Empowerment for women

The C.A.P.I. office is cool in the morning. By the end of the day, it feels like a sauna. I cannot really complain about the cubicle I work at in Winnipeg any longer. There are four of us most days in this trailer you see pictured; next week Bridget will join us to make five. As typical in African culture, we have a good many visitors throughout the course of the day. Our desks are about an arm’s span apart. This morning I was working alone in the office while others were out on business.
Today is World Book Day so the three children and Yolande dressed up as characters from their favourite books. I gave them Hannah Taylor’s book Ruby’s Hope as a gift this morning. Hannah is a young girl who was moved by a homeless man she saw on the streets of Winnipeg when she was five. She has gone on to become a champion for homeless people and her Lady Bug Foundation has raised great sums of money. She wrote the book when she was 10 years old. I am sure if you google Lady Bug Foundation you would find out more information—Celeste, if you are reading this and want to add something, please do. I think Hannah is well on her way to become an amazing human being. We all need heroes and Hannah is an inspiration to kids and adults alike.
Empowerment and inspiration go hand in hand. Last night, we had a visitor for supper—a lovely woman from Uganda who made me laugh and think—a great combination. Yolande, Esther and I had a fascinating conversation about the empowerment of women. Someone like young Hannah has been empowered already. We were talking about how Esther felt that Ugandan women were more empowered than Kenyan women. They tended to be more self-sufficient. We discussed the changing role of African women in general. Yolande had said that Kenyan women picked the coffee or tea and sold it in the marketplace but the cheque always came in the man’s name. Times are changing as women say enough. They just need more education and chances to be independent.
The second photo is of the tabernacle at Tumaini House. I thought it showed an African woman in an amazing role of carrying Christ to the world. Maybe that is how women in Africa will be seen.
This morning Bob and I had a conversation around AIDS. He said that because death and sex are taboo subjects in Kenya, AIDS really was able to spread rapidly. He also mentioned that AIDS in Africa is not a moral disease—it is a disease of poverty, striking mostly women who allow men to use them sexually so that they can merely survive on a day to day basis. I am enjoying the conversations with this family and feel I get glimpses into Kenyan life that will be very educational.
Peace,

Suz