Bahelanya’s Story: Building Hope
“I have what it takes to defy the odds and achieve my goals.” -Bahelanya
Bahelanya was only sixteen years old when she arrived in Kenya in 2009, fleeing conflict in her home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She arrived alone but soon found shelter with a relative who took her in. Unfortunately, the relative’s family was relocated a year later and Bahelanya was left behind.
Bahelanya did odd jobs to survive and was sexually assaulted while working one day. As a result, she fell pregnant. She sought assistance from UNHCR who eventually referred her to RefuSHE’s Safe House. RefuSHE provided her with safety and protection, access to prenatal and medical care, as well as psychosocial support. She was also enrolled in the Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) for basic education and vocational training. Bahelanya attended classes daily in the GEP and received support from the Safe House until she gave birth. RefuSHE ensured that she received postpartum care and had the necessary supplies essential for a mother and her newborn. She recuperated for a few weeks and then resumed schooling with her newborn in tow. Bahelanya moved forward quickly, working her way through the levels in RefuSHE’s education and vocational programs, eagerly taking in all that the Girls Empowerment Program had to offer. She later became a leader in RefuSHE’s Artisan Collective while her daughter, Zawadi, thrived in our Early Childhood Development Center. At the Collective, Bahelanya learned how to dye and make scarves while earning an income. Through the stipend earned from the Artisan Collective, Bahelanya was able to support herself and make savings. Bahelanya hoped to set up a small grocery business after graduating from the Collective.
After exiting the Artisan Collective in 2018, Bahelanya joined one of RefuSHE’s Women’s Ambassador Groups to improve her savings and access loans to start a business. In 2021, Bahelanya was given the opportunity to learn carpentry and joinery which emerged from a partnership between RefuSHE and BuildHER. She was determined to learn the craft and joined the first cohort from RefuSHE. The program consisted of 4 months of workshop training and 8 months of paid apprenticeship. During training, Bahelanya was taught the basics of carpentry, including the tools required, types of wood available, and general safety protocols. She proved to be a fast learner and was among the top students in her class.
During her apprenticeship, Bahelanya received support from her community members, especially at her church. She was an active church member, and the leaders wanted to support her journey to self-reliance and offered her a piece of land to build a house debt-free. Bahelanya was grateful for their support, but she knew that building a house was no walk in the park. It took her several months to save enough to buy the basic construction materials such as second-hand corrugated iron sheets and nails. Her apprenticeship wages barely covered her family’s needs, so she boosted the savings with a loan from her women’s group. When her apprenticeship ended after six months, Bahelanya remained undeterred. She sold most of her household goods to raise cash to buy timber for the framework of the house. Having spent the last of her resources on the timber, Bahelanya could not afford to hire a builder and had to construct it herself. She remembered that she had the skill set required for the job and knew what to do. She had already made the plans and contracted someone to dig holes for the base and timber frames. Thereafter, she did everything herself; from sinking the frames to nailing the iron sheets, to fitting windows and roofing until the house was finished. She worked construction each day from early morning to late afternoon and then opened her grocery business in the evening to still put food on the table.
Constructing her own house from scratch helped Bahelanya realize the potential she had to make a huge difference for her family by putting her new skills to good use. With every swing of a hammer, Bahelanya could see a transformation happening because she decided to take matters into her own hands. It was gratifying to finish building her house despite the many challenges that she faced along the way.
“I would like to inspire other women to not be discouraged to try new things. I did something new and learned that I have what it takes to defy the odds and achieve my goals. If women can have more confidence to achieve their goals, they will have the power to bring great change in their communities.” -Bahelanya
Bahelanya hopes to not only open a carpentry workshop in the future and achieve economic independence, but to teach other women the craft as well.