The community has “taken a firm stand to root Denis into success,” says Canaan Gondwe. Denis received a piglet from the community May 2017.
This story was originally published in our Fall 2017 Newsletter. I’ll be posting a very exciting update to the story next week on the blog.
In May and June [2017] I spent three weeks visiting folks connected with Spirit in Action in Kenya and Malawi. With my team – Mike Hegeman, Dana Belmonte, and Boyd Cothran – we met with seven community organizations and over 100 Small Business Fund entrepreneurs. Each day was a new adventure!
Visiting the site of the Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative maize-grinding mill, the group told us that they had a surprise for us. That day they had a piglet to give to an orphan boy in the community!
This is one of 55 piglets that the group has shared with vulnerable members through their “Pig Pass-On” project. A portion of the profit from the mills are used to buy and care for piglets, which are passed on to those in need. This is their collective act of Sharing the Gift.
On that late afternoon in Manyamula Village, where the sun sets around 6pm all year around, we paraded with over fifty cooperative members across the fields. The women sang songs of Spirit in Action and their own successes. They sang their gratitude to SIA and made joyful ululations.
Blessing a pig that the Manyamula COMSIP Cooperative members are giving to an orphan in the community.
When we arrived at the pig pen the local leader picked up the piglet and called over an orphan boy that the group wanted to nurture and encourage. I laid my hand on the pig’s back and said a blessing.
I acknowledged the great opportunity for this boy to make a positive change in his life. Also, I expressed gratitude for the power of community and the generosity of the group. After I finished, the rest of the SIA team each gave a little speech, sharing stories of hope and encouragement. [Read Dennis Kiprop’s story here.]
I was grateful to be there in person for this beautiful moment of sharing and celebration!
Stay tuned next week for an update to the story of Denis and his piglet!