Meet the HOW? Women

We have around 30 women who make HOW? Jewelry in Kenya and all are striving to break the cycle of poverty.  They all have or ar currently living in desperate situations, many just fighting to survive.

Almost all of the HOW? women are widowed and most are HIV+.  As much as we would love to introduce you to healthy thriving women, we must be honest and share their real life.  Each one endures daily stuggle but while their stories are full of heartache and loss each woman shows perseverance and determination.

As HOW? Jewelry grows our hope and dream is to be able to support these women more and more. Financially, physically and emotionally.

Meet Hanna K.
Hanna K. is 44 years old; she has 3 children, her husband died in 2006.  Hannah lives in a small home with her children and for extra money will plow her neighbor's land.  When her husband died his family refused to help her and the children and even refused to give her any of her husband's personal identification papers.  Without these papers Hannah cannot apply for her children's birth certificates.

Recently while Hanna was plowing the neighbors fields she fell and was taken to the hospital.  She was diagnosed with progressive AIDS.  Because of her advanced AIDS status she is now having some mental health issues and has difficulty recognizing her own children.  The other women of HOW? are taking turns caring for her, they are praying for her recovery so that she may continue to care for her children.

Hanna is one of the most educated women in the group, and before her fall Hanna would work hard and use her HOW? money to help buy food for her family and would also buy school supplies for her children that are in public school.  She also has a milk cow and she would sell some milk for extra money.

Our hope is that Hanna is able to overcome these setback and get healthy so she may be able to continue caring for her children and return to making HOW? Jewelry.

Meet Emmah K.
Emmah K is 43 years old and was widowed in 1995, she has 3 children, Giddruff, Simon and Ruth.  Giddruff and Simon both have completed primary school but are unable to attend high school because of lackof school fees.  Ruth is in school on a sponsorship through a church.  After her husband's death Emmah's community helped her to build a home on her husband's parents land.

Emmah is HIV+ but lives in denial because of the social stigma associated with the disease.  Her income from HOW? has enabled her to better care for her family.  She uses the income to buy school supplies for Ruth and also uses the income to purchase food for the family and pay any debts she may have.  Emmah also has a milk cow, which provides milk for her children and she sells the extra milk for income.

Emmah also works part-time taking care of Esther, another widow who use to make jewelry for HOW?.  Esther is now blind because of advanced HIV/AIDS.  With this extra income Emmah has really been able to provide better for her family and she is growing in confidence in herself and her ability to care for her children.

Meet Hanna J.
Hanna J. is 32 years old and in her young age has had a very difficult life.  She was married at 16 and had 2 children.  She lost her youngest child at an early age and her husband died in 2005, most likely due to AIDS complications.  She currently lives on her husband's parents land, they refuse to build a house for her and instead have given her a small kitchen made of mud for her and her son to live.

Hanna is HIV+ and is in poor health, because of lack of nutritional food and a steady inocme she is one of the weakest women with HOW? But she does not let that stop her from working hard and trying to provide for her son.

Hanna uses her beading money for her son's school supplies and for food, occasionally she will buy clothes.  She is also able to use some of her HOW? income for bus fares on her ARV clinic days where she collects her medication.

  Thank you for helping to Make a Difference and Be a Difference in the lives of these women!!