Akuleu
Turkana baskets, trivets, brooms
At eighty-nine she weaves Turkana baskets, and pays for her own medical care for the first time.
“Since Baskets and Beads I have hope, and I have found a family that cares for me.”
Akuleu is a mother of seven and a grandmother of ten. Her journey to Kitale began after she was displaced by tribal clashes between the Turkana and the Pokot, a common plight for women and children seeking a safer place to live. She was homeless on the streets before settling in the Kipsongo slum, where she built a simple house from plastic bags to shelter her family.
Life in the slum was a struggle. When a cholera outbreak swept through the malnourished population, Akuleu lost her daughter, a hard blow that left her heartbroken. In the years that followed she searched for food in dumpsters and begged on the streets to survive.
Her life changed when she was welcomed into the Baskets and Beads Kenya family. Overwhelmed, she told the group through tears that in losing a daughter, God had given her more than a daughter: he had given her a whole family. She is now an artisan specialising in Turkana baskets, trivets, and brooms. With the income she earns and the support of the food pack program, Akuleu is healthier and stronger. She no longer has to beg, and she is able to provide for her grandchildren and cover her medical expenses. Despite her age she is happy, strong, and able to care for her family.
In Akuleu’s words
“To be able to move from the slum and have a place I can call mine.”
Stand behind Akuleu
Gifts go into the group’s shared table banking pool and the programs that support every woman in the circle: materials, literacy, medical help, and school fees for their children.
