Brewers Starting a New Life

By Christy

On Monday, just 48 hours after saying farewell to the children’s home graduates, a new group would be arriving to the Ukweli Training Center at Empowering Lives: 40 Brewers—women (and men for the first time!) who were in the illegal trade of brewing alcohol, would be coming to the center by their own initiative for a transformative week.
Dennis, left, and Samuel, right, Kenyan directors here,

    
held meetings in outlying villages to extend invitations to people to attend. From those gatherings, they knew that the people coming had reached “bottom”, and were desperate to find a way  out of this life of running, always hiding from the authorities. If the “black market” life of hiding and evading wasn’t enough stress, often after working long and hard, they would get caught, jailed, and hit with a huge fine as “bail” to be released, wiping out all of their earnings. At one of the meetings, a Brewer said, “Brewing is a disease…and we want to be cured.”

In the informational meeting, Dennis and Samuel explained that the Training Center would subsidize the 1000 shilling cost (approx $12) for the week, but each Brewer would each need to contribute 400 shillings (less than $5) to attend. While that is pocket change to us—the cost of one Starbucks--for many of the Brewers, that was almost insurmountable. In a tremendous show of partnership with Empowering Lives, the local authorities (the ones locking up the Brewers) also attended the meeting. The Brewers explained, “The only way we can have money to pay for the Training is to brew.” So they asked the authorities, “Can we brew for one more week to earn the money for this?” The authorities agreed! For those attending the Training, they could brew for one more week…If they are caught brewing and they do not attend the Training, they would be thrown in jail. Amazing.    ?[Awesome!]

On Sunday, the day before their arrival, Dennis and Samuel graciously drove our family a distance in the Empowering Lives van to show us a beautiful lookout point over the Kerio Valley(sort of a “Grand Canyon” of Kenya).
It was breathtaking! It felt like we were at the edge of the world! Peering out over the steep cliff--with no railings…don’t go here if you are afraid of heights!--we could see the tremendous valley expanse that lay beneath us and the vast [picturesque?] mountains beyond it as far as the eye could see. It turned out that our visit was valuable in more ways than one. In addition to seeing one of the natural beauties of Kenya, it also gave us the context for where the Brewers would be coming from.

From our aerial view above, Samuel pointed out the “ant-sized villages” down in the valley where Brewers would begin their journey early tomorrow morning. Many of them would climb up this steep mountain by foot, and then catch a “matatu” (public bus) at the top, to begin the long ride to the Training Center. Seeing the tremendous investment they were making (both the cost of transportation, and the physical trek), I understood much more clearly what Samuel meant when he said that these individuals were desperate to find a way out of the destitute life they were living. Choosing to come, despite all the hurdles, meant that they were truly serious about making a change.

Monday arrived, and Brewers began trickling in. The schedule for the first day was just to settle in, have a good meal, and get acclimated. This is a totally different environment for them. Many of them will experience a shower for the first time, or sleeping on a mattress, or having electricity or running water. When our family walked into the dining hall for lunch, many had arrived. They all turned their heads and stared at us. Unlike in the U.S., where people quickly avert their eyes if “caught in the act” of looking at someone, many of them just kept staring after our eyes met. And staring. And staring. We had forgotten that the staff and the kids at the Children’s Home here were accustomed to seeing Americans, but many Africans in rural areas had never seen a Mzungu (white one) in “real life” or up close before, and so, we were quite a spectacle.

The Brewers ranged in age from “old and grey” to young moms. My eyes fell on a precious little toddler with her mama, in a fancy taffeta dress and raggedy tennis shoes, with big, beautiful eyes, whom I came to learn was baby June.

After lunch, I helped Rose, a staff member, with Sign-In. We took names and basic contact information and collected their Registration fee of 400 shillings (about $4.75). When I offered the clipboard to one of the men, he passed the clipboard to another from his village group, and it dawned on me that he and some of the others were illiterate. At the evening meeting, some shared that they had never set foot in a classroom in their lives, so this week would be a first. That evening, there was a meeting (spoken in their local dialect) to just hear from them and enable them to share…about their struggles and their desires for their future. Samuel and Dennis listened intently, and also shared a message of hope with them…that they are not trapped, that they can rise up out of their hopelessness and despair, and that there is a God who loves them and who will walk with them every step of the way, out of the dark place they are in. Samuel had explained to me the design of the week: “First, they need hope. Without that, they won’t be capable of making changes. But with hope, anything will be possible.” I could tell that Samuel was really  encouraged by the evening discussion. He said that he had never seen a group arrive to their training center who were so eager to make a change. They had determination…and they were ready to get started!

And so on Tuesday, the encouragement continued, and the focus on practical tools began. Tailored to the dreams and ideas for a new way to make a living that the Brewers had shared the night before (e.g., “I want to grow vegetables”, or “I want to have a cow and sell milk”), the staff prepared workshops to equip the Brewers—whom we now called “former Brewers”—to go back home and start a new trade, and a new life.

