Throughout the pandemic and national elections in Uganda, grassroots organizations like KADI-U are continuing their community-level activities to make sure everyone has enough food and is on the path to a better life. (See all our current partner organizations.) I was so excited after reading their report to SIA of their activities in the last few months of the year. The volunteers who run KADI are so dedicated to making sure no one in their community is left behind. One of t

“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

“We all can make a difference. We’ll start by looking within, from dependence to ascendance. Come on all, let’s shift the power. “You got the power in your hand to make a positive change in the land. Alone I can go real fast but when we put our hands together we can go way past. How do you know? There is power in unity. Everything we want is right there in the community.” These powerful words are from the song Shift the Power Zambia (watch the music video below!). It’s a catc

Everything about the Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative in Malawi embodies community spirit in action. They are at once a farmer cooperative, peer counselors, savings and loans providers, a social network, and a vehicle for local economic development and charity. “This cooperative puts people first and strives to meet members’ needs. It helps us do together what we cannot do on our own,” said chairperson Canaan Gondwe during SIA’s visit to Manyamula in June. Read more about the Sma

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%

Business is booming in Manyamula Village. This village was small and struggling when I first visited eight years ago and it’s growing into a thriving center with lots of services. The SIA Small Business Fund is helping new entrepreneurs grow their businesses and support their families. Here are some pictures and stories from my visit in June. Fikani – Manyamula’s Uber Stanley is the rural Malawian version of Uber! Send him a text and he’ll transport you and your goods aroun

“A place of discovering our potential.” This is how one of the vocational students at Set Her Free Uganda described the supportive environment training centre. Set Her Free is one of SIA grant partners and we visited their site last week in Kampala. MC at the Set Her Free Fashion Show with students modeling their tailoring class projects! Robinah, a social worker and the director of Set Her Free, helps children and teens who have experienced extreme sexual violence or who hav

I met with the wonderful Spirit in Action Board of Directors on March 30th to approve another round of funding. We are working to get money into the hands of people who can use it to transform the future into a place that is more just, more equitable, and more supportive of women and LGBT individuals. Thank you for joining us on this journey! On-going support Community Initiatives for Rural Development (CIFORD) (Kenya): “There has been a gap in that a lot of information is gi

After having their chance to receive hens and nurture them for meat, eggs, and profit last year, the 28 original members of the Visionary Women’s Centre Poultry Programme in Turbo, Kenya are now doing their part to Pay it Forward! This week they donated 140 hens to the new group members! Sharing the Gift of hens with new group members! In a grand event of celebration, sharing, and training, all 76 mothers and grandmothers gathered together. All are learning about new methods

An empowered woman breaks into a male-dominated field Teresa Mwonjaru is a 63 years old woman from Thinyaine, Meru County, Kenya. She is a single mother and a granny to two young boys and a girl. The grandchildren live with her after the death of her daughter. Women members of CIFORD who meet to discuss issues related to gender, health, economy, and the environment. Teresa was stressed and discouraged, feeling unable to provide for her family. Then a friend encouraged her to

The answer to this question may not be what you think. A recent Vox article presented studies that show that while micro-loans may not “lift people out of poverty,” they are still hugely beneficial to the poor. To save you the time reading the article, I’ve selected just some highlights below. These findings convince me that it is still worth supporting micro-savings and loans groups in Malawi and Kenya, in order to empower and provide greater dignity to those living in pover

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

“I used to be very low. Business was up and down. Now, with a Spirit in Action Small Business Fund grant I am overjoyed. I bought a table and a big umbrella to shade my bake stand. I sell bread and cakes along the roadside. Life has changed. I can send my kids to school. I can pay rent. I contribute regularly to our saving group. “To Share the Gift, I have helped one neighbor with her business. My neighbor took over my business during my maternity. Now that neighbor has her o

This post is adapted and excerpted from my recent sermon at First United Methodist Church of Point Richmond in California. You’ve heard that Chinese proverb that says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We tend to use the quote as a way to encourage people to focus on the first step rather than the whole huge length of the journey ahead of them. Just take this step and then this step, and then another step. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you

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

by Margaret Ikiara, Founder and Director Community Initiatives for Rural Development (CIFORD) Kenya CIFORD is one of SIA’s grassroots grant partners. We have supported initiatives to provide alternative rites of passage to girls and to train boys and girls in their rights. (Read more about CIFORD here and here.) In Meru County in Kenya, women’s and girls’ empowerment is one of our major challenges. Meru is a county where male chauvinism has been ‘roaring.’ Women are not allow

At the end of 2016, the Namaylana Women’s Self-Help Group received a grant to build a curio shop to sell their traditional handicrafts to tourists at the popular Samburu National Reserve in central Kenya. I am excited to share this glowing report from Sayydah Garrett, founder of their partner organization, Pastoralist Child Foundation (PCF). This project has exceeded our expectations! The women are so proud of their store! They are business owners – something they have dreame

Some charity organizations help pay for school fees and give away medicine. The Spirit in Action Small Business Fund helps people start businesses so that they can pay for these basic needs on their own, on an on-going basis. Such is the case with, Peres Amati, who sews and sells bags and backpacks with her daughters in Nairobi, Kenya. They used their $150 grant to buy a sewing machine and boost their business. When I met Peres in Nairobi last June she told me, “I’m grateful

Mary Nyonges lives in Mundindi village, in the rural areas near the western boarder of Kenya. She is a member of the Matungu Community Development Charity (MCDC), which a community organization where people come together to improve their lives and their local economy. (Read about their poultry project!) In this part of Kenya, a majority of people are small-scale farmers. They are working the land, usually not more than one acre, to grow food for themselves and hopefully produ