Small Business Fund entrepreneurs and leaders in Korogocho, Nairobi hosting Tanya in June. Wambui, pictured on left edge of the group is one of our local coordinators for SIA. It’s back-to-school season in North America! This month is when so many kids head back to classes after a long holiday. If you regularly follow SIA’s blog, you’ll know that many of our Small Business Fund entrepreneurs use their earnings to help send children to school. Government elementary schools in

You’ve probably seen the simple messaging. If you give $xx amount per month, a girl in another country will get the gift of education. But it’s not as easy as just money or desks or school buildings. The Malawian organization Hope for Relief, assisted by a Spirit in Action Community Grant, uses a holistic approach to girls’ education in their community. 1. Meetings with Parents Last year the team at Hope for Relief held two engagement meetings with parents, teachers, and comm

Last month I wrote about the inspiring story of Denis Kasambala, 16 years old, who received the gift of a pig from his community in last year. His mother died when he was young and his father is often lost in his alcoholism. The Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative members have great hopes for Denis. They wanted him to know his great potential. When teachers sent Denis home from school in October for not having a school uniform, the community stepped up again. Through an act of Shari

When you think of the work of girls’ empowerment, you might not think of bathrooms. But a changing room and bathroom is exactly what Hope for Relief – a youth-led, grassroots organization in Malawi – knew would help keep girls in school. Before the changing room was built, it was common for girls to stay home when they were on their periods. There is a stigma attached to being at school while bleeding and also the practical challenge of not having good material for pads. “Whe

All around the world, parents have the common hope that their children will have better lives than their own. This was the hope of Chimwemwe Beza and Timothy Mtambo in Manyamula, Malawi. Chimwemwe left high school after her second year and never was able to return. She didn’t have the support of family to continue her education, especially since they were struggling to meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and a home. Still, Chimwemwe and Timothy held onto the hopethat th

Supporting Families Wilson Nikosi (Manyamula, Malawi) “I did not even have a piece of soap or a blanket. I was using a sack to sleep on. I was failing to send my child to school. And then I met Canaan Gondwe and he talked to me about Spirit in Action. And with the Small business fund I bought groceries supplies and paid school fees. Now my children are eating. Now I have a house made of baked bricks and I have iron sheets as a roof on my house. “Yes, I have been sharing the g

When we listen to the needs and solutions of the community, instead of providing our own answers, we sometimes hear something we wouldn’t expect. Such was the case of Hope for Relief Organization in northern Malawi. They want to help more girls stay in school and instead of providing new classrooms or school fees, their solution is to provide girls with cloth feminine pads. Having the reusable pads means that the girls don’t miss school during their menstrual periods. A simpl

Rebuilding a life and a community after years of conflict, violence, and trauma is no easy task. The pain doesn’t go away immediately. The healing doesn’t happen automatically. Those who remain must figure out the way forward. The Spirit in Action Small Business Fund (SBF) is helping with this rebuilding, with more than just cash grants. Naomi Ayot is the coordinator for SBF in the Kole District in Uganda. This is where the Lord’s Resistance Army abducted girls in 1996 and ye

These men and women, chosen to receive SIA Small Business Fund grants, are living in the rough conditions in the informal settlements around Nairobi. They and their families are living without running water or adequate toilet facilities. Structures are made tin pieces and are packed together very closely. Rain turns dirt roads and floors into muddy messes. And yet, with the chance to start her own business and to provide for her family, one of the new entrepreneurs in Nairobi

“Our greatest national resource is the minds of our children.” ― Walt Disney Spirit in Action is investing in this natural resource by supporting students at Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge’s Samro School in Kenya. A SIA Community Grant in November will pay for school fees and lunch for four students, and also cover the tuition and board for eight boarding students. Samro is not only a place to learn, it is also a loving environment which gives the students hope and builds their sel

