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I am Samuel Ouma Osir, 28 years of age, and married with two children. I live in Kisumu which is my home village and my business location.

I began my fishing business back in 1990. Initially, I worked another man’s boat. Four years after I began working, however, I was able to finally make my own boat. The boat was small, costing only 20,000 KSH ($250), but it was mine. Unfortunately, that first boat capsized and was long. Luckily, no one was kill. With the assistance of my church, I was able to contract the building of a new larger boat. This boat is still in use today.

On most days, I average about 1,000 KSH ($13.oo)  profit per day. When everything goes well and we have a good catch, however, I can make as much as 3,000 KSH (38$) profit.

Before I entered the fish business, I was engaged in selling spare tires for motor vehicle. The business was not going well and I was laid off. That was when I joined the fish business.

I have profited from this business now owning  four goats, a local poultry house, and have plans  to build a rental houses on my small plot of land.

Benefits that I have encounter in this business are: I can afford three to four meals daily, I am self-employed, and my children have the opportunity to access education and medication. I am also able to support my brother’s family and provide resources for my wife’s business efforts.

There are few challenges that I face in these business: government policy shuts down fishing activity for three months yearly, price fluctuation, and there is no standard price of fish (editor: a lack of communication or current market price).

I am proud because I have managed to buy two more boats and my business is expanding. My advice to fellow youths is that they should work hard and save little by little until they make something tangible to be proud and count on.

-Dan Odhiambo

The business plan that Vitalis brought to HEAL centered on bulk purchasing of eggs and fruit with organized distribution to local restaurants, hotels, and street vendors.  The plan presented five ways in which Vitalis hopes to capitalize on the lack of delivered produce in Kisumu:

1. Offer door to door deliveries utilizing boda-boda (bicycle taxis)
2. Control pricing through relationship with suppliers
3. Focus on tenders (short-term contracts) with businesses with steady demand
4. Focus on reliability and timely deliveries
5. Maintain cleanliness and high quality

The HEAL Micro was granted in late August with repayment to begin on October 15^th.

Below is a brief conversation Dan had with Vitalis this September.

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Today I was lucky to meet a well focused man who easily proves that disability is not inability.  Vitalis Ojwang Odek is 29 years of age and not married.  His home village is Nyakach, but he has relocated to Kisumu for increased opportunities.   Over the last year Vitalis has started a business selling eggs – recently expanding to include the sale of local fruits and vegetables.  In 2004, Vitalis earned his Diploma in Accountancy from the International Correspondent School.  Due to a tough job market, however, he has been unable to find steady employ in that field.

Vitalis decided on an egg delivery business because of the identified demand for the service and the small startup capital required. HEAL originally provided an initial grant of 6,000 KSH (75.00 USD) along with some advice on making and maintaining a business plan. This push was enough to move forward and begin to make some small profits.

Since that time, changing demand and significant price fluctuation in fresh eggs required diversification into a wider array of produce.  With the assistance of his HEAL micro loan, Vitalis now employs three part-time staff for transport and delivery using “boda- boda” and has increased his ability to hold a steady stock of products.  He currently maintains client relationships with several local hotels and a number of local shop keepers which allows for a small but steady profit for his efforts.  “I am still some way from needing to pay taxes,” Vitalis admits. “But, I’m closer than I was a year ago.”

Being a successful man, Vitalis now has people who rely on him – now  paying school fees for his four younger brothers (two in primary and two in secondary school).  When asked about his feelings on this family support – Vitals replied, “It’s responsibility, and can be a burden, but it feels very good to be able to do it”.

- Dan Odhiambo

Get ready to come out to make a difference and enjoy the Fire game!  We expect quite a crowd, so get your advanced discounted tickets ($15 per person) online at http://tiny.cc/lepc8 (Promo code: HEAL), or by phone by contacting Jake Vandiver at (708) 496-6780, or in person by emailing Elena Navas at enavas1@uic.edu .

