Charity Work – Successful Support Stories…

Coinadrink are extremely passionate about charity work, and we always try and help out whenever we can. That’s why were absolutely delighted when we hear of success stories thanks to our good work, and it drives us to continue in the same manner for the future.
We have been contributing towards a group of ladies going under the name Ladies for a Better Life, doing so through the sales of our bottled water for our bottled water coolers. These women, based in the Western parts of Kenya, face the issue of poverty on a day to day basis and such a challenge brings a long list of issues that nobody should have to confront.
Collectively they have aimed to improve their livelihood by running small scale businesses, drawing inspiration from the name of the group as they strive to make a real go of it. Such troubling circumstances for these women can sometimes get them down, but the positive attitude on a whole is simply wonderful.
Take a look below for a more detailed description on the individuals we have helped;

Josephine Atieno Juma
Josephine Atieno Juma is a full time mother who has the responsibility of selling fish to try and keep her family together. She received Kshs 20,000 to boost her capital base and the funds seem to have worked well for Josephine; she can now afford to feed all her children three meals a day which is something that simply wasn’t possible before. To add to this, the donation has also enabled her to meet the educational requirement for her children, paying school fees to ensure that they have the best possible start in life. While she still isn’t quite at the level she wants to be in life, the support has gone a very long way and has allowed to achieve things that were never possible before.
Carolyne Anyango
Carolyne Anyango is again a full-time mother who once struggled to make ends meet on a day to day basis for her three children and herself. The loan she received for Just Small Change was able to help her considerably, and she has now expanded the business as so to ensure of a greater profit. This has meant she can provide for her children and offer them three meals a day and a better education, which helps to give them the best start in life.
Eunice Atieno
Eunice Atieno is a grandmother taking care of her two grandchildren, and her presented donation of Kshs 20,000 has helped Eunice raise her business to the next level. Previous to the support she received, she was selling bicycle parts and second hand clothes but soon gave up this idea and instead began trading women’s shoes and brand new clothes, which have carried more of a profit. In the presence of OLPS one lunch time, Eunice worked incredibly hard and managed to sell a skirt for Kshs 600! Such welcomed success has worked wonders for her in her personal life, bringing peace when paying her household bills while also being able to provide food and tuition fees for her grandchildren.
Maureen Akinyi Omondi
Maureen was given Kshs 20,000 to boost her business, and was so forth able to ditch her complex, low profit food kiosk in favour of a new hair salon and also engaged a new hair dresser to help her. All in all, it is working very well for her; the business is growing and has helped her raise her standard of living and keep her children in school. Upon OLPS visiting her place of work, they were delighted to see that her livelihood was thriving, with regular customers and an attire that certainly made Maureen look the part! With regards to her children’s education, she explained that they haven’t missed one day since the start of term thanks to Maureen being able to pay the fees rather comfortably. They also don’t have to walk far in order to receive their education, as transport is able to be paid for as is a hot school meal every day.
Judith Adhiambo Oyie
Judith, a mother with four children, weaves baskets from nylon rolls to make a living, She was given a total of Kshs 20,000 and with the funds, she has been able to successfully split her time between her main work and her other role as a Community Health Worker, both in which are extremely profitable. Her main business of weaving baskets is particularly flourishing due to crafting them on demand, and at the time of OLPS’ visit she was currently completing an order for six baskets. Such success has meant that she can provide three meals a day for her family, pay her children’s school fees and meet other basic family obligations. Judith may be a prime example of a struggling mother in Africa, but she works extremely hard to make life bearable and rarely relies on other people. In short, the donation has changed her life.
Florence Adhiambo
Florence has been a widow for three years, with her husband passing away and leaving her with two children and pregnant with a third one. Life was very hard for Florence after this, and each day became a struggle. She tried her hand in many different business ventures including a beauty and hair salon, but the profit margins were extremely low and so forth meant that she couldn’t afford to pay rent or school fees for her children. She moved into a smaller home to try and cope that bit better, though being pregnant meant her productivity was compromised and she was forced to rely on well-wishers for funds. Her luck changed somewhat upon receiving a donation of Kshs 15,000, though. She transformed her salon business premise to a shop selling second hand clothes, and just four months down the line has seen a significant improvement; she can now pay household bills relatively comfortably, and is also able to keep her children in school. It’s amazing what such a kind gesture can do for someone…
Focussed Ladies.

We at Coinadrink are delighted to see the change in fortunes of these women, and are proud to say that we did our bit to help. Charity work should never stand still though, and were now putting our name to helping another fantastic organisation called the Focussed Ladies. Focussed Ladies aims to boost the fortunes of African women in poverty, by giving them a donation to help boost their livelihoods. There are six women that the group supports, and each have made a positive start with the money they have received. Read on for more;
Jane Achieng Otiu
As a widow, whose only child died, life was hard for Jane. She became a carer for six orphans, two of which were the children of her sister who is mentally challenged, and her elderly mother. Jane runs a food kiosk as her primary business, and with the help of the charity, she received Kshs 25,000 to help her make a success of it. By expanding her building and so forth adding some new stock, she has managed to give her children the best possible start in life through schooling, while also being able to provide her family with three meals a day.
Jane Naliaka John
The Kshs 25,000 loan Jane received has come in handy for her lunch programme business, serving the hungry school children. One of the issues she had before, was that a lot of her stock would get wiped out during the rainy weather, whilst also getting ruined in the hot sunshine, so the money has enabled her to put an iron sheet up as cover. The ongoing success of the business has helped her provide for her grandchildren, as their mother, her daughter, sadly passed away.
Kesia Auma Aguko
Kesia’s livelihood revolves around selling Rosary and other sacramental at the Kibuye Catholic Church, which she attends every Sunday. The Kshs 25,000 loan she received from the charity has enabled Kesia to employ two technical assistants to help her make the Rosaries, while she has also been able to purchase the beads, crucifix, statues and other accessories needed. Her recent success has enabled her to pay the rent on her home too, ensuring that’s one less thing to worry about.
Faith Achieng Ayieko
Faith owns and runs her shop as her primary source of income, though the Kshs 25,000 donation she received has meant that she receives more of a profit on a monthly basis. Such a profit is Kshs 5200 to be exact, and this in turn has enabled Faith to live a better quality of life for both her and her children. To add to this, it has also meant that Faith can afford her rent and basic needs, so the loan has definitely helped Faith remarkably!
Magdline Oluchi Odinga 
Magdline sells charcoal in her store as her primary point of business, and she used the Kshs 25,000 loan to purchase a further 23 bags which was enough to qualify her as a wholesaler as well as simply selling to customers. Previously, she and her children weren’t living in a particularly safe home, and this was one of the first things that Magdline rectified by packing up and moving elsewhere. What’s more, she was also able to pay the school fees for her children, striving to give them the best education she can.
Mercy Nyambura Gachuki
Living in the Kasule area, Mercy began her working career by selling second hand clothes, though the Kshs 25,000 she received was enough to let her expand her trade to things like curtains and door mats. This has ensured that Mercy can provide her family with the basic needs, while she has also managed to pay her first loan back comfortably, so it’s clearly working well for her at the moment.
All six of these women have lived improved lives in just the first month of the money being donated to them, and we at Coinadrink are delighted that this is the case. It just shows how far such generosity can go, and supporting such a great, worthwhile charity has been a pleasure.
Now, we are delighted to say that we have a new update on the Focussed Ladies group. The new blog is now live, which shows the scale of the admirable success of the six women. Head over there now!