Impact Story: Joy Wasilwa

I am Joy Wasilwa from The Chwele Community in Kenya. In 2013, while attending my late Aunty Nora Musundi’ s funeral in Kitale Kenya, I met Aunty Grace whom I had not seen in  many years but she was always on my mind and though I admired her work, I never had gotten the chance to let her know. Every year she sent my family her book and I would learn so many African recipes from her. I also knew that she saved my life when I was about 11 years old after the demise of my father because then, I suffered a serious bout of Malaria and there were no hospitals near home. Means of transport was a nightmare. She was God sent! I remember sitting on her lap with chills in my body as we waited for hours for me to be treated at the single room Chwele Dispensary, (Now a big health facility, thanks to her!). I would have died from Malaria convulsions.

At the funeral, we had time to reconnect and she shared about her work at Chwele. By then, I was working as an administrator at a pharmaceutical firm in Nairobi but I did not like the idea of working in the city. I decided to quit my employment. I came back home to do farming projects and while at it, I was happy to volunteer at Chwele with my administrative and hospitality skills. Admiring her work, wanting to support her vision and the urge to give back to my community by touching a life, putting a smile on somebody’s face is what drove me. I swiftly swung in.

Volunteering at Chwele has taught me to appreciate life, appreciate humanity and always be thankful. I look at life and the challenges that come with it positively because that’s what I want the people I serve to learn from me. Through the mental health program, I have seen one Enock Juma, recover from leg amputation and be able to gather himself and continue to be productive in life. I love my work so much, given the chance to choose again, I would still choose working at Chwele. Through Chwele I have made many local and international contacts. My work involves daily interaction with the community in different capacities: overseeing logistics and operations, helping to develop and coordinate programs, and staff supervision and welfare just to mention a few. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to be part of Chwele Community Resource and Peace Centre.