Our Mamas

Cherished Handworks
Restoring hope to women in need

In 2011 God continued to affirm HCO’s expansion by allowing us to begin a project working alongside single mothers. Cherished Handworks is a fellowship of single mothers of all ages and walks of life. Cherished Handworks teaches women the trade of knitting, crocheting, and sewing, and provides jobs and an income for women and their families. The plight of single mothers in Kenya can be quite desperate. It is our desire to teach, enable and encourage them as they lead and provide for their families. Though they are living in an undesirable circumstance, we long for them to know that they are loved, cherished and treasured by their Heavenly Father and valuable to their society and community. Our goal is to give them the skills and opportunity to become the capable, caring mothers they were created to be.

Meet our Mamas 

Maximillan:

18 years old, disowned by her family, left alone to raise her 1 year old son.

Mary:

26 years old, was left after a 6 year marriage, relied on her family’s help in raising her 2 children (ages 4 and 1). When her family was evicted from their home she struggled to provide for her young family.

Margaret:

45 years old, raised 6 children (between the ages of 20-10 years old) with her husband and the help of her husband’s extended family. Husband passed away in 2009 and at that time, his family left her to continue to raise her large family with no job.

Helen:

40 years old, has 6 daughters (between ages of 18-7 years old) with her husband. After never giving her husband a son he left her to raise her large family with no job and no help from extended family.

Davin:

30 years old, has 2 children (10 and 6 years old) one of whom has special needs with her husband. She maintained a job selling fruit on the street and her husband traveled to and from Nairobi for his job, one trip causing him never to return to her and her family left her to raise her children.

Janet:

35 years old. Janet lived with her husband for 8 years, his son from another woman (15 years old) and her own child (10 years old). They had plans to open a tailoring shop in order to use his business background and her seamstress training. Two months before the opening of the shop her husband passed away leaving her to support the two children.

Syprose:

45 years old. Syprose was widowed when her children were young and has relied on help from extended family. She is now housing her 2 grown children (18 and 15 years old) and 1 grandchild.

Rose:

26 years old. Was married and had 2 children (ages 3 and 1). After years of abuse and the inability to maintain a job due to injuries from the abuse, she left her husband. She was then left alone to care for her family, as most families will not support a daughter if she choses to divorce.