Confusion and stories

Today, we were back teaching in Moheto after spending yesterday visiting Homa Bay.

On Tuesday at the end of the day, we introduced some of the financial record keeping one should do in one’s business. These folks we are working with have been functionally working with their expenses and profits in their businesses, but not using any formal record keeping system. It has taken both Tuesday and today to help them understand conceptually and functionally how to keep financial records in their businesses. It was hard work together, but in the end, they got it!! Many expressed gratitude this afternoon for this important tool for their business practice.

Throughout the week we have been well fed for morning & afternoon tea and lunch. The food has been deliciously prepared by our cook, Samwel and his assistants, William & Angeline. These folks are cooking food for 25 people over a wood fire, since this part of Moheto does not yet have access to electricity. This problem of no access to electricity is not uncommon in this western corner of Kenya. Today I took time to visit their “kitchen” to see their cooking process 😊. I’m so impressed with all that this cooking team does for us!!

After our class and afternoon tea was finished, we visited 2 more of our class members’ businesses. Julian & Boke are husband and wife. He runs a bodaboda business, taking people where they want to go on his motorbike (…a motorbike taxi service). Boke has a duka (very small retail establishment) and sells fresh vegetables & dried fish. They were so excited to have us visit them!!

In our session this morning we heard 2 stories from a couple of women that really warmed our teacher hearts! The first woman, who farms a small farm, told of how just recently she bought a calf with some money she was able to save from her vegetable sales. It was a great example to the group of the importance of growing your profits in order to expand your business in new ways. After our discussion on Tuesday about competitors, another woman shared that yesterday she decided to wash her vegetables before taking them to the market & as a result she was able to sell all that she had brought to market! She witnessed customers preferring her clean vegetables over others at the market.

It’s been so great for our team to see how folks in the class are trying to apply various elements of what we’ve been teaching in their businesses! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these individuals😊