Women’s Tailoring Project in Homa-Bay

Good Samaritan Community Based Organization (CBO) is a nonprofit in Homa-Bay, Kenya developed to address the needs of the community. Homa-Bay is located in western Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria and currently has the highest HIV infection rate in the country with 26% of the population infected. The HIV pandemic has resulted in thousands of deaths, leaving behind many single parents and orphans who struggle to survive. In Kenya, women traditionally are not formally educated and do not work outside the home, so when their husbands pass, they struggle to support themselves and their children. As a result, many of these women have no choice but to sell their bodies in order to feed their families. Often, they have sex with the local fishermen in exchange for fish and money.

To combat this issue, Good Samaritan CBO developed a tailoring project in 2015 to provide education, skills, job training, employment, and socialization for some impoverished women in the community. The project proved to be a successful and empowering income-generating opportunity for these women. Through participation in the tailoring project, the women were able to earn a stable income and provide for themselves and their children. A portion of the income from this project was also directed to support local orphans and vulnerable children served under Good Samaritan CBO. Additionally, the tailors would sew school uniforms for the children who could not afford to purchase them.

One night in May 2017, a devastating fire broke out in downtown Homa-Bay, destroying the town market, stores, and shops, including the site of the tailoring project. Fortunately, no one was injured. However, all the tailoring equipment, which had taken years of saving to purchase, was destroyed. Consequently, the women who participated in the tailoring project are again unemployed and in a desperate situation.

Good Samaritan CBO strongly seeks to revive the tailoring project but struggles to obtain sufficient funding to purchase the necessary equipment. Money is needed for five sewing machines, cutting tables, needles, thread, chairs, material, three months' rent, and a one-year renewal license fee.

We humbly request that you make a donation and share our story with your family and friends to support this vital initiative. Let us come together and join hands to empower these women to make an honest living to support their families and move away from the sad cycle of poverty! Together we can make a difference.

The People Behind the Tailoring Project

Eunice Atieno, a 33-year-old Kenyan, was inspired to develop the tailoring project after witnessing the way tailoring lifted her out of poverty. At age 10, her mother died due to childbirth complications, and her education was interrupted when she was sent to live with her aunt. Instead of receiving a formal education, she was put to work. Several years later, Eunice returned to her village to re-enroll in school. However, when she was 19, her father died, leaving Eunice and her three younger siblings to fend for themselves. They were again put in the care of their aunt, but she was unable to afford to send them to school. Eunice and her future husband, Nixon Kaunda, sought the advice of a Catholic nun who advised that Eunice enroll in a tailoring course, a more affordable option. That is where Eunice's life in tailoring began.

With Nixon's financial and moral support, Eunice was able to

successfully complete the course, and in 2014 she purchased a sewing

machine of her own. Since then, she has not only been able to help

provide for herself, Nixon, and their three children but also

periodically support her younger siblings. Eunice's experience moved her

to find a way to contribute to the lives of women going through similar

situations, so she and Nixon developed the community tailoring project

under their nonprofit organization, The Good Samaritan CBO.