A Place to Call Home
A Place to Call Home
Franscesca Mumbe

Francesca Mumbe’s life has always been difficult - she has long been an orphan, is the mother of two Mawewa School students, and parents her younger siblings. Her husband, like many men in Mathare, is mostly absent. Francesca struggles daily to provide a stable and healthy environment for her family.Francesca became a Kiva Loan recipient in 2014. She started a clothing business, but it was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, she paid back the entire KES 10,000 ($99.00 US) and put money in savings! The Kiva loan organization was impressed and readily agreed to a second, larger loan when Francesca applied.Francesca’s new business, selling fresh produce, has prospered. The income allowed her to buy food and clothing, pay bills, and move the family to a room in a building with electricity. Her grocery kiosk is on the outside of the building where she lives. So, even though she works long hours, 9 am to 9 pm, she knows her children are safe at home when they are not in school.One challenge Francesca faces is instability with her landlords. The building where she lives and works is owned by multiple people, who constantly bicker among themselves. The cost of rent is not stable, she is approached by different people asking for rent, and there is the risk of being kicked out of her home or having her kiosk closed.Francesca would like her family to have someplace they can call home, even if it’s only used to get away from the city over the holidays. She recently used her savings to purchase a small plot of land in her ancestral home of Mwingi, approximately 110 miles outside of Nairobi. Now she is saving again to build a small home on the land.eduKenya commends Francesca Mumbe for her sacrifice, perseverance, and faithfulness. She is an example for her family, friends, neighbors and all of us to not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).

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