Hannah’s Story of Hope – (Read Time: 3 min.)
The Power of Community
Hannah smiles as she greets a small group of women who’ve gathered at the local community center. The women are scattered about, weaving in spaces that are usually filled with families from the nearby slums – learning job skills, playing sports, and gathering to pray.
It’s not the familiar intimate atmosphere of close fellowship and sharing stories while they weave together since recent shutdowns and social distancing have changed their daily routine and kept almost everyone else home. But there is work to do… and they’re grateful for it.
The Smiling Lady
Despite all these challenges and changes, Hanna is still smiling. She’s always smiling. In fact, she’s known in her local community as the “Ever Smiling Lady”. As a 38-year-old mom, she’s thankful she can still work to put food on her family’s table when so many parents in Kenya can’t. But beneath her beautiful smile, Hannah carries many “troubles of life”.
Searching Door to Door for Work
Surrounded by a culture of extreme generational poverty where families have been trapped by debt and suffered food insecurity for generations, Hannah wants a better future for her two children. For years, she’s walked mile after mile, knocking on doors and asking for opportunities to work – doing other people’s laundry – to put daily food on her family’s table.
Hannah’s husband works hard too – as a day laborer – also walking long distances each day to find work. Every morning he sets out in search of a job, hoping to be hired, but with no guarantees.
Searching Door to Door for Work
Hannah’s Artisan training and work at the community center have given their family hope that one day she can own her own business and earn enough income to allow them to move out of the slum.
She never turns down an opportunity to work when there are orders to be filled because every order helps her family take one step closer to their dream.
A Haven of Hope
But this community center means so much more to Hannah and other women and families in her community than just an opportunity to work. It’s been a haven for fellowship for discouraged families from the slums, morning devotions for aspiring Artisans, and opportunities to hear the gospel for children who come to play soccer. It’s a place of connection where families are all connected by a common dream… hope for a better future.
A Mission of Hope
Behind Hannah’s story of hope – and every story of hope for these families – is a mission… a mission to meet needs, feed souls, and elevate God in some of the poorest places on earth. The men and women who lead this mission to empower families in Kenya to rise out of the slums have devoted their lives to alleviate poverty through programs that bring better health, holistic healing, and future hope.
Besides sports programs, community fellowship, and job training and opportunities, their centers lead programs throughout the local communities to ensure families in nearby slums have access to clean water, scholarships for education, and sustainable food sources. Without resources like these, local families are threatened by sickness, illiteracy, hopelessness, and starvation.
It’s such a blessing to see women like Hannah empowered to earn a fair wage for their labor and help bring in an income to their household ! God bless them each and every day.
I have been supporting trades of hope and the artisans like Hannah for several years in prayer because I know their dedication goes beyond their personal needs but needs of their fellow sisters to reach out to their community. Thank you Hannah for being a Godly example for those around you.