S1 E22 A Beacon of Hope in Kenya with Rebecca Ondiek

In this episode Denise Joy Thompson is joined by Rebecca Ondiek, from Kimsumu, Kenya. Rebecca is the Founder and Director of Armstrong Women Empowerment Centre. Rebecca shares her experiences as a girl and a women living in Kenya. Rebecca has made it her mission to provide education and advocacy for women throughout Africa, both in Kenya and most recently during her travels to Rwanda. Rebecca discusses how women who cannot own property, are fighting to become business owners and entrepreneurs. Micro-funding and technical training are empowering women to become financially stable. Rebecca shares how she met women in Rwanda who were building a coffee business, thousands of women have been trained through the program she visited.

The Centre was created as a result of Rebecca’s personal and cultural experiences in
her hometown of Kisumu Town, Kenya. During her childhood, Rebecca’s creative
passions were discouraged by her father because he didn’t believe they could generate
income. Furthermore, outside of her own home women and girls were often violated and
looked down upon, many suffering from rape, beatings, emotional abuse, and early
marriage. Out of her cultural and personal experiences, the Centre was born.

The Armstrong Women Empowerment Center (AWEC) is a becoming a beacon of hope
in the small Kenyan village of Rabuor. It offers three core programs for women, girls,
and boys in hopes to create positive changes in the local community.

Through each of her experiences, Rebecca’s passions for bringing solutions to her community has grown. Along with her mission to grow the Centre, she also enjoys building networks, cooking, reading motivational books, giving group talks, and promoting solar products to support additional savings. She’s never far from a mission that serves to help others.

Connect with Rebecca at https://www.facebook.com/armstrongwomenempowermentcenter and https://armstrong-women-empowerment.com.