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%

Hello SIA friends! After a much-needed break, I am back in the SIA office and working through the photos, memories, reports, and stories from the trip. Part of difficulty in returning from any SIA trip to Africa is that the daily work of site visits is so different from SIA desk work in North America. What do site visit days looks like? Samson and Sharon from Universal Love Alliance (SIA partners in Uganda) wrote up the following summary about the three days that Barbara and

Even though it was the day of the funeral of the husband of a group member, over 60 women (and one man) met at the church in Lumakanda Village to welcome us with song, testimony, tea, and donuts. These women were all members of the Visionary Women’s Centre in western Kenya, working to gain greater social and economic justice for themselves and all women in their community. When we first arrived, people were still taking tea, and so we waited while they finished eating and dri

This post is an update from Barbara Deal, SIA Board Member, on her experience at the SIA Small Business Fund Coordinator Conference last week in Eldoret, Kenya. Dear Companions in Spirit, Greetings from Eldoret, Kenya! The conference for the Spirit in Action Coordinators ended last night. Attending were six Coordinators for the Small Business Fund in Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi. Each work with and mentor between a dozen and almost 200 small business project partners. SIA local

Greetings from Uganda! Barbara and I landed Sunday morning in Entebbe and were greeted by our amazing local coordinator, Naomi Ayot. (Thank you, Naomi, for all the logistics work you have done for our trip!) That same day we arrived, we met with Samson and Sharon of Universal Love Alliance, who are supporting the rights of women, HIV+ people, and LGBT individuals. Here is Barbara’s direct account of that inspiring gathering: Today we met with 20 men and women who have taken p

Spring is slow in coming to Toronto this year. The leaves are just starting to poke out on the trees and I’m still wearing layers of sweaters and scarfs. With only 10 days left before I leave for my big site visit trip to Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi, I’ll be in some warmer weather soon! But how much warmer? Wearing my down jacket in Nairobi in July, visiting with Small Business Fund local team Josephine (Left) and Wambui (Right). (2014) In spite of the stereotype of Africa (the

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. ~ Rumi The visa for Uganda is approved. The one for Kenya is in the works. And I’m just pulling together the last documents to send to the Malawian embassy in Washington, DC for that visa. I got the booster vaccine for cholera and dug out my water filter bottle. Yes – in under one month I’ll be heading to the African continent for my fourth visit to SIA partners in Kenya, Ma