BOMA Village Mentors

Mentor Hosea Lemuni of Mount Kulal with the Naapunye business group. They operate a butchery.

BOMA Village Mentors are dedicated to helping the communities in which they live. As hands-on leaders and role models in the Rural Entrepreneur Access Project (REAP), they recruit prospective entrepreneurs, help them to write a business plan, and deliver job-skills and micro-savings training programs to participants. They then mentor each business for two years to ensure success. Mentors also play a key role in establishing and mentoring the REAP savings and loans associations, and in gathering the data that BOMA uses to measure the impact of the program on participants’ lives.

Mentors are respected community members with professional experience, such as school teachers and business owners. They are extensively trained and supported by the BOMA field staff in Kenya.

Rosemary Napoya, Laisamis

Rosemary Napoya is the mother of eight children between the ages of 4 and 24, all of whom attend school. She also cares for three orphans from the community, bringing her family to 13 members. Rosemary is the deputy head teacher at Laisamis Primary School, where she has worked for almost 20 years. She attended the Kamwenja Teachers Training College in Nyeri and has made teaching her life’s work. She is one of BOMA’s hardest-working mentors and earned the 2010 BOMA Village Mentor of the Year award for her outstanding job. “BOMA has given our people who before did not have any hope a way forward,” she says. A Business Mentor for three years, Rosemary loves providing training to participants: “It is just like teaching.”

Raphaela “Brown” Neepe, Kamboe

Raphaela “Brown” Neepe is the first and only educated woman in her village of Kamboe. She attended secondary school in Isiolo and computer training in Nairobi. She is the mother of three children, ages 10, 4 and 2. Raphaela assists her community as a health worker and as the secretary for the local borehole. She says that “BOMA is helping the women, and the beneficiaries are benefiting through their businesses.” After almost three years as a BOMA Mentor, Raphaela says she has learned a lot about commerce and is proud that “I can mentor people to start their business.” Kamboe is a relatively small community, but Raphaela has had considerable impact in it.

Francis Kanapal, Kituruni

Damaris Leparsanty, Gatab/Mt. Kulal

Ali “Ali Baba” Turuga, Kargi

Ali “Ali Baba” Turuga is a father of five children. He has been involved in commerce in Kargi for some time, running kiosks for many years. After almost a year of work with BOMA, Ali has “learned a lot.” Of his 40 business groups, the large majority of participants are women, and Ali appreciates the opportunity to share experiences with them. Ali is very appreciative of his participants’ openness, saying “they are not afraid of me, they are very free to talk to me.” It is clearly a reflection of Ali’s kindness, patience and respect that he is able to transcend social boundaries and work empathetically with all members of his community. Ali is also an avid reader; he especially enjoys reading about current events.

 Peter “Uncle Sam” Amiyo, Korr

Peter “Uncle Sam” Amiyo is a father of three young children. He has extensive local business experience, working with several small enterprises alongside his wife in Korr. Previously, Uncle Sam was an aide to the late MP, working in the constituency office. He began to learn about BOMA while assisting Kura with translation and sought to be more formally involved. Uncle Sam has been working with Halima for the past few months and is eager to mentor his own businesses. He is most looking forward to “helping and learning from people in the community.” A skilled basketball player, Uncle Sam has the smoothest jump shot south of Lake Turkana.

Josephine Harabore, Hulahula

Jospehine Harabore is the mother of five children, ranging in age from 20 to 3. A new BVM in a new village, Josephine is looking forward to being a part of groups that support her community. BOMA provides an opportunity to “help my community,” and Josephine has jumped at the chance.

Amina Soba Alyaro, Songa

Amina Soba Alyaro is the mother of seven children, six of who are in primary school and one of whom is in secondary school. Amina still finds time to volunteer as a community health worker for Food For the Hungry International, where she has worked for five years. She assists with malnourished children and teaches community members about home health, hygiene and nutrition. She finds it has helped her become better able to care for her family. This same optimistic attitude will surely make her a positive force as a Business Mentor.

Hosea Lemuni, Gatab/Mt. Kulal

Bosco Lekidenye, Laisamis

Bosco Lekidenye is the father of three young children and the head teacher at a small primary school five and a half hours from Laisamis, a distance Bosco walks twice a week. In addition to teaching and securing supplies for the school, Bosco is pursuing a diploma course in Special Needs Education. Bosco looks forward to working with BOMA; he sees his work as uplifting the community. His goal is “to collaborate with them to make their work easier.” Despite his challenging work environment, Bosco is a natural comedian, making everyone around him laugh.

