“…you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients. You can start with the world you've got.” Pay It Forward, Catherine Ryan Hyde

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Lydia Wairimu teaching soap-making.[/caption]Confucius, the Chinese philosopher said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” eduKenya’s new Community Support Ministry (CSM) is now teaching affiliated community members the skill of “fishing.” The teaching comes in the form of soap-making and the approach is having far-reaching results in the life of individuals and the community. One such participant in the CSM program is Lydia Wairimu.Lydia is the guardian and sole provider of two grandchildren who attend Kwa Watoto School. She has no formal education, and she has eked out a living making beaded bags, often unable to make ends meet. As she ages, Lydia has found it difficult to compete in the available job market. Ideally, she needed a skill that was easy on her physically and allowed a flexible schedule to care for her grandchildren. Thus, Lydia decided to participate in the opportunity offered by the CSM soap-making program.[caption id="attachment_1809" align="alignleft" width="253"]

Lydia delivering soap to Kwa Watoto School.[/caption]Lydia mastered the soap-making skill and is now producing soaps and detergents that she sells to various people in her neighborhood. In addition, she makes cleaning liquids - hand wash, liquid soap and disinfectant, for Kwa Watoto School. With the profits she makes from her soap business, she is now better able to meet her financial obligations and the needs of her family.CSM coordinator, Joseph Njenga, was so impressed with Lydia’s skill, that he hired her to help teach a refresher soap-making course. Lydia’s participation in the teaching process implements the CSM goal to train students so well, that they are able to pay forward what they have received. Perhaps in paying it forward in Mathare, we shall see a more economically empowered community in the future.God Bless!Ajema Kikuyu-Ngumba