Penduka

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This morning we finished up most of our packing. When Pam got home from teaching she took us to a place called Sugar and Spice for pancakes (crepes) that were really good. The restaurant was in the courtyard of a mall and since the weather here is beautiful (70-80 every day) it was perfect. After lunch we perused the shops at the mall and then headed out for Katatura. If you'll remember, Katatura is the informal housing settlement near the hospital. We went out to the far end of Katatura to a place called Penduka.

Penduka was initially founded as a place to help women support themselves and live independently. They teach women embroidery, batik, pottery making and other crafts and then sell these crafts in a shop on the premises and various other shops in town. They also have a program for deaf women where they teach them how to make glass beads from recycled bottles and these are sold as well. Another program they have it to support people with TB. They feed them daily at local clinics and then give them their meds. TB therapy is 6 months to 2 years so compliance with taking their meds is a problem. They also teach them crafts and sell them but they do not give the proceeds to the people until they finish all of their TB medications as incentive for them to complete the therapy. They also have a school and daycare to make it easier for the women to work. It is a really wonderful program that does a lot to support the community in a sustainable way. It supports about 600 women currently as well as many more people with TB. We were really glad that we had extra time here to be able to see this great place, but will be happy to be headed home tomorrow.

http://www.penduka.com/en/

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