Some of the sessions were indoors, like when Mary, one of the house parents, and a dear friend, taught how to bake bread, and how to make soap.

Baby June would sit with her Mama through all the sessions, unless she got restless. That’s when I got to have sweet times with her outside, still in her taffeta dress, exploring the feel of different leaves, and sticks and water drops on her fingers .

 

 

Other group sessions were out in the “Demonstration Garden”, where they gained  valuable knowledge about effective farming techniques…

 
 

…how to harvest mushrooms by constructing a mud “hot-house”,

 

 

 

 

 

…or how to develop a “vertical garden”, which was possible even if they had limited land for planting, and it required less water.

 

 

 

The Training Center had been experimenting
with different entrepreneurial ideas for years, and could introduce participants to a wide range of possibilities for creating a sustainable living –
how to construct your own bread oven, or how to learn the trade of bee keeping to harvest honey, or make purses with wooden beads, and many more.
The phrase, “knowledge is power” hit me like never before. Just by sharing resourceful information, it could change a life…a family’s life…in fact, the life of a whole community. And that’s the Empowering Lives philosophy. Samuel explained to me, “We tell them, ‘We aren’t going to give you any hand outs, or any money, or any “start-up” materials. We are going to give you knowledge. With that, and with God at your side, you can do anything.’”

I could see a glimpse of how inspiring this training would be for the Brewers, just by seeing how inspired my own kids were when they got exposed to the range of practical ideas. After Patrick took us on a tour of the garden, Shayla and Trevor were so energized by it all that they sat down on the spot and started brainstorming an entrepreneurial business for their return home, which included raising chickens, planting fruits and vegetables, and selling them at our weekly Farmer’s Market.
It was awesome to see how inspired the former Brewers were, too! They fully immersed in all the sessions throughout the week, starting each day with singing and encouragement, and talks by different speakers, like a former alcoholic who had been to the training several years ago and had turned his life around. He gave them hope through his story, and also sober expectations about the challenges they would face back home.  Another staffer whom I grew close to, shared her story publicly for the first time, telling what it was like to grow up in a home where her mom was a Brewer, and she had to help. When she was 14, she felt conviction that it wasn’t right. She told her mom that she wouldn’t continue, and her mom reacted by “disowning her”, saying she could no longer have ugali (a Kenyan staple like rice) or other basic food necessities. After sharing with the group, she gushed, “Christy, they cried when I shared my story,” elated at how her story had touched them, especially the parents in the room.

These testimonial sessions along with the practical “knowledge & tools” workshops made for a very powerful week. By the time Friday came, they were feeling ready—eager, in fact—to return home and get started, though they knew there would be challenges ahead.

Friday was Graduation day. It was quite significant that several “dignitaries” came from the villages of the former Brewers, including the District Commissioner, which was a big deal. The ceremony began with joyous songs of celebration. 
Next, the VIP guests spoke, and so did some of the Graduates, including Lilian. She said that before coming, she didn’t see a way out. “Then, I arrived, and there was LIFE here. Now I have a song in my heart. Everything is possible with God.” She spoke words of encouragement to her fellow graduates, with a fiery passion. I could tell she was going to be an inspiration to others back in her village. She’s a natural born leader, and now she wants to help others find their way out of Brewing too. “Now, we’ll team up with our communities. Some back in our village don’t believe we’ve changed, but it’s reality. You will face difficulties. Even when I was coming here, people pulled me back, saying, ‘If you go, they will arrest you there.’ Now, it’s a fresh start. You have strength. You have skills. Be encouraged. And go back and encourage other Brewers.” 

William, one of the elder members of the group, also spoke. After he shared about how his life had been turned around  this week, he turned to the District Commissioner and Village leaders. “On behalf of this entire group, he said, “we ask your forgiveness.” WOW. I had goose bumps. It was so moving for everyone involved, to see such genuine reconciliation.

After the speakers, the former Brewers proudly received their “Certificates of Completion.”

This was only the start. There would be follow-ups, and in one year, there would be an even prouder moment, after carrying out their plans, when they would receive their “Certificate of Competency.” We gathered outside for congratulations and photos, before our celebratory lunch.

Some of the women wanted photos with me, after the ceremony. What an honor!

I gave baby June’s Mama a big hug, and I looked her in the eyes and told her how proud of her I was. “You are courageous. Your decision to  make this new start is the most priceless gift you can give this precious little one. It will change June’s life forever.”

And that is true for every one of those participants. Their courage and their commitment will not only change their lives, but their children’s lives. And as they go back with hope and new ways to live sustainably, it will have ripple affects in transforming their village, helping to end the cycle of poverty, one Brewer at a time.

If you want to help empower an impoverished family, or a village community in East Africa, go to:
https://www.empoweringlives.org/what-we-do/
p.s. 40 lives transformed like the training we just experienced, was possible for under $500