Simple Needs Met, a New Life Envisioned.
Montoi is a young married mother. She and her husband, David, reside in Oletukat, Kenya. Together they raise their two young boys and their daughter. After David’s parents had passed away, they were forced to evict their home by his uncles. His uncles wanted to take their land, livestock, and inheritance. David and Montoi were immensely angry with their family members, and felt deeply betrayed by their selfish motivation. However, they had no choice. Ever since then, Montoi and David have struggled with immense poverty. Added to that, they also had to endure a drought which caused them to lose all their remaining livestock due to diseases and lack of water.
Now they live in a small and humble home, working to raise their children up in a life that isn’t limited to their situation in poverty. The family was even having to relieve themselves in the bushes by their home, leaving them vulnerable to typhoid and other deadly water-borne diseases. In their old house, Montoi had the space and time to help care for the children, but now she has to spend most of the day going to a nearby river just to get them water.
As a result, her young children are left alone vulnerable with no one to care for them during the hours she is walking to get water. Montoi desperately wished that her children could be left in the care of someone trustworthy, but they couldn’t afford to pay for anyone to come watch them, and they were much too young to walk the distance with her to get water. Just as it seemed that things would never get better, the family received word that they were going to receive a goat from The Hope Venture’s Goat Project! Goats are very resilient animals, so even while families like Montoi and David lost their livestock and income, goats can continue to help generate a source of income and nutrition.
The impact didn’t stop there! Because The Hope Venture’s partners had a relationship with the family, they arranged to help get the family a working toilet so they wouldn’t have to continue using the nearby bushes filled with diseases. As a result, this has minimized flies around the house and reduced the likelihood that the family would become ill from disease. The nearby neighbors have even been benefiting from the toilet, helping to reduce the amount of human waste that people in the community are exposed to. Not only this, but they are also able to access clean water provided by The Hope Venture and its partners, so Montoi no longer has to spend long hours away from her children gathering water.
With these benefits, the family is better set up and empowered to rebuild their life that was stolen from them. The children can laugh and play and be kids knowing that their most basic needs aren’t something they need to worry about. Montoi’s outlook on life has also greatly improved. With the support and assistance she and her family received she is confident that they won’t suffer from that immense of poverty again. Montoi and David want to focus on utilizing the gifts they’ve been entrusted with to help generate income on their farm, rebuilding a business that they lost. They know that other challenges will arise, but they are able to face them knowing that they have not only a good herd of goats to sustain them, but a community to walk alongside them.
Recent Comments