Rebecca Lesuper, South Horr

Rebecca Lesuper is well-acquainted hardship and with responsibility. When her sister and her sister’s husband died several years ago, Rebecca took in their six children and raised them as her own. One of the children was killed by bandits in their village of South Horr, but Rebecca has provided for the children by putting them all through school, including secondary school and seamstress school. Most recently, Rebecca has married and become a mother; her daughter is almost two years old. Rebecca is a primary school teacher and is in the process of obtaining her diploma in Early Childhood Education. Before her daughter was born, Rebecca ran a small business. After two years of working with BOMA, Rebecca’s favorite part of being a Business Mentor is interacting with women: “I know their problems, what they like doing and how they do their business.” The businesses of South Horr are lucky to have an ally in Rebecca.

Theresalba “Teresa” Leparsanty, Loiyangalani

Theresalba Leparsanti is one of two BOMA Village Mentors in Loiyangalani. She is the headmistress of Losikiriach Primary School on Mt. Kulal, where she is also a teacher. She attended Kilimambogo Teachers Training College and is currently pursuing her degree in Early Childhood Education. She also serves on the Parish Council as the secretary, is the secretary of a women’s group in Loiyangalani, and is a member of the Most Vulnerable Child program. Theresalba’s energy is boundless. When meetings become long or hot, she can be counted on to lead a song or provide instant comic relief. Her favorite part of being a Business Mentor is working with the poor. It has been a life-long goal to lift them up. Theresalba, along with her BVM Partner, Benjamin Lotorobo, was awarded the 2011 BOMA Village Mentor of the Year for her truly outstanding work as a business mentor.

Benjamin Lotorobo, Loiyangalani

Benjamin Lotorobo is a married father of two young children in Loiyangalani, on the shore of Lake Turkana. Benjamin is very busy; he is the accounting clerk of the local secondary school, chairman of the “Loy” Fisherman Cooperative Society and secretary of the Nanyori group that deals with environmental issues. Additionally, he has his own home-rental business. “Work with BOMA is very interesting because the beneficiaries now have something to eat, are able to educate their children and provide their families with health care needs, whereas before they did not have any of these things. The beneficiaries really appreciate the program.” Benjamin’s favorite part of being a Business Mentor is BOMA’s new microsavings program: “When they succeed, that’s when I am happy, that’s the time when you feel you are really doing something.” Benjamin, along with his Mentoring partner, Theresalba, was awarded 2011 BOMA Village Mentor of the Year.

Hafaldo “James” Kombe, Illaut

Hafaldo “James” Kombe is the father of two young children. He has been a teacher for five years at a Primary School 15 kilometers from Illaut town. Hafaldo went to teachers college in Meru and is currently pursuing his diploma in Early Childhood Education. Originally from Korr, Hafaldo knows the conditions of communities in Northern Kenya very well. He is excited to work with BOMA as it provides “an opportunity to help with the community, to interact with them, to find their needs, their challenges. I want to get experience of working with other groups and learning about their challenges.” Hafaldo has been holding weekly meetings to prepare his groups for funding AND has taught his students about record keeping so they can assist their parents with their businesses.

John “John 2″ Lesas, Ngurunit

John “John 2” Lesas is a father of four children, the youngest of who is just three months old. John has been a primary school teacher in Ngurunit for 10 years, where he is now a senior teacher. He attended Marang’a Teachers College. John’s interest in The BOMA Project is a result of his desire to see the parents of his students obtain a higher standard of living. “In our areas, girls are just put aside. But if they are able to see their own mothers obtaining a high quality of life, they will learn from them and want to be like that themselves.” After almost two years as a Mentor, John’s favorite part is “helping mothers from pastoralist communities, seeing them have the experience of business, not just livestock, because they have self reliance.” John’s kindness and commitment make him an exemplary business mentor.

Lawrence Ltingison Leseuloi, Laisamis

Lawrence Leseuloi is a former cleric officer for the Kenyan government and is currently raising his young family on the money that he makes from his pension. Lawrence was the first interim secretary of the Melako Conservancy and is an active member of the board of governors for Laisamis High School. He also serves on the School Management Committee for Mercy Primary School in Laisamis. After almost a year of work with BOMA, Lawrence is happy to be interacting with the community; mentoring “gives me an access to be with them, to learn about women in business. I have seen changes from business.”

Safari Lengurnet, Illaut

Safari L. Steven is the youngest BOMA mentor, at just 26 years old. Safari completed high school at Baragoi Secondary School, and has since returned to his village of Illaut where he cares for his mother. He was one of the four first secondary school graduates in Illaut. He has been part of the Nkipando group, a men’s rotating savings account, for some time and now serves as an advisor. Through his work as a Mentor, Safari also helps the women of his community; “if it’s for the good of the community and to help lift mothers, I want to be a part of that.” Being a Mentor has allowed him “to be together with my people, so that they have a good link between them and the project.”