Arsons have burned over 100 public high schools in Kenya this year, affecting over 6,000 students. These aren’t terrorist attacks. It seems to be the work of some of the students themselves. And speculation about possible motivations is flying around without any clear conclusions. What is clear is that this is very bad news for the government schools that are already underfunded and overcrowded. It also clearly highlights the value of supporting good schools like Samro School

Last week I wrote about SIA’s partners – the people who are implementing change in their communities with our support – and I mentioned that we like to create long-lasting relationships with these partners. Del Anderson’s partnership and friendship with Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge began even before Spirit in Action was officially formed in 1996. Talk about a long-lasting relationship! Over those 20 years, the Teimuges’ Samro School has gone from a dream, to a single student in a

A year ago, the first preschool in Manyamula village was started with a Small Business Fund grant. Nellie, newly divorced, moved to Manyamula to start a new life. Nellie and two assistants – Deliwe and Tamara – each already had teaching skills and they were eager to help the 30 new students learn and grow. With the Small Business Fund grant they were able to purchase some books, crayons, mats, and cups for snack time. Thus was born the First Steps Pre-School. The pre-school h

In the beginning of December, the Board approved four new Community Grants and I received four very enthusiastic and grateful responses to the good news. It felt only right to share their joy, so that we can all celebrate and pray for this good work! 1. Community Mobilization Against Poverty – Kitale, Kenya Sustainable agriculture training. Model bio-intensive, organic farm. Seeds. For 200 farmers. ($3,000) From Moses Mukongo, CMAP director: On behalf of CMAP I want to thank

I left our meeting with the grassroots organization Progressive Volunteers feeling very optimistic. As I sat in their office in Nairobi, Kenya in July, they told me that the name Progressive Volunteers doesn’t just reflects that the local volunteers (including the PV staff) are helping other people progress. It’s also because “when you are making change in someone else’s life, it is also progressing you,” as Jeremiah Mzee, the group’s chairman, explained . Since 2007 PV has r

Learning computer skills on the computers purchased with a SIA Community Grant I saw an inspiring film last month. It wasn’t one that won an Oscar. Rather, it was a documentary about a pair of architects who taught high school students in rural North Carolina about how to design and build things. With the motto “Design. Build. Transform,” If You Build It wasn’t about a regular ol’ shop class. The “shop class +”  introduced the students to concepts like design, creative soluti

Five classic sewing machines and one high-tech machines are available for students. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Even more than in the US, people in Kenya are desperately seeking jobs that pay the bills and help their families thrive. Also like the US, people in Kenya turn to education to increase their job opportunities. Samro Polytechnic school in Eldoret Kenya, supported in part by a SIA grant, is focused on providing training in marketable skills, like tailoring, sewing, and compute

Today is about giving back! After Black Friday and Cyber Monday Giving Tuesday invites us to put our thanksgiving gratitude into action by helping others. Spirit in Action giving happens everyday. Giving between neighbors in rural Malawi. Giving between grandparents and children in Meru, Kenya. Giving between students and teachers at schools in Eldoret, Kenya. Giving between donors and families ready to start businesses in Uganda. In this season of giving, here are just 3 of

It could have been a scene from my own visit to in Kenya in 2011 – the dusty roads, the matatus (taxi vans) with hawkers hanging out of the windows, children singing and dancing with glee – but actually, it was just the setting of the beautiful, uplifting film, The First Grader. Stunning scenery in Meru National Park in Kenya. The movie, from 2011, is based on the true story of Kimani Maruge, an 84-year old man who hears in 2003 that the Kenyan government is now offering “fre

Daughters, Pokani and Miness. The family lives in Mteyo Ngoma Village, in the Manyamula area of northern Malawi, and had been trading in little tomatoes and onions in a small basket. They could not get enough income to support the children in school or even to get enough food for the family. One of the daughters, Miness, suffered from time to time from brain loss and seizures and the family was on the move to get medical attention for the girl. Often they could not get medica