Empower 15 women as leaders, Improve health of 600

*Personal Note from the Project Hearts Executive Director*

I first got to know Kenia in 2017. Prior to meeting her, Kenia had been married for many years to a violent man who was physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive. Eventually, she was able to leave the relationship, but that left Kenia on her own to provide for her three young sons. Thankfully, she had support from her church community, and some kind donors built her a small house, and Project Hearts was able to donate a water tank. Kenia worked hard as an assistant at a local private school, as well as cleaning the homes of various families, even though this caused her a lot of pain. As the years passed, though, the pain became too much for her to ignore, and Kenia was diagnosed with a variety of infirmities, including severe arthritis. Kenia was no longer able to work and now had the extra financial burden of buying expensive medications so she wouldn't suffer as much. Thankfully, her sons were old enough to work, so their family was able to make ends meet.

In May 2024, Kenia asked me for a job because she hated being stuck at home and unable to contribute to her family or community. We didn't have any work available for Kenia, but I told her we were about to start a new cohort of our Community Health Leadership Program. She said it sounded like exactly what she needed. Since the course began in June, Kenia has faithfully attended every class and is always involved in group discussions, especially sharing with her younger classmates about being in an abusive relationship and how to recognize and avoid violent men.

Below are Kenia's thoughts about the CHL course:

"My name is Kenia, and first and foremost, I want to thank God for allowing me to be part of this course. I also want to thank all the people [you reading this!] who make this program possible, because the CHL class truly helps us women. 

It motivates us, it teaches us and gives us a push to see things from a completely different point of view. Iit encourages us to continue advancing in life, to grow, to be better people, and to treat our own health differently.

It’s helped me personally to see things from a much more positive perspective with respect to my health. I suffer from various illnesses, but through the course, I’ve been able to learn a lot more, so now I can cope better. There was so much I didn’t understand before enrolling in the class, but the information is so interesting, and I’ve learned how to care for myself, how to care for my family, and how to help people in my community who are in need. 

This class has been a great blessing for me, my family, and people who I know. 

I appreciate all of you who allow the CHL program to continue so that it is always available to bless more people."

Back in March we graduated our 10^th cohort of Community Health Leaders. Since we had to send the last report before the big day, I wanted to share a photo of the happy grads now. The ladies were so excited and proud of their achievement – as were we!

And on June 26th we started cohort number 11! We’ve got a fun group of 10 women who are already acting like they’ve known each other all their lives, rather than just 3 weeks.

The new students range in age from 16 to 47, and are representing 5 different communities in Baitoa.

This group has been especially participative, sharing their questions, opinions, and even stories about past abusive relationships and how they’ve overcome personal struggles.

The women have also shown a high level of commitment – we’ve had some rainy days recently, which would normally result in some people not showing up, but these leaders have had 100% attendance!

A couple ladies have also had other obstacles arise – one is going through a divorce and now a single mother, while another recently started a new job – but they are both determined to continue attending classes, and we will do whatever we can to support them.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue growing our family of Community Health Leaders, which we wouldn’t be able to do without your support – MUCHAS GRACIAS! <3