Mama Owlia a HSNP beneficiary from Elwak inside her shop. She's being interviewed by Hussein Alio- CDC, NDMA ManderaAt Elwak Centre in Mandera County, lives Mama Owlia a HSNP beneficiary who joined the programme in Phase 2. Mama Owlia shared that before HSNP life was very difficult with the frequent lack of money to cater for the needs of her household.
“ We used to solely depend on the meager earnings from my husband’s tailoring shop. Money was never enough and the situation worsened as my husband increasingly became blind because of his advanced age,” shares the mother of three children.
A good tide of change came when one year after being enrolled into the programme in 2013, Mama Owlia received HSNP arrears payment of Kshs. 27,000 in June 2014. The arrears payment was accumulation of six payment cycles of which a cycle was then Kshs. 4,900.
“ After consulting with my husband, we decided to invest part of the HSNP money in small retail shop we sell basic goods such as omo, soap, steel wire, tea leaves, sugar, rice, cooking oil, salt, sweets, biscuits, drinking water and various juice,” she proudly beams as she displays her shop.
The small business has become a big blessing to her household. The profits combined with the regular cash transfers she still receives, she’s able to pay school fees for her children two of who are in Secondary school while the last born is in Primary . Mama Owlia sighs with relieve as she shares that three months after receiving HSNP arrears payments, her husband unfortunately turned completely blind and was forced to close down his tailoring shop. He now fully relies on the income from the small shop and the regular HSNP cash transfers. The family is grateful for HSNP support and thanks the Kenyan Government and donors for such a humane initiative.
Story by: Hussein Alio- County Drought Coordinator (CDC), NDMA Mandera