Today I showered with sweet potatoes and water, right after I ate a big piece of this cassava cake in the picture, and some tea, before I came here to write this intro. I will go to lunch in 2 hours, wait lets make that one and a half. I can’t wait to have pumpkin chapattis. But before I do that, I will tell you how sweet potatoes ended up in my bathroom, how pumpkins turned into chapattis.
It’s a Saturday evening and our solar power system is bugging us as always. Now, this power lets me facebook as much as I want but when I get down to writing a script or a story it starts this annoying beep it makes that really gets on my nerves, and cuts the supply after 10 seconds. Today its annoyingly insistent
We decide to do some fieldwork to fill the evening. Attending a women group session in which pregnancy and childbirth is meant to be discussed is not one of the things in my top 100 priorities especially on a Saturday evening. So I do it, one because am meant to learn what they do for the sake of making them a blog, two because its part of my work and three you don’t want to hear the other options I had for the evening, actually there weren’t any.
We board this motorbike and nothing interesting happens on the way except the fact that there wasn’t any difference between the sharp corners and the straight stretches- the speedometer or whatever they call it didn’t move a lot. The thrill felt good though. I don’t want to write that we were welcomed very warmly, had very nice tea then I realized my aunt was one of them- felt more awkward. Pregnancy and childbirth, a group of 11 women, and my aunt.
We talk with my aunt- basic things like how I was doing, how is school, family, home, you get the drift. And then the main business starts. This group is called Tenebo women group – Tenebo means together in Maa. The women in this group are just phenomenon.
I have seen groups within the two years I have volunteered for different NGOs and the two holidays I have spent here. I have been a member of groups, some I don’t want to talk about, the others; well I don’t think they are doing that bad considering the others I don’t want to talk about.
The point is, this group is different, and they enjoy some level of cohesion and commitment to task I have not seen or felt anywhere. We ask them what their objective is.
The chair lady starts with ‘ tunata kua ikifika mwisho wa mwaka hata sisi tunasaidia kwa boma..... (We are aiming that at the end of each year we also help in our families....)’
My supervisor Sam keeps the conversation going ‘pia kununua chrismas.....’
This is met by loud protests from the women from them I could figure out several words ‘Rent, school fees, vitu kubwa kubwa (big things)’. That is the level of vision these women carry
And for this vision they have done big things. Since its formation, on October last year(less than a year ago), the group has supported each woman in buying a dairy goat. A four months old dairy goat is worth more than ten thousands. The 12 members each got one. At the home the meeting is held mama Kibibi now has two fully grown female dairy goats and one male.
They recently started a rabbit keeping project, the rabbits are six and they are planning to extend that too. Talking about keeping, they also have a bee keeping project and already have several beehives.
The women in this group have a vision for the products from their farms. They plan to use them to make cake, start a bakery. Why?
‘We are adding value’ Mama Khadija says ‘it would be cheaper and more challenging to sell sweet potatoes, cassava and those other things as they are especially here in Nguruman’
The other things include cassava, millet, soya beans and pumpkins. They are dried, grounded into flour and then used to make cakes. The women believe selling cassava scones is more appealing. I agree.
The sweet potatoes also make bar soaps. I ask them if they think there is a market for these things and they say they have tested them in the market and they are optimistic about the reception.
There is a lot of water in Nguruman. This group sees that as an opportunity to make some extra shilling and also help fellow women who are hit by a persistent water problem around the division and beyond. They are planning to start a purification and supply project in which they will fetch the water in Nguruman, purify it and supply to the women who walk long distances to get water that is not even safe for drinking. At an affordable cost.
I notice that most of them are holding small green books
‘This is our savings plan’ the chairlady responds. ‘Every month each woman gives 400 shillings in our meetings held twice a month, part of the money is deposited in our account and part of it is left with the host of the meeting. The green books are used to record each member’s contribution’
I do a quick calculation of tea and chapattis then I tell them I want to host a meeting. There will be a lot of change for the host I figured. They laugh and say members only.
I can’t keep track of all the random choruses of future plans. The group has had lengthy meetings discussing what they want to do in depth. They have dreams and they know the only way to really get them is to share them.
From those choruses I gather they are planning to expand the bee keeping project, have a fully equipped bakery, start the water purification project and expand soap making. By the end of this year, their savings would have grown enough to be able to advance loans to individual members of the group.
They will also be eying the loans given to small groups by the government and other organizations.
This introduction to the group disrupted their business for a while but then we got to the part I thought would be the most boring. I can’t say I had fun but I learned a number of new things.
Here are just a few random thoughts; Some women have milk in their breasts long before they give birth, some pills given in clinics develops the unborn child’s brain (now I know I should be mad at her mother), headache is a danger sign during pregnancy, pregnant women don’t eat some foods because they fear the unborn child will grow very fat with a big head (this part is really sensitive, they are making facial expressions) and other things
I would have added some pregnant advices but I’ve got to head. My lunch is waiting patiently for its devourer. pożegnanie
Mmm interesting read. But how did u end up bathing with the potatoes?
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