For extra fun, you can donate $5 to HEAL and receive a pass to visit with Chicago FIRE players at the Stadium Club and get their autographs after the game. Limited number of passes so get yours now!  You can also buy raffle tickets ($5 per ticket or 3 tickets for $12) for TWO raffle drawings:  raffle prizes include an official Chicago Fire soccer ball autographed by all the players and an Amazon.com Gift card ($40 value).  Tickets will be available through HEAL volunteers based at School of Public Health, at HEAL SPH-lobby tabling events starting next week and scheduled for [Thu 10/23, Tue 10/28 (9:00 -11:00 both days), Mon 10/4 and Wed 10/13 (throughout the day)].  Need additional information?  Just contact Elena Navas at enavas1@uic.edu .

So gather your friends, family and colleagues to join us for an exciting social event and a great cause!

Hello, I am Gladys Kwamboka – 24 years of age and married with two children.  My homeland is in Kisi, but I am doing business in Kisumu town.  I completed my Primary level (8^th grade) of study.

I began my mat business in early 2007, after my husband was sacked from Kenton Chemistry where he was employed as pharmacist.  We could not stop living, so I joined a friend of mine who was already engaged in producing papyrus reed mats.  The requirements were not much:  a panga [machete] for cutting the papyrus reeds, sisal for the string, a small wire that acts as a needle, and a special wooden stick to help in joining the dried reeds.  With these simple items one can produce a full and complete mat.

In a day, depending on my speed, I can manage to make four large mats.  In a week, I can make up to 24 large and 10 medium mats.  A large mat costs 150/= (1.80 USD) and medium mat cost 100/= each (1.20 USD).  Therefore, in one week I usually make round 2,000/= (25.00 USD) profit.

Before I joined the mat business, I owned a small grocery back in Kisi. Here in Kisumu the grocery business was very competitive and I couldn’t make it because I was new to the environment.  The only person I knew in Kisumu, apart from my husband, was a friend who was engaged in reed mat making.  With her help, it was natural that the mat business be the one I joined.  Reed mats are in high demand because they are very important to our community.  Hence, we had a ready market. Beginning the work requires little to no capital and only two weeks of practical training – both of which are very appealing.

[editor:  The reed mats described (An organic, carbon negative, biodegradable product) are one of the most ubiquitous and versatile household  products available in Kisumu and throughout the region.  Common uses are as inside room dividers, ceiling material, wall covering, sleeping surfaces, roofing of temporary structures (often kiosks), "grates" in fish smokers, and as a portable surface for sun drying maize or small fish.  Any trip to a market or conversation can provide some new use]

I feel proud in this business because it has allowed me to purchase land back at my village, my children are going to school, my family can access proper medication, and I am able to pay rent despite the fact that my husband is jobless.  My largest investment [money spent to improve the business] from my profits is that I have managed to buy a tractor, by bank loan, which people hire.  I get paid a portion of the profits after their farming.

Overall, the benefits that I can now count on from the business are:  I have purchased a tractor for farming, I have begun to buy land in my rural area, my children are not sent away from school (as they were before due to inability to pay school fees), and I have obtained two dairy cattle for “zero grazing”.

Some of the challenges that I face are: transporting the product to the market over a long distance, and a lack of papyrus reeds during the dry season.

My advice to other women is that they should not sit back and wait for refuge or be dependant on other people who also have their own problems to sort out. With some effort most can engage themselves in a simple business which needs little capital to start. From that, poverty can be eradicated without government aid.

-Dan Odhiambo

After a distressing long absence from our little on-line forum – the HEAL blog returns revitalized with faster more reliable internet access (thank you undersea fiber-optic cable) and even a bit of content related assistance.   That’s right – the HEAL blog is outsourcing!  Allow me to introduce Dan Odhiambo, recent journalism school graduate, to the HEAL community at large.  For the last month Dan has been working on a series of stories for HEAL interviewing local trades people in an effort to create personal glimpses into the daily economic life of Kisumu’s base.  Originally a “proof of concept” – each of these sort pieces will be published here – in the coming weeks.

Working into the future, Dan will be talking with individuals and groups that HEAL has worked with through established programs, small/personal business loans, and economic grants.  Dan’s service is provided through the support of a local HEAL donor – providing some needed capital while he works through the internships necessary to progress in his field.  Look forward to hearing more about Dan when his “self-interview” is published in two weeks time.

I’ll leave it here, for now, with a big welcome to the new HEAL supporters and participants. Enjoy the next HEAL gathering on Wednesday, September 8th, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the good old SPH (Rm 962).  Bring your lunch!

