The 2021 Fall & Winter newsletter is here! Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge held a training day at their farm in Kerio Valley, Kenya. Teri farm is a model for agroecology, which helps to replenish, rather than deplete, the soil. They are growing cowpeas, spider herb, amaranth, and chilies. In this newsletter we feature: Vocational training for young women who have dropped out of school in Uganda Universal Love Alliance providing transportation services during the pandemic lockdown Ph

In the last few years, SIA has begun supporting more of our partner organizations with grants for staff salaries. Grants for overhead?? Isn't it better to pay for programs or tangible objects, rather than overhead? We've found that where there is dedicated, well-paid staff, grassroots efforts are able to thrive in a consistent way. Rather than seeing it as a waste, we see it as investing in and honoring the people that bring our vision of a better world into reality, while al

Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge of Eldoret, Kenya have been part of Spirit in Action since the very beginning. As friends of Del Anderson, they advised him on the best ways to support economic empowerment in Kenya. They all shared a passion for promoting self-sufficiency and sustainability, especially in terms of growing food and rearing animals, and farming in ways that preserve soil health. As we welcome Samuel and Rhoda as SIA Emeritus Board Members, I share their latest adventur

Fred Kiserem (pictured below) was working in a café in Iraq when he suddenly fell down and started jerking. When he woke up, a friend from Uganda told him that it looked like kifafa – epilepsy. This was Fred’s first seizure, and he thought that at 27 he was too young for epilepsy. To find out more, Fred returned home to Kenya. After another seizure that landed him in the hospital, he sent up a prayer to God that if he got out of the hospital, he would start an organization fo

Women around Turbo in Western Kenya are excited about the Mothers’ Support Programme expanding in their rural district. The program is the creation of Benter, Lizette, and Rhoda – the leaders of the Visionary Women’s Centre -- and it has the effect of increasing self-confidence and building a sense of pride in the women who participate. The women also improve the nutritional and economic opportunities for themselves and their families. 110 mothers and grandmothers are now par

Guest post by Gloria Teimuge Gloria is a public health practitioner and consultant, photojournalist and writer living in Nairobi, Kenya. This is part of our series highlighting the culture of Kenya. As we get into the holiday mood, I’d love to share some of my experiences of what I’d describe as a Kenyan holiday. This year is different, for all of us, but there are some things that still keep the holiday spirit alive. December is typically sunny. The children are on a break f

“Having salaried staff brings a sense of pride and stability for the three employees, all of whom volunteered for many years. Having new office equipment is incredible! Our office is nicely furnished with tables and chairs to accommodate visitors, including high level staff from UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund, World Vision, and journalists conducting interviews.” The Pastoralist Child Foundation (PCF) in Kenya is one of the organizations that SIA supports with operati

Guest Post by Gloria Teimuge Gloria is a public health practitioner and consultant, photojournalist and writer living in Nairobi, Kenya. This is part of our series highlighting the geography and culture of Kenya. My middle name is Jepkoech, which means I was born at dawn, right before sunrise, when the first light appears in the East. I have adapted well as an early morning riser, getting that morning run and energy boost before the schedule begins. My Mom says she was going

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is one of Romano Iluku’s favorite quotes and it comes up often as he talks about his work with families in the informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Romano has a fundamentally positive outlook and in the midst of the fear about the pandemic, he reminded me that he has seen his community in Kenya respond with resilience to the HIV/AIDS. Romano is a Spirit in Action Small

Report from Jonathan Hamisi TAI CBO Program Officer, Kenya At present, many communities are being forced to change rapidly because of changes in the economy and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lives have changed so much that old ways of coping do not work anymore. In such situations, it really helps to have someone to talk. This is what TAI Community Based Organization (TAI CBO), in partnership with Spirit in Action, has done in Maua, Kenya. (See TAI CBO's website.) I

