Helping young Kenyans survive and thrive in Kisumu

And we think our lives are stressful!

I rang our manager/trainer at Paluoc carpentry workshop a few days ago. I wanted to say hello and get an update on how things were going. I also wanted to chase up the accounts for the last 12 months which are now well overdue.

How’s the training going? Have you plenty of work? Any new product ideas to help diversify and find more work? Those were the questions uppermost in my mind. As the conversation progressed it transpired that Paul was feeling the pressure a bit. His wife, and mother of their 6 children, Lucy, who helps with the admin for the centre and who is more IT literate than Paul, is not at home. Normally she helps with the accounts of the workshop and of course the running of their home. She is a qualified nurse and the only work that she has been able to obtain is at a hospital over 50 miles from home. That means that travel home on a daily basis is not an option for her. It leaves Paul under a lot of pressure. Paul is left looking after the 4 children still at home, the twins he ferries to school every day on his motorbike. He is currently looking for work to keep the workshop trainees who have already obtained some qualifications active. However, at the moment little or no work is available. Much of their work is school-related and this work is very seasonal. The economy in Kisumu is experiencing some hiccups like much of the rest of the world.

He has managed to gain another new recruit, his name is Martin. I’ll have more information about his background and a photo “soon”.

So his daily task is to provide the training at the workshop, seek new recruits and more work, as well as keep his sponsors happy with accounts and regular updates which he will have to email, something he’s not very good at, whilst also keeping the family home running as smoothly as possible without the help of his wife.

Quite a few of the improvements planned for the workshop have not yet been achieved. However the top priority of providing free training for a group of youngsters who would otherwise be on the scrapheap does continue. The more experienced trainees help Paul to help the newcomers. So Martin is in good hands.

I’m still waiting for the accounts. They will come eventually.

As I was about to put the phone down at the end of our conversation Paul said “Thank you for lifting my heart again” and somehow receiving the accounts didn’t seem quite so important or urgent!