Mother’s Concern is a women’s empowerment group that often doubles as a shelter for those facing abuse, rape, or abandonment. Needless to say, the organization is a rare bird in Kenya. A team from The 1010 Project was recently visiting with Mother’s Concern. The members of the group sat inside a small and very warm steel shed, patiently handcrafting beaded bowls and jewelry to sell at market. The proceeds go to fund the services that Mother’s Concern provides. In the three hours that The 1010 Project team was on-site, the following interactions took place:

A homeless teenager, only recently off the streets, explained how one of the members of Mother’s Concern saw her begging for money and food for her 10-month old baby. She was brought into the group and was now able to provide for her child and for herself by engaging in various income-generating activities. For a girl in her situation, a likely alternative to this motherly care would have been trading sex for food.

A woman came to the door of the shed and asked to see Immaculate, the director of Mother’s Concern. She was invited inside to talk, but declined, stating that it was a confidential matter. Immaculate left to speak with her outside, but she was seen passing the woman a small amount of money, from her own pocket, before rejoining the group. All that Immaculate said before returning to her work was, “That poor woman is in serious trouble. We’re going to take care of her.”

The team found out that the core group of women in Mother’s Concern don’t refer to each other by their given names, instead preferring to be called “Mama Angela” or “Mama Kathleen,” where Angela and Kathleen are the young women (or old women) that the group is caring for. Each member acts as an adoptive “mother” to the people they are trying to help.

At the end of the day, Immaculate addressed the team from The 1010 Project with tears of hope in her eyes, stating, “These women in our community – some are beaten, some are raped, many have to work to make all the money for their families. We don’t want our little girls working at the strip clubs to be able to buy food. I think we can change our community.”

The team disagreed. Mother’s Concern is changing the community. In fact, the group is changing the society itself by empowering both young and old women to take charge of their lives and families. The 1010 Project is honored and humbled to work with such an organization.

Read more information about Mothers Concern at http://the1010project.org/womensempowerment/mothersconcern/

Photos:
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