A day in the field...

On Tuesday, I accompanied Paul to Huruma - a community just east of our center. First we attended the meeting for Halala, one of our newest groups. Then we went on four 'assessments'. When a group forms, the Loan Officer (that's Paul in this case) must visit each of the businesses owned by the group members. Usually one or more of the other members also participates.

First we visited Brookview Vocational Training Centre. This school is run by our client, John Mdoga. Subjects currently taught include computer training, tailoring and hairdressing & beauty. These are all vital skills that will enable the participants to better their lives.
Here is the entrance to the school...

Paul and John in the computer training room...due to a recent break-in the computers were removed while classes are not in session.

These two photos were taken in the hairdressing & beauty classroom...

While Paul was inside, I took advantage of the opportunity to snap photos of the village. Goats are a major business in this area...in the background is the auction house where goats are brought from all around every morning...

Paul is using John's desk as he fills out the 'assessment form' on the school. The form contains information such as weekly expenses, monthly revenue, assets owned, as well as personal information. The goal is to learn enough information about the business owner as well as the business to make an informed decision when a loan is requested. To the far left and right you can barely see Dorcas and Susan who accompanied us. Not shown is Daniel - you will see his business next.

Daniel Karani is in the foreground, answering questions about his business and personal expenses as Paul completes the form...

Daniel runs a Kerosene Shop - this was my first exposure to a Kerosene Pump. You can see the worker filling a plastic bag for her customer...

Daniel's shop also carries various grains...


And, of course, while I waited I took several photos...

I was intrigued by these girls - and I think it was mutual! They could not stop giggling!

These boys were also quite entertained by the Mzungu snapping pictures!

Next stop is a charcoal shop run by our client Susan. John told me that Susan was one of many Kenyans displaced due to the post-election violence. With the help of her friends and our ministry, she is putting her life back together again. Praise the Lord!

Here Paul is lecturing Susan about being honest with her measurements. Some of the cans containing coal are badly dented so he explained to her that these were not full cans and she cannot sell them for the same price as undented cans...

I think she understood!

Dorcas Mwongeli Musyoka supplies the coal to Susan and several other retailers in the village. Here you see Dorcas and Paul in her storeroom. This is Tuesday and on Saturday she had picked up 130 bags of coal - can you see in the background she only has maybe 20 bags left - I would say she is successful!

Here Dorcas is explaining to Paul that each week she hires a lorry (truck) to pick up the bags of coal. On her way to her shop, she drops bags to various other vendors (like Susan)...Her prices are written on the wall...

Here she is posed in front of her retail shop, which is just in front of her storeroom.

This is a shot of the main road in that area...as I mentioned to John (who was with us the whole day...) when I take these pictures, you can see but you cannot hear the sounds, smell the smells or feel the warm sun - all of which adds texture to what I see...so you will just have to imagine children laughing, dogs barking, music playing, shopkeepers talking, birds squawking and vehicles rumbling by...

We ended our day in the field at Dorcas' home. Here are Paul and Dorcas completing the assessment form...in addition to being a wife, mother and business owner Dorcas also ministers to a flock of women who meet weekly in one of the classrooms of John's school. She is amazing!

Then she served us lunch! You can see John in the background deep in conversation with Paul.

Then Paul grabbed the camera to shoot this picture of me!

It was such fun to visit our clients, to see what they do while I am in the office entering their names and savings and loan payments. It is good for me to put faces to names. And I enjoyed visiting with John who walked with me and delighted in sharing with me what he knows.

Oh, and while we were walking to Susan's shop a man decided to approach us (of course he was focused on me)...almost imperceptibly Susan moved to one side and Dorcas to my other side. John engaged the man in conversation and together they all 'steered' him away from me...it was so great to see how they worked together silently to achieve an unspoken goal. The best part is that John's conversation was full of encouragement and positive affirmation of the man. Even though he was a drug addict, I believe that fertile seeds were planted into his soul that day.