Poverty is a strange thing. For starters, it’s relative. That means that for some people in the United States, poverty could mean living on less than $15,000 per year. In the developing world, even half of that would be enough to live like royalty. But even in crushing poverty, the capacity for people to work for the betterment of their communities astounds me.

During a walk through a slum in northeastern Nairobi, a man asked me if America had slums of its own. Minutes before, I had walked through a schoolhouse full of children eating lunch (likely the only meal they would have that day). It smelled like a farm – not in a good way – and as I looked around the room I realized why. The upper floor was a chicken coop; the children were eating in what was essentially a barn.

Edwin, Global Entrepreneur Academy Graduate

Stepping back into the light of the slum, I had to dodge the trickle of sewage running down the street. Everything around me was constructed of corrugated sheet metal. Surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of the place we were standing, I desperately wanted to tell him that America has no slums, that we have social services and housing, and at the very least, proper sanitation in what we call “areas of lower socio-economic status.”

Instead, I waffled. I said, “Oh, we have something like slums. We call them ghettos, and instead of expanding them outwards like a slum in the developing world, in America, our slums are in very tall buildings. We build vertically.”

He paused and chewed that over for a moment before answering, “That is very strange.” Then he led me down the street, saying, “Come, I want to show you my carpentry shop!” His name was Edwin, and every month he donated a small amount of his meager earnings to fund Tumaini Pamoja, a community-based organization that provides care and support to people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Edwin was proud to do what he could to help those in his community, even if it meant sacrificing his hard-earned carpentry money. For Edwin, living in poverty was not a curse, it was an opportunity to change things for the better.  He saw his individual work as part of the bigger picture, and was eager to do what he could to help support those around him.

-  Director of Operations Tim Brauhn

Almost a decade ago, Immaculate Mwangi started making baskets as a means of escaping work in the sex industry. After a troubled childhood, Immaculate moved to Nairobi, where she was first introduced to the prostitution that so many women must endure to survive.  More fortunate than many women, Immaculate met a woman named Jane who needed help selling her goods in the Maasai market, and was thus able to narrowly avoid turning to professional sex work.  Today, Immaculate says that Jane’s faith, relationship with her husband and children, and belief in helping others gave her the confidence to do the same. When Jane’s deteriorating health prevented her from continuing to run her business, Immaculate took what she had learned and began making baskets, starting the business that would become Mother’s Concern.

Immaculate Mwangi

Initially Immaculate worked alone, but as demand for her baskets increased she was able to take on more women who found themselves in a similar position as her, seeking to avoid work in the sex industry and simultaneously develop a professional skill set. Today over 100 women work in numerous different co-ops through Mother’s Concern making juice, food items, hats, and of course, baskets. Women who join Mother’s Concern receive training in handcraft skills, as well as mentoring on how to sell their products local markets, providing a viable alternative to selling their bodies as a means of income.  Members contribute weekly to a fund which is available for local community-based organizations to borrow and repay from in order to start their own businesses, furthering the cycle of self-empowerment and enabling others to become financially independent.

The women in Mother’s Concern care not only for their families, but for each other as well. Older women in the group will “adopt” younger women, teaching them basket making skills and offering extra emotional support. The group thus provides both life skills as well as invaluable business skills that help women in Nairobi to be economically independent and self-empowered.

Immaculate sees herself as a “leader” and not just a “boss.” She believes in a work environment where workers share knowledge and empower each other for common growth.  Mother’s Concern continues to further this goal through the invaluable work they do and support they provide to the community.