- editor

Health and Empowerment for African Lives (HEAL)

is hosting their 3rd annual extravaganza fundraiser party!

Purchase your tickets now to ensure that you can make a difference from  SPH Room 1188 or our friendly HEAL members.

WHEN: Friday, March 12, 2010 from 5:30 to 8:30pm

WHERE: Decima Musa, 1901 South Loomis Street Chicago, IL 60608

(It’s in Pilsen, and you can walk there from UIC or take the Ashland bus!)

DONATION: $25 (includes two drink tickets and Mexican finger foods!)

ENTERTAINMENT: Live African Music, Salsa Lessons, and a Silent Auction!

For immediate information contact HEALkenya@uic.edu or 312-996-0731.

S- and her family live on about 2 U.S. dollars a day in one of the large unofficial residential areas of Kisumu, Kenya.   The house has no running water and no electricity, S- will be giving birth within the week,  and she has just been given a positive HIV result… 

S- underwent an HIV test before the birth of her first child, at that time she was negative. 

“Must have found the virus between then and now”, she says. 

When pressed, she actually did had a previous reactive HIV test – at her single prenatal visit, but did not really believe the result and lost the card that would communicate the finding at delivery. 

“I will not be delivering in the hospital – anyhow”, she explains  - “To travel and deliver in the hospital is just too expensive”. 

S- , and the majority of Kenyan women in similar economic position, plans to use a nyamrerwa or traditional birth attendants.  At a cost of 500 Kenyan Shilling (6.50 USD) it is affordable and, as most nyamrerwa lack modern medical training, HIV/AIDS is not generally a topic of discussion or concern.  Stigma may be reduced but neither S- nor her infant will get the medication and care that can help prevent HIV transmission to the infant and begin S- in a system of treatment that can ultimately keep both children from becoming orphans. 

HEAL became involved with S- when, in the counseling following her HIV result, she expressed understanding for the need of a medical/clinical birthing experience and the willingness to do this if the economic and logistic issues could be arranged.  HEAL’s Kenya based  representative was contacted and when S- went in to labor 48 hours later – arrangements were made to provide transport to and from the hospital, meet the medical costs, purchase medications, and arrange for some follow-up referral to help ensure that S- and her new baby get the care they need.

There are times when the smallest bit of effort can indeed go a very long way.  Thanks to all for their donations – Keep them comming!

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You have heard the tongue twister about one who sells seashells at the seashore, but not about two young men in Kisumu who are turning eggshells into art form.

Mr Willis Otieno ruffles through garbage searching for eggshells, which he uses to make artistic portraits. He has hired youths to rummage through garbage near eateries collecting shells. He pays them Sh20 (about .25 USD) per bucket. Vendors of mayai boilo (boiled eggs) at the lakeside town also make extra coins by collecting their waste and selling to Otieno.

“People thought I was mad when I started collecting the shells last September,” Otieno says.

Otieno, 32, and his colleague Mr David Marenya, 40, created a large portrait of US President Barack Obama using egg waste and people started taking note of their unique work.

“People who had laughed as we collected opokla tong’ (egg shells) now sought to buy our artwork,” Otieno says.

The artists are today making a living selling portraits made from eggshells.

“We have commissioned youths at Kibuye Market to collect the waste daily,” Otieno says.

The artists say they will start looking for egg waste even outside Kisumu as demand grows.

They crush the shells and use wood glue to stick patterns on black cloth. They then draw sketches of portraits on the cloth to give an outline.

One of their outstanding creations on high demand are portraits of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“Many people are asking for them and we can’t meet the demand,” says Otieno.

They display their works at the Art House in Mosque Estate, Kisumu. It takes about six hours to complete a portrait.

“I came up with the idea last year before Marenya joined me,” Otieno says.

Art House founder Eunice Ogot says the portraits sell like hot cakes.

“People adore the works due to the creativity of the artists,” Ms Ogot says.

Local and foreign tourists scramble for the portraits that sell at between Sh500 and Sh5,000, depending on size and type.

“We have sold more than 300 portraits since late last year and our fear is that we may run out of raw materials (shells),” Marenya says.

