Jamii Bora Health Benefit Stories
The Jamii Bora Health program has been a great benefit to our members. Here are just two stories of members whose lives were transformed.

Peninah Ochieng is 41 years old. She lives in Nyamasaria village and sells grains at the Jubilee market in Kisumu. She joined Jamii Bora in 2002 and took her first loan of 5,000 Shillings. She got very sick before she finished paying her loan. She could not walk and not work because of the pains, but had paid 25 Shillings every week for her health cover and could therefore be admitted at St Monica Mission Hospital at the expense of Jamii Bora Trust. She went through a major operation and was completely cured. When her husband Peter Ochieng visited her he cried and said: “I could never have paid that bill, I am only a driver with very little income”. If my wife had not been a member of Jamii Bora she could have died and I would not be able to keep the children in school on my own. Peninah is now serving her third loan on 6,000 Shillings with Jamii Bora and her three daughters are in school in class 6, form 1 and form 3.

Shadrack Kayian Silipo is a bright 19-year-old Maasai boy from Kisaju sub-location in Kajiado district. He is the fourth born in a family of 8 children: 5 boys, 3 girls. In form 2 Shadrack fell sick. His limbs were swelling and he got very weak. His parents Joseph Silipo Kepiro and Gladys Seita Silipo were devastated when they were told that the boy had a serious heart disease and that his only chance to survive was an open-heart surgery. Where would the family find more than 200,000 Shillings for the boy’s operation? They saw no hope for their beloved son. When they realized that their health insurance in Jamii Bora would cover the boys operation at Kenyatta Hospital they could not believe it. How could an insurance of 25 Shillings per week cover an operation of over 200,000 Shillings? Today, Shadrack is healthy again. He went through his operation in January 2005. His parents and the entire community are grateful and excited that the boy is alive and back in school. Shadrack is now in university, doing well. They tell anyone who will listen that they should become Jamii Bora members.