A Better Place

The world's a better place because of this lady. Her story is pretty amazing. She was married when she was 13 years old, to a man 10 years older than her. She never went to school, never learned how to read, write, or count past 35. She remembers playing in the fields where her father worked the earth daily to provide for his wife and children.

She had her first child when she was 15 years old, and proceeded to have 7 more children after that. Now she has four grandchildren too.

When we first met this lady and her family, they were in a difficult place. Living in a neighborhood with open sewers, limited electricity, even little water. They had no chair to sit on and no refrigerator. She cooked over twigs to feed her family. None of the children were going to school. But we saw a spark in her...

Now this precious woman is managing a network of at least 20 women in our manufacturing venture. She can buy medicines and nutritious food for her family. She teaches the younger women in the neighborhood how to love their children. She is a woman of peace and humility, innovative and ambitious. Her children go to school now and excel. There's a sofa in the house, a refrigerator, a sturdy stove, a fish aquarium! 

And she keeps us foreigners fed with tasty meals. 

"We're all family. That's what families do," she says with a twinkle in her eye.

The world is a better place because of her. And I'm a better person because she's in my life. This is the vision of Dekko Trading - seeing families transformed through empowerment and opportunity. Together we ARE making the world a better place. Her smile just says it all, doesn't it?


Photo credit: Sylvia King