In every major city around the world, the sight of countless people sleeping in the streets is a common phenomenon.
Kenya is not an exception. In fact, the government performs annual counts to see just how homelessness affects the city.
In all honesty, it’s annoying to have beggars stationed in almost every corner of major towns.
It's disturbing that one can hardly stroll through town without getting calls of “help me!”
Angela Wahu, the founder of Chokora Culture was definitely one of the many Kenyans complaining about the increase in the number of street families.
One incident, however, triggered her emotions, allowing her to create a movement - Chokora Culture that is helping a lot of the homeless women.
“I remember, I was walking in town and I noticed a teenage girl following closely behind me. As usual, I reached into my pocket and gave her a 20 shilling coin before I crossed the road.
“A few minutes later I noticed that the girl was still following me! “I was so paranoid, I thought she wanted to rob me. I crossed the road again and I tried to disappear but when I looked back, she was still following me,” narrates Wahu.
However, the little girl was not stalking her as she thought; she gave back the 20 shilling coining and instead, asked for a sanitary pad.
Taken aback by this sad realisation, Wahu asked herself “How do homeless girls cope with their periods?”
Touched by the sad state of affairs, together with the young girl, they walked into Tuskys Supermarket and bought a packet of pads as well as some cake.
As the girl ate her cake, Wahu engaged her in a conversation.
“She spoke of some of the creative methods street girls adopt when they start their periods. They use old socks or tear up pieces of their dress and T-shirts. Newspapers, paper bags, toilet paper from the dustbin, posters on the wall or soft cardboard papers.
“Her words inspired me to write an article centred around her life, her traumatic experiences from childhood and what many girls on the street have to go through," add Wahu.
After publishing her article online, Kenyans of goodwill poured in plenty in donating sanitary pads while others offered to go big in empowering girls.
Wahu partnered with the Family Wellness Centre-Kenya, Make Her Smile and a group of students from the Bryn Mawr University in the United States.
Together they launched a project that empowers homeless ladies with ways on how they can use their skills to start small businesses.
They have since started teaching tapestry to homeless women where they are taught how to make mats.
Another group is stationed in two salons within the city centre that Chokora Culture and partners opened to empower the homeless.
Fast forward to today, Wahu offers that she is happy to have started an organisation that has since changed many lives.
“I’m actually glad that life steered me towards this path. Handling the project is an additional task to my everyday job, but I love every minute of it and I'm glad that I get to empower other ladies,” she concludes.
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