The one room house is barely big enough for the bed where she sleeps with her two children. It’s better than many houses in Africa, at least it’s cement, not mud. She rents the room for seven dollars per month. There is no kitchen and no bathroom, just the small bedroom with only enough room to walk around the bed. But it is neat and clean and she has an infectious smile.

Mama Noela lives alone there with her two children, Noela and the new baby who is three weeks old. They call mothers by their children’s names here. Mama Noela’s name is Felister. She has been carrying this seven year old girl on her back for seven long, weary years. She loves the child and would have continued to carry her but she became pregnant again.

We met her at a local church where she had the seven year old on her back and was eight months pregnant. She was totally exhausted from carrying this big girl. Her minister asked if we could help. I told him God’s people are good, surely we can find help.

So we found a home for handicap children and drove to Moshi with the child’s bag packed, but they wouldn’t take her. They told the mother if she loved her child she would continue to care for her and then told her they would find the husband and make him pay. They didn’t and she does love her child. She is just so weary.

That kind of government help makes me weary. So we have hired a house girl to help her with the children.

We are giving her $30 per month to pay the house girl. Now with our new MAP “Mother’s Against Poverty” program we can work to set up a more permanent solution for Mama Noela. I suggested making jewelry to sell which she could make in her room. Later she showed us her chickens in the chicken coop and asked if we wanted to buy some eggs from her neighbor. Below is her chicken coop made from old mosquito nets.

We realized she was more into chickens than jewelry. Through our MAP program we can help her get started in an egg business. But first we will need to build her a bigger, better chicken coop! Below is where she cooks for her family when she has wood. Other times she cooks on the porch with charcoal. The chicken coop is behind the kitchen.

Since this is our second egg/chicken business we know how much it will cost to build a wooden/cement block chicken house and buy 40 chickens. About $400.

If you would like to help individuals such as Mama Noela with starting a business please consider contributing to our MAP program.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9

Bless you!

Dorris