In January 2024 some of our Community Savers members visited the first One World Together summit in Nairobi and took part in a learning exchange.
SDI Kenya hosted One World Together and four community partners – Muungano wa wanavijiji, Community Savers, Raising Futures Kenya, Play It Forward – at their headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Community Savers, Helina and Zoe from Dandelion Savers and Dot from Miles Platting Savers attended and these are some of their reflections on the experiences they had whilst they were there.
Dot
You recently went on the learning exchange to Nairobi…
Can you tell us a bit about who was there, where you visited and the connections you made?
We were there with One World Together and visited the SDI Kenya offices and Play It Forward plus 4 informal settlements, Kibera and Foundation of Hope. We went to a school, it was brilliant. They have just come off the street and may have been involved with crime and violence and have a 7 week course, waking them up to what they can do to turn their lives around.
We spoke to a woman called Christine about their savings group, that was brilliant, she was so great. it’s different there, savings groups are different for them even though there are similarities theirs are so much more powerful because they are working on sanitation and water and healthcare and these are the kind of things we’ve already got and take for granted.
Why do you think community exchanges are important?
We can learn from each other I think that’s really important and it gives you a fire really, you’d see and meet different people and have a different look on stuff that you don’t even think about really because you’ve got everything it wakes you up to realise that we need to start kicking arse to get stuff done. We’ve really got to start kicking arse, in a nice way.
We went to the Raising Futures Kenya training centre
Was there anything you learnt / saw that you want to bring back to your community?
Yes a bit more fight, and because they live in tin shacks and can hear everything that goes on. We have to knock on more doors to get in to find out what is going on in people’s lives. They were horrified to learn that there are people who died in their places in the UK and could be there for weeks or even months and nobody knows. Whereas they live that close together that they know everything and they know everybody’s business.
Did you identify any common challenges between the groups?
Yes it’s about getting people together really you know they have their own ways and they do say if you don’t come to the meetings you won’t be involved in what they are achieving. You can’t expect that if you don’t put anything in to get anything back. What you give you get back, I’ve always said that.
In three words, can you describe the overall experience?
Emotional, exciting and inspiring
Zoe
You recently went on the learning exchange to Nairobi…
Can you tell us a bit about who was there, where you visited and the connections you made?
What stuck with me was the Foundation of Hope and Florence’s Raising Futures Kenya and the Community Savers itself at Muungano wa wanavijiji. I loved everybody and I connected with the women that were there. There was a lady called Emily. She stuck in my heart and she fights for everything her community needs.
Why do you think community exchanges are important?
Mostly it’s the experience, we all have different life experiences and sometimes we look at other peoples problems as not a problem. We were talking and one of the ladies said ‘but you don’t have poverty’ and it was important that I was then able to share my story of my poverty and I said that our poverty isn’t the same but the way we deal with it is the same, we want the same outcome. She then realised you do have poverty over there (in the UK) and I learnt from her ways to deal with poverty. I learned how important that community is and how important it is to never give up. It is really important so we can learn from each other and watch each other grow. Now I’m looking forward to seeing what all the other organisations are going to do and I get to share in that even though I am on the other side of the world. I get to share in the wonderful things they do. I get to see it.
Was there anything you learnt / saw that you want to bring back to your community?
Yes I want to bring back the actual meaning of community. I want to help and include more people and encourage more people. The data collecting was really important for me. I think that’s great because we can do that here in our local community where we are, we can ask people, we can do interviews and find out what people actually do want, not what we think they want and help out in that area.
Did you identify any common challenges between the groups?
Red tape was big one when we want to do so many things but we are having to jump through hoops, all of us felt our governments aren’t working for us and the fact that a lot of us are women so that’s a challenge in itself but they (the Kenyans) are not letting that be a challenge they moving forwards they just don’t stop. I think essentially we all want the same thing. We all want our communities to be better, happier and healthier.
Did you share anything about your group / community / approach that you think was of particular interest to the other communities?
They were fascinated by the food bank side of it, they wanted to learn more about that. I told them about our poverty side of it so that made them feel like it’s not just us. I hope they feel inspired the way I feel inspired.
In three words, can you describe the overall experience?
Educational, inspiring and life-changing.
