Meet Kizimani Founders

Born and raised in Nairobi Kenya, Miriam and Janet saw the importance of giving almost every day, as they watched their widowed mother, Monica, constantly helping others despite the challenges in her own life.Monica was widowed at the young age of 36 and left to raise five children, between the ages of 5 to 15 years, on her own with no support from her immediate family. Janet and Miriam recall a lean upbringing but plenty of laughs. The one thing that stood out to them was the generosity of their single mother. She was always ready to share the last bag of flour with a needy neighbor or offer a listening ear to another hurting widow. She modeled for them the grace and privilege of serving others despite ones own circumstances.When Monica retired, she moved from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, to a rural community in Kangundo. There she was struck by the impact of HIV/AIDs in that community. She observed the hardship grandmothers faced as they raised orphaned grandchildren or HIV/AIDS infected widows struggling to raise children as they attempted to cope with their own health issues. Monica knew she could not sit back and do nothing, so she rallied the community to come alongside these women and support them with basic necessities. As their mom would share these women’s stories, Miriam and Janet felt compelled to help, and they started sending small amounts of money to buy food for these women or pay tuition for a few children. Their involvement grew beyond food relief, to helping provide clean drinking water, educational and medical care support; officially launching KIZIMANI.KIZIMANI, a Swahili word whose root means “by the water well “, was founded with the intent of finding sustainable and culturally relevant ways to help impoverished communities break the cycle of poverty. To learn more, go to their website.CfC and the 30/30 Project is currently raising funds to build KIZIMANI a comprehensive healthcare facility in Kangundo, Kenya. We aim to start construction by fall of 2014.To donate to the KIZIMANI Project, click here (be sure to earmark your funds for the 30/30 Project)