Naibartuni Cecilia Siparo
“Before I joined the Enkiteng Program, my kids used to be sent home from school because we were always late paying school tuition. Now I am able to pay the school fees on time, buy clothes and food for my children. I am now saving money to buy livestock so I can raise them and sell them. Thank you so much and God bless you.”
~ Naibartuni Cecilia Siparo
Naibartuni Cecilia Siparo is one of the seamstresses in our Enkiteng Program in Enoosaen. She joined the Enkiteng Program in summer 2015 and started learning how to sew by making Enkiteng bags (cloth gift wrapping bags) using donated fabric. She has now graduated to making the Enkiteng bags out of Kitenge fabric, as well as new products such as Kitenge knapsacks, shopping bags, wrap-skirts and other products made of Kitenge. In 2019, she also participated in our Pamoja program, where the seamstresses learned how to make all the garments of school uniforms and other products that they will be able to sell in Kenya, becoming independent seamstresses.
She lives in Oldabash, about 1 hour walking distance from Enoosaen. She lives with her husband and their 7 children. Her husband only works to support his drinking addiction, and he does not contribute to family budget.
Her formal education ended in Class 3 (elementary school). She wants a different life for her children – all of them are attending school, and she is expecting them to finish university.
In addition to her income from the Enkiteng Program, she has a dairy cow and sells the milk on the market.
When asked about how she would like to change her life, she said she wants to continue working hard so she can afford food and the school tuition for all her children. She would also like to build a latrine, as her family does not have one yet. She wants to learn how to sew clothes that she can then sell in Kenya, such as school uniforms.
When asked what she would like to change about her community, she responded: “I would like to abolish drinking in town. Young boys start drinking cheap home-made alcohol and their lives are getting ruined over this. They are going blind, sick and dependent on alcohol.”
“I am thankful to Seeds to Sew very much. Seeds to Sew have been paying for my health insurance every month. My health have not been good and I have been in and out of hospital nearly every month. My health insurance card (NHIF) have been paying for all my hospital bills. I thank Seed to Sew very much for starting to pay for my health insurance!
Since I joined the Enkiteng Program, I don’t have any problem buying food and clothes to my children.
All my children are in school and are not sent home for lack of school fees anymore as they used to be, before I joined the program.
My family did not have a latrine before I joined the Enkiteng Program, but I have been able to build one through the money I get after sewing.
I can’t forget to thank Seed to Sew because when COVID-19 started here and there was lockdown, life was very hard but Seeds to Sew helped us by sending us money every month for buying food. Thank you very much.”
