We had the incredible privilege to have Chief Jenipher with us for an afternoon. We spent time with her and were able to hear some of the most delicate words spoken about Maisha from her mouth.
This woman is tough and has seen more dysfunction, death, and despair in her life thus far than most will in their entire lifetime. And yet, she remains soft-spoken, graceful, and dignified. She wears resilience like a badge and her words are chosen with wisdom.
When we sat down and asked her a couple of questions, it was as if the room shifted back into focus and there was alignment again with why Maisha exists. This is not to say by any means that the mission and vision of Maisha were heading off course, but having the very woman in the room who believed in us and sacrificed so much to make the reality we now have come to pass was something that spoke to the depths of every person in the room. So without any further ado, here are a few questions and answers from the one and only, Chief Jenipher.
What do you want Maisha supporters to know about your village?
“I want them to know that the government trusts my village to implement
action. I want them to know that I will start the change and movement in
each household because if you can start in the home to bring
cohesiveness and safety, it is very easy to have success outside of your
home. The children are important to me because I want to empower
them while they are young so that they grow up to be good citizens first,
and then later people who bring change to the whole country of Kenya.
If I can teach them how to have the highest standards even in the
lowest of places, they will be able to serve all.”
What has Maisha meant to this village?
“It has meant for us that through education, health, the feeding program,
and the others projects, many problems have subsided. Many illegal
activates have left, diseases that used to kill people are being cured,
and lots of domestic violence has stopped. Our people desire to work
hard instead wanting a handout because, with this progress, it has made
it easy and safe for people to set up shops and sell what they have
grown and made. You see life in this community when all you could see before was hopelessness.”
We will be releasing some sneak peak videos soon with more from Chief Jenipher, but if you want to be one of the first to see the full thing, click here http://www.lightthefuturegala.com to reserve your place at our Light the Future Gala! For now, we hope that you too feel more connected to the heart of Maisha and we look forward to making more progress together.