Self Help Groups

Members of our Self Help Group organizing team:

Zahra, Rhoda, Rispa, and Pharis

A central component of the sustainability of the community development work that is happening in Eastleigh is Women's Self Help Groups. Groups of ten to fifteen women gather together for support and encouragement, financial saving, and income generation. Together the women address problems faced by their families and community. In a sense, Iftin has been a giant self help initiative, but it is our goal to have as many as 8 to 10 groups meeting on a regular basis throughout the community. At the end of June, we relaunched the self help initiative through a community event where 167 women registered for the SHG program. Presently, one functioning group has been formed. The fifteen women meeting weekly in a small apartment have called themselves "Hidig" (The Somali word for a shining star). Please pray for the women of Hidig and for others as they break cultural norms that keep women silent and in the home. The path forward for each of these women will not be easy. We are so thankful for the courage and hope that we see in their lives.

In Prayer:

* Please pray for the women of the hidif Self Help Group as they undertake a training seminar this Tuesday. Issues of financial saving and women in leadership are a great challenge to be met.

* Please pray for the organizing team as we seek to identify eight women to serve as facilitators for the newly forming groups. We are praying for women who would be willing to go through more in depth training as they grow as leaders within their community.