Oink, oink is all over Mercy Karis' backyard! One of the two mama pigs has given birth to 10 piglets. Wow! This means lots of money to pay the school fees for this term and still some left over for a treat. This birth cycle will repeat itself in another 4 months with the other mama pig, giving this mama a rest. Oh boy, she will need it too!
This is our second profit-making sustainable project being realized, and encourages us to give a helping hand to other waiting families as well. Now we wait for God's providence to buy chickens for three other families as they have built their chicken coop and await the funds to buy 300 chickens.
I first met 38 year old Mercy Karis at Little Flower Nursery school a few years ago where she works as a teacher. She told me that since their salaries barely help her and her husband to raise their 3 children 10, 8, and 6 – who attend St. James Catholic school in Nairobi – to pay for their school fees they raise pigs to supplement their income. The next time I met her again in 2014 she asked me the favor of financial help to add on to their piggery project – which she and her husband take turns to manage. He does the day shift and she does the evening shift as he goes to the university for classes. Just another sow and addition to a pig sty and food for 4 months, she explained, will greatly help to increase their monthly income to $600 every 4 months. The pigs have to be well-fed in order to produce healthy piglets that will survive. The idea excited me. So with the help of generous donors, we gave her $1,000 in March, 2014. Today the first mama has given birth to 10 piglets – "produced 10 babies" as they say it in Africa! I can hardly wait for my next trip to Ruai, Kenya, not only to see the mama and the piglets but also taste some delicious African pork dishes! The Africans do enjoy a delicious pork barbecue! Today Maris and her husband Paul are overjoyed to be financially stable and have an income producing project. All the hard work done with their own hands and the sweat of their brow. It pleases them not to continue to depend on donors although they are so grateful for the helping hand to get started.
Other such families are waiting too. If you are able to help, please contact us and together we can experience the joy of giving.