Abigail Ministries Case Studies
Leah, Susan, Theresa, Jane and Margaret – The Famous Five as they are affectionately known
Leah, Susan, Theresa, Jane and Margaret were all brewing liquor. This is illegal in Kenya but these ladies had been brewing for some time. When a couple of Trustees first met them in October 2008, there were very unhappy women. When asked, they all said if they could change their employment they would. They were each given a small gift of money to help them set up in business. It was thought that they would set up a shop together to sell grain. However, they had different ideas which was not a problem.
Leah and Susan now run a small, what they call hotel, but what we would call a cafe. They also have a small butchery attached. The hotel is doing very well and is constantly busy. The women start at around six am serving tea and close when the last customer leaves! Leah and Susan are completely different people now – they always have smiles on their faces and look less burdened. We were able to visit the hotel as their guests and we were able to taste their tea and chapattis.
Theresa is also now a very happy lady. She is running a small kiosk near her home selling various items and plans to move the business to a busier site.
Jane has been growing and selling vegetables. She has a plot of land near a river and therefore has water ‘on tap’ which is essential to her business. She too is very happy as she has been able to afford to move to a better home with her son.
Sadly Margaret has not been able to change her employment but we will continue to pray for her and visit her when we are next there.
Mary Wangari
Mary has four young daughters aged between 13 and a few months. She also has a drunken husband who comes and goes at will and who she would like to be free of. She does not want him to move to Shena’s village with her. Her house, though not the smallest, is one of the dingiest and depressing we have ever visited. She lives in a small town and has no toilet. She and her children have to go begging neighbours to allow them to use their toilets. Sometimes they are allowed, sometimes they are refused.
Mary is therefore delighted to be given a plot and the promise of a house in the beautiful surroundings where Shena’s Village is situated and where nobody will refuse her the use of the toilet. She almost cried when we gave her a suferia (cooking pot), potatoes and a bag of unga when we visited her, she was so overjoyed.
Later we heard from a Pastor how she had gone to church on the Sunday morning and stood out at the front and told the congregation about the miracle that had happened to her on Saturday when she was given a plot in Shena’s Village. She decided to follow Jesus as a result and asked the Pastors to pray for her. There and then she accepted Jesus as her Saviour.
Mary sent this message:
Thank you very much, may God bless you. May he add you more. Continue doing good.
We do not have sufficient funds at this stage to build Mary's house, so if you would like to contribute, please contact us.
Anne Mariko
Anne is very hardworking lady. She is mother to Anthony, one of the boys at Seed School. They live in a mud hut but Anne is very house proud and keeps her home and land very tidy. When we visited her in February, she was doing one of her weekly chores which is to do a dung (dung mixed with mud) scree over the floor of her kitchen. This keeps the floor smooth.
Anne has an acre of land which she ploughs herself by hand. Abigail Ministries gave her a cow two years ago which has now had a calf and as a result is producing milk. Whilst there, we gave Anne some seeds to grow kalabashes/gourds. Our hope is that in the future Anne will be part of a kalabash decorating group. Kalabashes are an important part of Kalenjin life, girls are given them from friends and family as a wedding present.
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