Jitoe
The Jitoe group started and finished together with Great Hope. Jitoe is a Swahili word, and it means Devote Yourself and we can say that this group really devoted themselves to the Kenya Care program.
The group started with 23 members – all mothers – and during the 4-year program they unfortunately lost 2 members, which of course is always sad. One of them had cancer and the other woman died because she didn’t adhere to her medication. When this happened first the other members became depressed, so the staff had to give them extra counselling and motivation. And luckily after a few weeks, they picked up their routine and found back their positive attitude.
In the 3rd year of the program the Kenya Care organization received 2 volunteers from Germany. One of the ladies is a professional in Taekwondo and for 3 months all the members of both groups got self-defence lessons. It was not only a lot of fun, but also it improved the self-esteem of the women.
In this group around half of the women is employed, mostly in the Vipingo Sisal factory or as a housekeeper and two of them also got a job as health counsellor at the local hospital in Vipingo (30 km north of Mombasa). The chairlady for example, is employed as a tractor driver at the Vipingo Sisal factory. But there also some ladies who are doing very well in business, like /// who is a carpenter. Another great example of a woman with dedication is Tatu Salim. When she was diagnosed with HIV, she got the wrong medication and that is why she got handicapped. But she never gave up and she now has a very good business, selling all kind of foodstuff in her own small restaurant.
