Kenya
The World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) actively supports the Busia Compassionate Centre in the western region of Kenya. Created in 2003 by Stella Achieng Egesa, this orphanage has been carried for years through donations only, which is very challenging for maintaining the 89 children's basic needs - health, food, shelter, clothing and education. In a region particularly affected by HIV/AIDS and consequently a growing number of orphans, this community-based organization tries to combat challenges brought by extreme poverty and limited resources. First in partnership with United States Department of Agriculture and then independently, WOCCU along with the Global Women's Leadership Network collaborate with Busia Compassionate Centre to help it reach its goals through the credit union movement. Accomplishments brought by this collaboration include:
- Teaching Busia Compassionate Centre staff how to plant selected crops and fruit trees
- Giving annual scholarships to orphans over the last four years so that they all could attend school
- Offering an annual $15, 000 stipend to purchase food staples that cannot be cultivated in-house.
- Installing the Centre's septic system
- Sinking a well to provide a sustainable clean water supply
- Encouraging better learning conditions through donations furniture and connecting electricity to the facility
- Raising awareness about health issues by Improving overall health care by training the caretakers and children on nutrition and basic first aid as well as donating medicine, vitamins and basic medical supplies
- Purchasing land to build a new home in an uncontaminated and safer location
This collaboration focuses on meeting children's basic needs as well as helping the Centre reach a point of self-sustainability. The program is now working to reach individual community members by bringing savings and other financial services to them through the orphanage partnership. Personal empowerment and financial inclusion are therefore the core qualities leading this program. Through this partnership, future men and women can hope having a better future and credit union women can continue making a difference in people's lives.
To learn more about the Busia Compassionate Centre, please visit www.busiaorphanage.org.