Marenya is currently working on a portrait of the family of President Obama clad in Luo traditional regalia.

“We want to maintain our roots and culture using art. Our aim is to identify with our traditions even as we target the overseas markets,’ Marenya says.

The artists are happy hawkers sell boiled eggs in Kisumu, but concur that they would be excited if residents ate more of the delicacy.

Marenya says: “I sit at kiosks in Kibuye market on several occasions waiting for clients to have breakfast and then I collect the shells.”

Mr. Otieno with Eggshell Examples

Otieno, who attended Burumba Primary School in Busia, developed an interest in drawing in nursery school.

“I perfected my art at Got Agulu Secondary School in Nyanza where I drew portraits of my classmates,’ Otieno says.

He started earning pocket money from art in Form Two by making runner stamps and drawing portraits of musicians for sale.

“I was an expert in drawing Kanda Bongoman and the late Reggae stalwarts Bob Marley and Peter Tosh,” Otieno recalls.

Marenya started doing artwork by accident two years ago during post-election violence in Mombasa.

“I had a friend who kept his artwork in my house and I resolved to start drawing at home during the skirmishes,” Marenya says.

Otieno also draws decors for schools and colleges drama and music festivals.

Most schools from Nyanza that commissioned his services won the best costume and dÈcor category in the national drama and music festivals.

“I perfected my talent after I joined Mwangaza College of Arts in Kisumu in 1997 and graduated with a Diploma three years later,” he says.

People took note of him after he drew a portrait of Raila in 2003. Liberal Democratic Party officials in Kisumu took the portrait and promised to pay him Sh10,000 (about 130.00 USD) after handing it to Raila, but he is yet to receive the money.

Otieno, who trains other artists, wants the Government to help them market their work.

“It is difficult to live as an artist in Kenya, especially in areas where people do not appreciate intellectual property,” Otieno says.

Because of the generosity of our donors, the new 14 seat (27′ by 10′) latrine is nearing completion. I hope to have pictures to share soon.  The school now has a water spigot so the children can now get fresh water while at school. This academic year in addition to sponsoring Thomas Malinga, who is in his final year of high school (and hopes to attend university in the fall), we found generous donors who are paying the tuition and secondary school expenses for three Kibaoni graduates who without your help, would not be in school today.  The three:  Wilfred Steven, Magreth Andrea and Pascalina Tiehema are doing well. I have received emails from each of them – expressing their love to those who have chosen to give them a chance to succeed in life.  They are touching.

Andrea Wim on ladder of Jungle Gym

I know that the economic conditions here in the states is not good, but I have a favor to ask. Madam Anna Mzava, the headmistress of the Kibaoni School, has asked if we could possibly help another of their graduates.  The young woman’s name is Shangwe Steven.  She was one of the early graduates of the school and recently completed her high school education.  She is applying for admission to university starting in September – but without our help, she will not be able to afford to go. She is a perfect example of what we as a group are trying to do … give young Tanzanians a chance to dream.

Below you will find an email I received from Shangwe this morning. She states her case better than I ever could. It is my hope to find enough co-sponsors who would be willing to commit to paying a part of her tuition (approximately $3,000 per year for 3 years).  I realize it is a lot of money, but without our assistance, Shanwge’s dreams of a college education will die.  I would appreciate any help you can offer.  Believe me it is an excellent investment. I know Shangwe will make you proud.  Note:  Items in bold I added to Shangwe’s email.

Habari nzuri tu baba  [How are things my good father].  I am very happy to receive an email from you, baba [father] even I can’t explain how happy I am. 

Oh very sorry, I didn’t know if you are staying with your mjukuu [grandson] EVAN while his parents are away.  I understand how children need to be cared,worr(ied) out about being busy….

Am happy also to hear that Madam Anna [Principal at Kibaoni School] has spoke alot about me to you and she’s very proud of me.

I also want to say sorry to you about the on-going economic crisis in US. I have heard about it in radio stations and many people are speaking of it here in our country. So, I understand how the situation is.

But am happy also to hear that you will hardly find other people to help me out – am glad because you care about me baba. I pray to God so that you can easly find those people.

Am with you in prayers, baba try your level best

About cost/year (kiasi kwa mwaka) payment is done after six months and costs US $1500.  Per year it will cost US $3000 (milioni 1 na nusu kwa miezi6 na kwa mwaka ni milioni tatu).

