...A Time to Dance!

Party in Eastleigh!

As promised, here are some party photos

from Friday's bash in Eastleigh with Iftin

Micah, Mary and Aby dressed up by the Iftin class

About sixty of the Iftin literacy class members attended a party at the Eastleigh Community Centre Hall on Friday morning. This was a great chance to meet some of the new students and reconnect with many of our Somali friends. Since returning to Kenya in August 2010, we have been focusing much of our time and energy on the Guardians of Hope HIV and AIDS program. This past week was a great opportunity get back to Eastleigh where Laura and the team have been working very hard.

The ladies had Valentine's Day gifts for us all that the Noor members had made. They also presented cultural dances and songs, before we stopped for a giant game of musical chairs. The commotion attracted a huge crowd of primary school students who crowded into the door ways and at the side windows, to peak in and cheer everyone on.

After the refreshments, the real dancing started as everyone showed their stuff. It was a riot!

Atalie and Ava boogying down!

Nelius and Laura getting funky

with Patrick on the dance floor

Mark and Mary dancing to the delight of the crowd

Micah showing his moves!

Ava... all partied out!

Zahra Shariff, Tunis, Erica and Fatuma

(This was also a special day for Tunis and Fatuma, who learned that they have been selected for ceramic jewelry training with Noor Creations -- they start on Monday!!!)

Ayan and Erica at the end of the party.

On behalf of the women of Iftin, we want to thank the WillowLake Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for sending the Doerksen's to us. Even after a week in Eastleigh, it is obvious that they have had an impact on this community. Next Thursday will be an emotional good-bye for everyone here. We also want to thank everyone who has been praying for us and the refugee families living in Eastleigh. It is a gift from God to see such joy and experience such laughter with people who have come through so much hardship. It is great to be with people who have something to dance and sing about!

Party in Eastleigh

Party in Eastleigh!

Members of the Iftin literacy classes at the close of a party this past Friday at the Eastleigh Community Centre. We had a great week in Eastleigh with the Doerksen family, who have embraced the members of Iftin and the Eastleigh community. Our friend, Atalie, joined us well. The Iftin ladies had tons of fun dressing us up in Somali outfits and teaching us how to dance. We have some great dance pictures that we'll share when we have a bit more time.

Building a Strong & Empowered Community

Iftin Women's Conference

Building a Strong & Empowered Community

Earlier this week, we ended the year in Eastleigh with a day long conference that looked at six pillars for building a strong and empowered community in Eastleigh. Along with speakers from the Kenyan government, GTZ, the national self help group organization, and St. Paul's University, the members of the various Iftin projects shared in cultural songs, poetry and dance.

Our friends Willem and Nirmal

at the Eastleigh Conference

(Nirmal serves in Southern India with our Canadian Baptist partners in Hyderabad where he is a lecturer at the Baptist seminary. He is in Kenya attending Carey Theological College's doctoral program, with Aaron, in Mitaboni)

Frodosa showing off some of her jewelry

from the Noor Creations project

The District Officer for our section of Nairobi, addressing issues of security for Muslim refugees living in Eastleigh

Over 200 Somali women and youth participated

in Thursday's conference at the Eastleigh Community Centre.

We are so thankful for the hard work of Laura Muema

and the organizing committee for their efforts

in making this day a success!

Our friend Willem, from Saint Paul's University, presenting on the importance and practicalities of Building Bridges between Muslim and Christian neighbours in Eastleigh.

Sheik Abdi Nassar sharing about the importance of mutual respect and understanding between Christians and Muslims. It was a very exciting day as such a diverse group came together in cooperation and partnership!

Self Help Group Relaunch

Iftin student president, Aisha Hussein, addressing today's Women's Self Help Group gathering at the Eastleigh Community Centre.

Scott, Lara, Aaron, Erica, Kerry and Emma

(Tristan was our camera man)

Today was the official re-launch of the women's self help groups within the urban development project in Eastleigh. Over the past year we have learned a lot and made plenty of mistakes along the way. One big lesson has been patience. Westerners, like us, often joke about needing to adjust to "Africa Time", but the fact is that the rhythms of life here are very different from what we are use to in Canada. Kenya is slowly teaching us to slow down and stop rushing, but it is a difficult lesson to learn. When it came to introducing self help groups to refugee women, we missed some crucial issues in our hurry to get things off the ground. Bonds of trust, community acceptance, concepts of group savings and the issue of women in leadership were all areas of key importance that we hadn't dealt deeply enough with in the beginning. Together with the Iftin women, we have slowed down and are carefully building the foundation of trust and understanding necessary for a bringing about successful self help groups that will improve the lives of these women and their families.

