UPENDO WA MAMA

Mothers -- Survivors -- Inspirers

By Standing Voice

August 17^th, 2018

Upendo wa Mama—or ‘Mothers’ Love’, in Swahili—is the name given to a Community Based Organisation founded and supported by our wonderful partner Under the Same Sun, facilitated by Rachel Monger and operating from Standing Voice’s offices in Mwanza, Tanzania. With a membership of women who have albinism or children with albinism, the group empowers vulnerable women to support themselves and their families through income-generating training in jewellery-making, soap-making, beeswax products, sewing and baking. Beyond this practical and entrepreneurial development, the group affords a space of solidarity and emotional support for women whose children have been attacked or rejected; it is a platform for individuals to assert their strength, and survival, flourishing as leaders in the fight to find a safer tomorrow for people with albinism in Tanzania.

This year, Standing Voice was delighted to connect Upendo wa Mama to our beneficiaries on Ukerewe Island. As part of our Summer Skills Workshop, the mothers travelled to the Umoja Training Centre to lead a workshop in batik: a technique of wax-resist dyeing, used to create colourful cloths and garments. In a beautiful collision of skills and stories, the mothers joined people with albinism and their friends on Ukerewe to share their knowledge.

“We decided to begin the workshop by teaching theory – this included technical knowledge of batik, and the various ways to make shapes. We quickly moved onto the practical side of things. At first, the participants thought it would be difficult, but as soon as they got the hang of it, they were unstoppable! They learned fast, excelling in cooking the batiks and printing the animal shapes. They seemed to enjoy the lessons every step of the way, and asked that they never end! All of this was accompanied by a soundtrack of traditional songs from the island, as participants sang together and grew closer with every passing day.” Zuwena Brown, workshop co-leader and Upendo wa Mama member

“The students were so eager that they quickly used up all the material we brought from Mwanza, so we needed to fetch more!” Rose Msonge, workshop co-leader and Upendo wa Mama member

“I was so pleased we were able to work together on Ukerewe and hope we can mutually benefit and help each other more in the future!” Rachel Monger, volunteer facilitator of Upendo wa Mama

This pilot workshop has set the parameters for deeper future engagement between Upendo wa Mama and our beneficiaries on Ukerewe Island. The collaboration has illuminated a route to income security for many of our participants; even more powerfully, it has pushed them to remake and reconsider their own boundaries, and to prosper as examples of what a person with albinism can achieve.