• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Monthly Giving

Microfinancing Partners in Africa

Microfinancing Partners in Africa

  • About
    • Understanding Extreme Poverty
  • Programs
    • Loans Program
    • Cow Program
    • Clean Water
    • Health Program
    • Education Program
  • Get Involved
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Donate

Thankful Thursday: Shawna Brinson

Nov 7, 2019 · Melanie Slates Korn
Man talking with a woman outside.

After three years of working at MPA, I finally traveled to Africa in January 2019. Before we left, Executive Director Heather said she would be expectantly watching me for a “mindblown” look on my face as a first-time visitor. I don’t know how all of my expressions showed up in person, but the feeling was undoubtedly there.

Overall, it was an intense trip with an ambitious sun-up to sun-down schedule across three countries. MPA’s intrepid group of six women undertook a series of site visits, piglet handoffs, a groundbreaking celebration and more. I didn’t snap many pictures (that was Julie’s department), but my trusty notebook got a daily workout. It was used to steadily capture meeting details, names and stories of people that we met throughout our journey. I reviewed it every night to write updates and attempt to process the day.

Looking back at the notebook, there were many epic experiences during the trip. I think it was our visit to Nairobi slums that hit me the hardest. Jamii Bora’s social workers led us through a seemingly endless labyrinth of dusty streets, alleyways, stalls and makeshift homes. It was a shocking contrast to the lush greens of rural Uganda, with its frustratingly muddy roads and breathtaking hills. People in the slums shared their life stories and progress through income projects and Jamii Bora, but I often could not beat back the sensation that the place was closing in around us. It was a humbling and overwhelming maze of people and noise, and so many things being made, moved and sold.

At first, I felt like this might be an impossible place to be happy, but there was laughter and curiosity along the way. There was also outright joy. At one point in the day, a gathering of Jamii Bora women swept us along in a jubilant parade along the main stretch of Carton City. Its name comes from the boxes that were its residents’ original homes, and the women were so proud of how far they had come, too. The unpaved road seemed to widen as we all danced down it together. I remember breathing deep and singing along with a surreal sense of calm and celebration of strength.

After the procession, we met in a small clearing and the Jami Bora women shared gratitude for everything they had achieved, even the most gradual improvements. Progress meant a coffee carafe, medication for a baby, or a slightly better roof over one’s head. They earnestly thanked us for MPA’s help, too, and applauded us for making such a considerable effort to visit them. As our group sat there and took it all in, I admired their optimism, perseverance and unshakable sense of community. It was a “mind blown” experience, one that I often reflect upon and am thankful for beyond measure.

– Shawna Brinson

Category: A Story of Hope, MicroFinance

Sidebar

Our Mission

By providing grants for the strengthening and expansion of microfinancing programs in Africa, MPA empowers those living in extreme poverty to lift themselves up with dignity through access to services and education.

Recent Posts

  • The Importance of Access to Clean Water in Africa: How It Impacts Health, Education, and Economic Growth
  • We Don’t Have to Do It Alone: Toni Temporiti on Empowering Women Through Trust and Community
  • 17th African Gala
  • The Impact of Lifting Women Out of Extreme Poverty
  • What’s the Impact of an Alternative Gift

Ready to make a difference?

Join us in impacting communities in Africa by providing a hand up from poverty to possibility. With each donation made, you’re supporting a business entrepreneur to lift themselves out of extreme poverty with dignity and respect.

Donate Now

Latest News


The Importance of Access to Clean Water in Africa: How It Impacts Health, Education, and Economic Growth

Access to clean water is essential for human life and development, but unfortunately, it is a luxury …

Read moreThe Importance of Access to Clean Water in Africa: How It Impacts Health, Education, and Economic Growth
Three women outside caring for a small pig.

We Don’t Have to Do It Alone: Toni Temporiti on Empowering Women Through Trust and Community

Tune in! Sr. Toni Temporiti, founded Microfinancing Partners in Africa, an organization that …

Read moreWe Don’t Have to Do It Alone: Toni Temporiti on Empowering Women Through Trust and Community
Group of people sitting in an audience watching a video screen at the 17th African Gala.

17th African Gala

What a night it was! The 17th Gala of our organization was a resounding success, and we would like …

Read more17th African Gala
Two women standing outside beside a wooden fence.

The Impact of Lifting Women Out of Extreme Poverty

Women in Africa face significant challenges, including poverty, which exacerbates their struggle for …

Read moreThe Impact of Lifting Women Out of Extreme Poverty

Sign up for emails

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

(314) 776-1319
Contact
Get Involved
Donate
FAQ

Stories of Hope
990 Tax Form
Annual Report
501(c)(3) Letter
Board Nomination

Microfinancing Partners in Africa logo.
GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Mailing Address:
4949 Columbia Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63139

Office Address:
6400 Minnesota Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63111

Copyright © 2023 · Microfinancing Partners in Africa · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy

Give Monthly

Our monthly giving community, the UpLifters, is for those who want to make an ongoing commitment to Microfinancing Partners in Africa.

Become an UpLifter Today!