Benjamin Leumas, South Horr

Benjamin Leumas is a new business mentor, but has been learning from Rebecca by assisting her for the past five months in and around South Horr. Benjamin attended Kenyatta University where he got his diploma in Early Childhood Education. He is currently teaching Class 1 and Class 8 Social Studies at South Horr Primary School. He will also begin a diploma course in Human Resource Management this year. With BOMA, Benjamin seeks to address the high levels of poverty he sees in his village; “we are trying to inspire people to be self-reliant.”

Elizabeth Leado, Karare

Elizabeth Leado is a 30-year-old mother of five. She attended seamstress training in Nairobi and has her own sewing business that she operates out of her home. Elizabeth is also the secretary of the Karare Push Mill Machine Group for Women. Before becoming a BVM, Elizabeth would assist BOMA participants with their record keeping. She has been a Business Mentor for one year and continues to be “available in my community to help others so that they do not need to travel to find someone who can read and write.” About her work with BOMA, Elizabeth says: “It is good because the people are very poor, and with the money they get the can sell goods and pay for school fees. They have raised their living standard.” Most importantly, Elizabeth says, BOMA has provided participants with a sense of empowerment: “The business, they feel it is theirs.”

Judy Wambile, Kargi

Judy Wambile is a married mother of two young girls and a new baby boy. Her family also provides for an orphan from the community. Judy attended high school at Moi Girls in Marsabit. She currently works with the International Livestock Research Institute as a numerator and previously worked as a livestock insurance agent with a prominent Kenyan microfinance bank. Judy’s interest in The BOMA Project stems from her desire “to help people in my area by educating them about development and business.” After a year of work with BOMA, Judy finds she likes doing business and continues to enjoy working with NGOs.

Caro Leriano, Olturot

Caro Leriano is a mother of three children, ages 11, 9 and 6. A new BVM in a new community, Caro has valuable business experience gained while running a kiosk selling sugar, clothes and other household products for the past five years. Caro is looking forward to working with BOMA because she wants to educate and help her people.

Harrison Learapo, Songa

Harrison Learapo is the father of three young daughters. He has worked previously as a farmer, growing small amounts of fruit and vegetables to support his family. Harrison is very much looking forward to work as a Business Mentor: “It motivates me, I will learn lots of things I didn’t know before. I will be like a teacher.” Harrison was unable to complete secondary school, due to a lack of funds to pay school fees, so he is eagerly anticipating continuing to learn through his work with BOMA. A quiet man, Harrison is an energetic singer and dancer.

Halima Arbele, Korr

Halima Arbele is the mother of seven school-aged children, ages 16 to 5. For the past seven years she has run a successful local foodstuffs store in her village of Korr, where she also makes and sells beaded jewelry. Halima has been active with BOMA for some time, helping many of Korr’s participants with their record keeping. She was also an important part of BOMA’s microsavings pilot program that has now been introduced region-wide. Additionally, Halima is the chair leader for a local women’s group. Halima believes that “BOMA is very good. They help us and our people.” She feels “it is very nice to work with BOMA.”

Jane Korole, Loglogo

Jane Karole is Loglogo’s newest Business Mentor. A mother of three children, Jane has operated a local kiosk, selling foodstuffs and basic household supplies, for the past year. Jane is excited to work with BOMA “to help other people in the community open up their mind in business-making so that they do a diversity of things.” Jane’s energy and enthusiasm will be appreciated by new businesses in Loglogo.

Maria Lesiil, Archers Post

Maria runs her own store in Archers Post, a town on the outskirts of Samburu National Reserve in Northern Kenya.  Her husband, Mike, is a ranger in the park.  Maria and Mike have two children, ages 9 and 6. Maria graduated from Laisamis Secondary School, one of only a handful of young women who were attending secondary school at that time.  Her family still lives in Laisamis village and Maria has had the opportunity to see The BOMA Project grow over the years. She tells us, “I am looking forward to making this my first priority, as this is a way that I can help the many poor women who live in our community.”

John Galgithele, Korr

Susan Aleya Lemoile, Loglogo

Susan has six children;  the oldest is in University and the youngest is in nursery school.  As a secondary school-educated woman, she has worked for World Vision and Food for the Hungry International as a relief worker and food distributor, and is also the bookkeeper for a local shepherds school and women’s group. Aleya has sponsored letter-writing campaigns in her village, Loglogo. She says “The BOMA Fund has come with businesses for women who didn’t know what business was.  They now no longer need to rely on others for money and ask stores for credit to survive.”