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Fixing the Future
Mark Nonkes - May 5, 2009 - Windhoek, Namibia
One Bike, One Life
Blog Link: Fixing the future
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This is precisely why they came to work this morning: to assist customers in need of bicycle repairs and to sell quality, second-hand bicycles at affordable prices.
Quickly noticing a loose pedal, Moreen – a mother of two, grabs a wrench and begins to tighten.
“Time by time fixing bikes gets easier,” she says. “At first I didn’t know how to service bicycles. But after the training, I learnt. And as we’ve opened, I’ve learnt more.”
Located at CCN in Katutura, the King’s Daughters Bicycle Empowerment Centre opened in March to provide six women a chance to start over.
Sick of her life on the streets, Moreen and five other sex workers, sought help from the Council of Churches (CCN) to get out of Namibia’s sex trade.
At the same time, Esme Kisting was also searching for recovery. A mother of two, Esme had recently lost her husband who was killed in a car crash. Unable to cope with the pressure from work, Esme quit her job in mid-level management at a bank. She too turned to the church to strengthen her faith.
In the mysterious ways of the universe, the group of six women and Esme would become linked.
“It was God’s hand in action. He has a bigger plan for your life, one you can’t imagine,” Esme says.
Offering spiritual guidance, CCN asked the Pentecostal Protestant Church to lead the group. The Pentecostal Protestant Church happened to be Esme’s church and after she completed a counseling training course, her pastor asked her to offer support and lead a Bible study for the small group of women.
While spiritual guidance and Bible study was initially offered, it was quickly realized that women needed more help to get off the streets and stay off them.
HOPE
While there is little doubt that the women of King’s Daughters have suffered in the past, new opportunities have presented themselves. Along with spiritual guidance and Bible study, counseling was provided. And through partnerships with other NGOs and support from the church, some basic needs were provided for the women, along with training in needlework, computer literacy and cooking and baking.
“The goal is to empower them through skills training, to help them gain employment to earn a decent income and to better their lives and the lives of their children,” Esme says. “It’s effective. Some of the women who came to King’s Daughters are now employed as secretaries, cashiers, clearners, working at lodges and one is even a kindergarten teacher.”
In total, at the end of 2008, 65 women were taking part in King’s Daughters activities.
Most of them call Esme ‘Mama’. She has become a one-woman organisation who does just about everything: counsellor, spiritual leader, media relations, life- skills leader, clothing distributor, etc. etc. etc.
THE WORLD OF BIKES
Most recently, King’s Daughters became involved in the world of bicycles. Early in 2009, an agreement between the King’s Daughters and the Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia (BEN Namibia) was signed to set up a bicycle workshop at CCN in Katutura. In February, a container of donated second-hand bicycles arrived from Ottawa, Canada. In the same month, six women underwent six weeks of skills training in bicycle mechanics and small business management. In March, the King’s Daughter Bicycle Empowerment Centre was officially opened by the Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila and Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General of Australia.
“The bike workshop really gave the six women a sense of worth. It really gave them a better view of themselves that they could now earn their own income,” Esme says.
INCORPORATED
On March 13, King’s Daughters became a registered Section 21 organisation. The goal, Esme says, is to offer more assistance to the women and to build a centre that provides more support for commercial sex workers who want to get off the streets.
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