to other women within Africa and the world is infinite in its potential. The world needs them somehow to find a way. With your help, the winds of change being sown here may become a gale of possibilities…

David