Among our special guests today were our friends Lara and Scott Barnett

It was such a joy today to share the story of Iftin and progress of the self help group initiative with the broader Eastleigh Community, as well as some of our friends here in Nairobi. The chief of Eastleigh North commented after the event that "Women are the future of Kenya" and commended the efforts of the Somali and Oromo women of Iftin.

Zahra and Loise, the National Self Help Group Coordinator

The Kenyan government has recognized the power of grassroots women's groups in transforming communities. As part of their efforts, Kenya has provided training opportunities for self help group facilitators through a national self help program. Our community coordinator, Zahra, participated in this intense training during March of this year. It was her great pleasure to have her teacher, Lois, speak today to the women of Iftin on the virtues of forming a self help group.

Zahra introducing Sheikh Abdi Nassar

Along with our guests, 167 Somali and Oromo women registered and attended the self help gathering: It was a full house of women, along with a few children running between the chairs. We were truly blessed by the presence of one of the local Muslim leaders, Sheikh Abdi Nassar, who not only prayed with us, but shared a wonderful sermon encouraging the women to embrace their future by working together. His message not only addressed fears among the women about the legitimacy of women in leadership, but went further by urging the women to work to overcome ignorance that only serves to hinder their lives.

The women listened intently as Sheikh Abdi Nassar

spoke about the significance of their coming together

Aaron sharing the story of Iftin and inviting other women of the community to become apart of a community of change.

Erica sharing the history of the Jewelry Project

and commending the hard work and dedication of the participants.

With the first training cohort completed, Erica shared about

the exciting new beginning of the jewelry project as the

seven women move forward as a group to earn a living and

provide for the basic needs of their families.

The director of the Eastleigh Community Centre, Ehud Gachuga, also addressed the women and shared a broader vision of women coming together to form Self Help Groups that create support, income generating activities, and better lives for each and every family.

Erica put a bracelet made from the

Eastleigh beads on each of the graduates

It was with joy that we and the sheikh presented graduation certificates and gifts to the seven women who completed the ceramic beading training. Together as a community we celebrated their efforts and success!

Somali women singing about Iftin

A big part of the day was times of song and dance. As well as separate cultural dances performed by both the Oromo and Somali women, all of the Iftin students came together at the end of the event to sing the Iftin anthem.

New Songs to Sing

Somali and Oromo women

singing and dancing together!

Over the past month, Iftin has nearly doubled in size with the addition of many new Oromo refugee women who have come to Kenya from Ethiopia.

Erica speaking to a gathering of Iftin women today as they prepare cultural dances and songs for the official re-launch of the Iftin Self Help Group project on Monday. As part of this gathering, the women who completed the ceramic bead course will receive certificates from the vocational training centre. Both of the Somali and Oromo cultures will be represented by specific dances and songs. The ladies will conclude the event by coming together to sing their official Iftin song which was written by one of our founding members, Jamilo.

It was wonderful to be a part of a morning full of singing, clapping, and dance. Many of the songs the women sang were traditional folk songs that have been passed down through the generations from mother to daughter.



One exception was the Iftin song written by Jamilo Moxamed Yasin

Arday baan ahayoo
We are students
Ubixii wadankaan ahayoo
We are the flowers of the country
Waxan uordayaa uordayaa
We are running running
Iftin uaadnaa
going to Iftin (the light)
Inaan aqoonkarar sadoo
to add knowledge (experience)
Dalkena anfacee
and be useful for the country
Dadaak kii lanimidee
I came here to work hard
alahayow noo gargaar
God may you help us.
aamiin aamiin aamiin
Amen Amen Amen




We continue to pray for peace and solidarity between the women of these two unique cultures. As they have experienced generations of strife and distrust, we pray that in this day new songs would be sung by the people of Somalia and Ethiopia.

Please continue to pray with us