I feel like my whole perspective on life has changed. I was getting complacent. I was like I can’t change these things so why bother and now I’m like actually it starts with me and it starts with us. We can just sit around waiting for people to do it. I feel like I want to change the world and go to Zambia and Uganda! Talking to Play It Forward they had an example of a young boy who was hitting his Mum and the whole table started crying as that was what I was going through. It was great to know that when mum’s are going through this they are getting support and I feel grateful that Play It Forward were there to help her. It’s so difficult to get the right support to know that it is going on and to know that these mum’s are being helped is amazing. I love everybody.
Helina
You recently went on the learning exchange to Nairobi…
Can you tell us a bit about who was there, where you visited and the connections you made?
This was a fantastic two day conference when One World Together got to know their partner organisations and vice versa, sharing stories of their successes and knowledge gained from running their local community groups.
We visited Muungano wa wanavijiji in Nairobi and Muungano’s Foundation of Hope in Kibera a meeting was organised with the Community Group of women and Leaders, who willing and lively shared their experiences of running a Community group on their Slum Dwellers Settlements and the highs and lows of growing their membership and the 3 years training involved in being an effective community leader.
We visited another Muungano wa Wanavijiji, Nairobi, Kenya. Shack/Slum Dwellers Settlement (Nancy Njoki Wairimu local area/home town), a meeting was organised with the leaders of a Community Groups, both men and women. Again another informative learning exchange took place and the highlight was being informed about the bottom up planning programme called Mukuru Special Planning Area.
Then we also went to Huruma and were shown around the homes that the community are building for each other. We were shown around one of the Muungano members homes. In all purposes it was a modest home, filled with modest equipment, yet amazing to see in all in glory, as this was a home build by the Muungano community members , (through community savings) including the making of building blocks from cement to build the walls, in partnership with Nairobi County Government and Muungano. With planning permission the people/community avoid eviction.
We also learnt about the importance of collecting community data. They shared with us the importance of how they have been collecting data on structure and households within the settlements. They create a data profile of problems faced by the people in the settlements, all of which are collected, collated and presented to government officials, to evidence that they exist, (the slum dwellers are ignored by government official, as they are told they do not live in areas with planning permission) and the problems they are facing and the support to solve the problems they need as citizens of Kenya.
Why do you think community exchanges are important?
The community exchanges, including overseas learning exchanges, are a good idea for a leader to visit at least once, if able, as they create solidarity with other women leaders. SDI have been around for 30 years, and are made up of these women-led saving schemes, which is a global network. It’s good to learn from them and to see what women-led saving schemes at neighbourhood/community level can achieve. Sometimes you just need to hear it and see it from the horse’s mouth to believe it.
Did you identify any common challenges between the groups?
Yes, in discussion we identified common challenges between the groups. It was important to create volunteering opportunities for the community. Everyone has some talent to bring to the community.
– Committee leaders can be overcommitted.
– Members of community groups and Savers groups can find it difficult to engage them/mobilise them in other ongoing campaigns.
– Growing a membership is difficult and requires effort by committee leaders. Everyone tries to save something in Kenya (there is no welfare state system).
-Mainstream media and the local media do not turn up for local events.
-Media do not show the true story/images of the urban poor/Shack/Slum Dweller, only show evictions and negative images.
They use Twitter, Instagram and have created their own YouTube Channel called Know Your City TV (KYC- TV) to tell their own story.
Did you share anything about your group / community / approach that you think was of particular interest to the other communities?
We emphasised that there is poverty in the UK, we emphasised that there is isolation in the UK and that people may not talk to anyone for weeks, months and can die from loneliness. So Savers groups are a tool to bring people together, to bring about volunteering opportunities.
We reminded our partners that people do sometimes have to make tough decisions in their household, due to poverty some household do not turn on the central heating in winter or just warm one room, many household do not eat fruit and vegetables as they are expensive to buy – yet the government guidelines is to eat 5 fruit or vegetables a day. Households where someone is working still do not always have enough money to eat three meals a day, parents go hungry, their children go hungry, people are poor and suffering due to the Cost of Living Crisis in the UK.
In three words, can you describe the overall experience?
Together!, inspired and motivated
