As billions of people around the world pause this week to reflect on the story of a mother and her child, we would like to share the story of another mother. Selina Lekimain lives in the remote arid lands of northern Kenya. She and her husband had three children. Selina made small amounts of money doing casual labor while her husband tended to their small herd of livestock. They had very little, and their hard work barely yielded enough for the family to get by. They worried about the children having enough to eat, especially during the dry season.
Then, a twist of fate presented them with a choice. A woman in their community, a grandmother raising two orphaned boys, had just passed away. The boys had nowhere to go.
Selina and her husband opened their home and hearts to the boys. The family grew overnight. They worked even harder as they struggled to provide for their five children. Selina dreamed of starting a business. She dreamed of having money to buy food and clothing for the kids, and being able to send them to school. All five of them.
“They are not a burden to me as they are all my children.”
Hard work is second nature to Selina. But to have any hope of escaping the cycle of occasional menial labor for very little pay, she needed capital, and training, and a mentor to help her learn the basics of running a business.
Selina needed BOMA!
In 2017, Selina joined BOMA’s program. Today, she is a BOMA graduate. She runs a profitable business with two other women. They have bought goats and chickens. The three partners are saving and planning to expand their business.
Selina is confident that her business will continue and that her children will always have enough to eat. Her girls are going to school, and the boys will follow. The future is bright.
Selina’s Christmas wish for the world?
“Let us all be happy and remember those who have less than us. Let us remember one another.”
Support from individuals like you has enabled almost 200,000 women and children like Selina and her family to escape the cycle of extreme poverty.
You made Selina’s story possible. Thank you!
In 2020, BOMA’s goal is to enroll 17,000 more women like Selina in our program. We urgently need your help.
DONATE NOW
Your tax-deductible gift this holiday season means that thousands more women and children will be able to break the vicious cycle of extreme poverty. In a place the world often overlooks, you are helping hard-working families move beyond extreme poverty to a future filled with promise and hope.
-Just $50 lifts one person out of extreme poverty.
-$100 provides seed capital for a woman entrepreneur who is supporting five children.
-$200 provides mentoring for two years for a three-woman business group.
-$300 lifts a family of six out of extreme poverty.
-$1,000 sponsors three women entrepreneurs for two years.
-$5,000 sponsors a Village of five business groups.
Thank you for believing in mothers like Selina.
With profound gratitude and warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year,
John T. Stephens, Executive Director, and the BOMA Team
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The Impact of Your Gift
Donations from individuals like you have helped lift more than 200,000 women and children out of extreme poverty. BOMA participants see a 147% increase in income, a 63% decrease in the number of children going to bed hungry, and 99% of BOMA businesses are still operating at two years. Please help us keep the momentum going and reach 1 million women and children by 2022.