The first payment will be on 01.09.2009 (Sept 1, 2009) immeadiately after reporting.

About the University am going to attend, I am waiting for the response to my applications as in our system we have to apply first. So, I have sent applications to UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM, UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA, MZUMBE UNIVERSITY, and MAKERERE UNIVERSITY. These are all owned by the government, there is no application costs as in the private owned universities. 

I prefer to take the degree of  ”BACHELOR OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS”; I like this faculty because I want to become an ambassador and I want to be ambasador of Tanzania in US so that I can strengthen the relationship between my country and yours.

That is my dream since I was little kid (mtoto).

You also wanted to know more about me, but I promise to send you the informations about me in the next email, which I’ll send to you tomorrow.  I fail to send now because the time which they give me to write this email is over in this internet cafe till tomorow.

Hi to all

- Shangwe Steven

If you can help, donate on-line (there is a link on the right of this page) or drop a check made-out to: “H.E.A.L. – Kibaoni Primary School” and mail it to P.O. Box 13046, Chicago, IL 60613.  Do make certain to note your contrabution as Kibaoni Primary School or to Shangwe specifically.  I will be happy to group any contributions to help Shangwe meet her goals.

All my very best,

Jim Furner

In the Lakeview area of Chicago known as Boys Town, over 100 showed up on Friday, April 17 to raise awareness for people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa. The event was hosted by Health and Empowerment for African Lives, a non-profit association started by a group of faculty and students from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health.

HEAL began in 2007 as a way to address the need for financial support, improved health care and education for the people of Kisumu, Kenya. Today, the organization is helping orphans, widows and hundreds of impoverished people in the region. HEAL has also been training doctors and nurses to understand the sensitive needs of HIV-positive patients in Kenya, especially those who are homosexual, which is illegal there.

The group’s second annual fundraiser drew a crowd passionate-about this cause.

Chicagoan Ms. Shakira Fiel said she came with a friend because she felt it was important for people to understand the problems of poverty and HIV infection in the region. “Most people don’t really know that you can live for a dollar in Africa,” she said. “It’s wonderful to have an event for this. It’s really valuable.”

Mr. Craig Hyland, assistant director of development and alumni relations for UIC School of Public Health, said the AIDS epidemic in Africa is spreading fast, yet the mentality surrounding the disease and homosexuality is behind the times.

“For many younger members of the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community, HIV/AIDS is something we read or hear about, and rarely see. I’ve only come across a few people infected by the disease,” he said. “So, to hear of a place like Kenya, with an AIDS epidemic similar to what we saw in the US in the 1980’s, but with ideas of homosexuals that are like the 1940’s, it’s crazy. This is why an awareness raising event like this is so important.”

Dr. Robert Bailey, a professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health and one of the founders of HEAL, said HIV in Kisumu is more than just a growing epidemic. In a region where 30 percent of adult women and 20 percent of adult men are infected with HIV, everyone has a relative with HIV, he said. “So almost everyone is infected or affected by it.”

For nearly seven years, Dr. Bailey has been visiting Africa with his wife, Dr. Nadine Peacock, an associate professor of community health sciences at the UIC School of Public Health. While conducting male circumcision research there, they discovered that many of the men volunteering for the study were testing positive for HIV.

“We realized we had to have something in place for these young men,” Dr. Peacock said. “We couldn’t just turn them away. We figured if we had an organization like this, we could do a lot more good.”

Amidst the music and high energy that filled the Sidetrack Bar during the event, images of African children and adults were interspersed throughout. A personal wine tasting was donated by Lush Wine and Spirits for the raffle and silent auction items included hand-crafted wooden eating utensils, crushed eggshell wall hangings and paper-beaded jewelry made by people living in Africa with HIV.

“The silent auction was a favorite for many of the attendees, which was evident by a flurry of activity during the last few minutes of the auction,” Mr. Hyland said. “For many of the artisans, these crafts are their only source of income, so we were happy to purchase them for our silent auction, and even more pleased by peoples’ response.”

Mr. Hyland said the money raised exceeded the group’s expectations, and will be used to benefit HEAL projects in Kenya.