By Thuothuo Anthony | Boston MA
It all started when one diaspora family traveled to Kenya for their own private business.
However, days before their return, the woman was left behind with their three children by the husband in unclear circumstances that only the two knows.
It was reported that the husband, allegedly seized the travel documents of the wife and their three children before heading back to the US, leaving them stranded in Kenya. The husband denied the claims, accusing the woman of slander.
The big story here is not about the couple’s squabbles; not even about the public opinion about the whole rigmarole that has since gone viral.
The story and the lesson to learn here is one; that when women come together for a cause, they don’t retreat, period.
This whole story was not even meant to go public according to sources. It was an SOS call made by the woman in distress to her trusted group of women, in one vibrant closed Facebook group of Kenyan women in the USA (KWITU).
KWITU ladies decided to fundraise on Gofundme, with a target of raising $10k to help the woman and her children travel back to the US.
While these ladies understood that there’s always two sides of the story, what they didn’t want to do is take chances. This made the story public since the Gofundme page had to be shared with everyone.
The story elicited brutal backlash, with some people demanding to hear the man’s side of the story before they contributed towards the cause; many called it a scam, but these KWITU ladies were hearing none of that.
”If it turns out that the woman lied, there are many charities that we can channel the funds to, but we are not taking chances” said one lady in a Facebook comment.
The group marshaled the public, and within 48hrs of the campaign, they had raised over $12,600, surpassing their target by over 26 per cent…and counting!
Although a few men donated to the cause, the list of donors shows about 99% women.
For those who just learned of KWITU, it’s more than a Facebook group. The organization’s vision includes bridging the gap that exists between Kenyan women living in America, Canada, and Kenya.
This one success story is an affirmation that truly, the gap between Kenyan women is bridging.
KWITU are holding their grand reunion in MD/DC from Thursday 3rd August to Saturday 5th August at the Hilton Hotel in Gaithersburg MD.
