BergFamilyAfrica: Ki'pe'peo

Today was the girls’ last day in Kenya – we fly back to Rwanda tomorrow. Two nights ago, while checking emails in the lobby of the African Inland Mission’s guesthouse (Mayfield Guesthouse), I met a woman from England with such a beautiful ministry to some women living in a nearby slum.

I HAVE to tell you about her.

Her name is Rachel Baughen ~ she is an Anglican pastor’s wife ~ and she is a passionate advocate for impoverished women in Kenya.

We began talking simply because I asked how she liked her Macbook Air computer, but somehow, very quickly, our conversation turned to what she was doing here in Kenya.

Rachel's eyes lit up and virtually danced as she described for me her eleven year journey of trying to develop a successful non-profit card making company in the largest slum in all of Africa (the 2^nd largest slum in the entire world), a place unlike anything I’ve yet seen. It’s called Kabera.

Kabera has no sewage system, no running water at all, no electricity, no police or health care workers. Houses are built within feet of each other; actually, most times, homes share a common “wall”.

Walls are sometimes built of sticks with plastic stretched across them, sometimes of mud, sometimes thatch, sometimes cardboard. The roofs are made of the same, although sometimes they have sheets of tin stretched across, with bricks or rocks to hold them down and with gaping holes often between those sheets, letting the rain in whenever weather comes.

There are no restrooms in Kabera, except a few latrines owned and rented out by someone else.

Yes, the citizens of this slum have to either walk to the grimy toilets and PAY to use them, or they simply must squat in the narrow streets or paths between homes. Some use plastic bags when they have them, and then toss the waste into the road – this method of disposing of human waste is called a “flying toilet”.

Can you please stop reading for a second, close your eyes, and try to imagine living an entire lifetime in such a place as this? A place where the unemployment is over 50% or worse, where going to the restroom is a major challenge and expense? (And keep in mind, those who are "employed", are usually making less than $1 USD a day.)

This sweet woman, Rachel, couldn’t imagine it, either, and, after returning to England after the first time she visted Kabera twelve years ago, she couldn’t bear the memory of what she saw. She desperately wanted to do something to help some of the people in this hopeless place. And that is how Ki’pe’peo designs was born.

KI'PE'PEO means butterfly in
Swahili.

I’ll let you connect the dots on the whole caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly transformation that the company is hoping to make possible for the 25 women whom they now employ.

Rachel is soft spoken, meek, warm, friendly and unassuming. She accepts no credit for all she has done, but continues to say, “I know God is sovereign, Jesus reigns, and He is the one who keeps Ki’pe’peo going.”

I have made another new friend in Africa by way of England. And I am so thankful.

After hearing Rachel tell me about her ministry, I couldn’t stay away. I awoke the next morning determined to find this card company and visit. It turned out to be easy, as Rachel’s friends were packing up to travel to the office just as I arrived in the lobby. We walked to Ki’pe’peo and, within 10 seconds of arriving, I was enveloped in smiles and hugs from about 20 women working hard but very happily in the various stages of card making.

I’d told myself to not get involved: we serve in Rwanda – we have enough to do there. I didn’t need a new project. But within 5 minutes, I knew this was something special, and that God had arranged this meeting. These ladies sparkle with the love of Jesus, and I feel a bond with them after only my few hour visit to their factory.

There is something about a band of women working together that is just so attractive for me. They are giving their all so they can support their children and provide what they need – I understand this. I truly don’t know if men feel this way about one another – but as a woman, I identify so much with other women when we get together in a group like this – and for those of us who are moms, or for women who are caring for someone else’s child – the bond only magnifies. No matter the culture differences, no matter the disparity of socio-economic backgrounds, we understand each other’s hearts.

I fell in love with the women of Ki’pi’peo, with the mission of Ki’pi’peo and with the CARDS of Ki’pi’peo. They are so adorable! Truly wonderful!

I ended up buying one of every card they had to sell (50 in all), and want to show them to everyone I can when we go back to the USA in July.

My prayer is that I could find 4 or 5 – or 10! - energetic ladies who would like to help transform the lives of 25 women and their families in Kenya by selling these beautiful greeting cards in the USA.

You could sell them through your church, schools, try to get them in stores (wouldn’t the HEB be amazing?), or perhaps a really enterprising friend(s) could come up with a way to sell through home party shows the way companies like Pampered Chef, 31 and Silpadia do!

Because of these cards, each of these ladies now makes a living wage, has fun and wonderful fellowship each day as she works (hard), can afford to buy food for her family, pay rent, save a little each week so she can prepare to LEAVE THE SLUM some day and, best of all, send her children to school and buy their uniforms and books.

These aren’t just greeting cards ~ these are LIFE GIVING cards.

I’m praying that I can find 10 women who will commit to ordering/paying for 100 cards each that they can then sell to others or use to find potential markets (stores who will stock them, selling parties or whatnot). If I can get these “pre-orders”, I could then bring home about 1,000 cards next month for a trial run at getting them sold and getting a “real” market started for them in the good old USA. Currently, they sell great in Great Britain and Australia. Surely we can out-buy those two little countries, yes? We can’t let the Brits and Outbackers out-buy us, can we?

Please pray about this and then let me know if you feel God tugging at your heart about this opportunity!

If you want to be one of the ladies to help sell these in the USA, you can donate the money for the cards through our account with Samaritan’s Purse. I will then use the money to buy the cards on our way out of Africa in July, as we have to stop off in Nairobi to pick up Stephen.

Tim and I feel so blessed to be able to actually LIVE in Africa and to get to help God’s people here, people whom are dearly loved by Jesus, for whom Christ died. But not everyone can just come to Africa. Many of you would love to do it, but simply can’t. However, anyone can try to sell greeting cards! Anyone can save children from hunger, anyone can give mothers the dignity of having a way to earn their own living and support their children’s education by selling beautiful cards right where they live. Believe me, these things are so pretty, they will practically sell themselves once we get them to America. See?