By Gloria Teimuge This week we are continuing the series of posts highlighting the country of Kenya, brought to you by Gloria Teimuge. Gloria is a public health practitioner and consultant, photojournalist and writer living in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a long-time friend of Spirit in Action. Kenya is located in the Eastern region of Africa, on the equator with an area of about six hundred thousand square kilometers (225,000 sq miles). The Kenyan coast borders the Indian Ocean to

Today we hear from Dennis Kurgat, who is a member of the SIA African Advisory Board. He lives in Eldoret, Kenya and has been part of the SIA team for 12 years! My Background Story I grew up in Eldoret, close to the Ilula Training Center in Kenya. I come from a family of six kids: three boys, three girls, and I am the firstborn. The first 15 years of my life were relatively stable with steady income from the family farm. My Dad had a good job too. I didn’t know what it meant t

This week we are starting a series of posts highlighting the country of Kenya, brought to you by Gloria Teimuge. Gloria is a long-time friend of Spirit in Action and I reconnected with her last summer. She lives in Nairobi and is working on a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. Hi there! For the next few weeks, I will take you across Kenya through my lens. In these blog posts, you will hopefully learn more about this beautiful country- as revealed by my words and photographs.

By now I think we all know that Zoom, and video conferencing in general, can be a blessing and a curse. It isn’t the same as being in person – I miss the hugs. But it’s also amazing how this pandemic has opened us up to the possibility of meaningful connection through a screen! This morning I met online with the Spirit in Action African Advisory Board, Small Business Fund coordinators, and representatives from grant partners. We talked about the immediate crisis that is still

Dennis in Kenya started with Spirit in Action in 2007. Samuel, also in Kenya, remembers talking with Del Anderson as he named our organization in 1996. Maggie, in California, was one of the original board members. Last weekend, the Spirit in Action North American Board and the African Advisory Board gathered on Zoom for a virtual meeting. Three new board members joined from California. (Welcome, Johnann, RuthAnn, and Dan!) The collective wisdom, experience, and openness to le

Spirit in Action is part of a collection of organizations that are looking at new ways to give grants that support a bottom-up approach. The message below is from Solomé Lemma, Executive Director of Thousand Currents, a leader in this collective. Her words so perfectly capture what we are seeing with SIA partners during this time. (Scroll to the end to read about the action Spirit in Action is taking right now in Kenya!) From Thousand Currents: “As we continue to grapple with

Today’s post is a re-post from David Zarembka’s Report from Kenya blog. David is an American who has lived in Kenya for many years. I appreciate his observations on everyday life in western Kenya. These projects are not specifically SIA related but I have seen similar small-scale manufacturing operations as part of the Spirit in Action Small Business Fund. Every day on my afternoon walk, I pass by the shop pictured below. A few weeks ago I stopped by to have Griffin’s (my gra

When Chris Owino was ready to expand his grocery stall in the market, he joined the Matungu Community Development Charity’s small loan program. His shops supports his wife and their three children. A friend from church told Chris about the Matungu low-interest loan program and helped him receive a $150 loan to buy more items for his shop. “Thanks to Spirit in Action and Matungu for the small loan. If not for you, I am sure even today I would still be struggling in raising fun

Guest post by Gloria Teimuge, Eldoret Kenya Traditional brewing of alcohol is still common in Kenyan communities and has remained an important activity despite the introduction and commercialization of other types of brews. It is a vital aspect in the rural economy. Some families have their sole income generated from the making and selling of alcohol. In Kenya, the most common types of traditional brews are: Chang’aa (a distilled home-brewed grain-based spirit with up to 86%

The 2019 Fall & Winter newsletter is here! You can view a PDF version here and hard copies are in the mail this week! These guys are part of the SIA team in Manyamula, Malawi! Winkly, Mbwenu, and Sylvester helped Kathleen King and I visit over 35 of the 200+ SIA supported businesses in the area! In this newsletter we feature: Meet “Notorious for Jesus” Small Business Fund leader, Ruth, in Eldoret, Kenya Read our new Mission Statement Photo collage from my five weeks in Africa