Loyangalani sits on the southeastern shore of Lake Turkana, a remote, semi-arid town where daily provision is never guaranteed. It is here that Alina Lemoto has spent her whole life. “I was born here,” she says. “I grew up here, and I plan to grow old here too.”
The story began years before the bakery did. CHE training first reached this region in 2021 through CITAM (Christ Is The Answer Ministries), and — as is normal in this kind of partnership — the seeds took time to take root. It was in September 2025 that Alina joined a group of local women who called their group, simply, CHE. They began with lessons — how to raise lambs, how to keep a home and a village clean. “We thank God, because we continued well.”
From there, the women started to bake. “We started with just a pot and sand, then saved until we bought a stove.” Today they bake scones to sell, taking turns through the week, and they pool their savings — each member putting in 500 shillings a month. At the end of the month, they share out what they have saved. “Last month we each received 8,000 shillings, and there were 13 of us. We were very happy.”
The income has changed what a hard week can mean. It covers school fees and transport. It buys food. And it has taken away a particular kind of fear. “Before this group, we really struggled — there were times we didn’t know where food for the children would come from. Now that worry is gone. If a child needs something, you just go to the group, take what you need, and handle it.”
Then the test came. “Just yesterday, my child collapsed. I took the money, paid for transport to the hospital, and got my child the help they needed. I wasn’t worried about how to get there. I just went.”
That is what these thirteen women have built together on the edge of the lake: not only a bakery, but the freedom to act when it matters most.
The video below in Swahili was shared by the women’s group. To see an automated English translation it is best to view this on YouTube, click the CC (Closed Captioning) icon to turn it on, click on the settings/gear icon and where it says CC choose “autogenerate” and select English or another preferred language.
Zooming Out
Medical Ambassadors International partners with trusted local leadership representing countries and regions. Kenya, where this story takes place, falls under our East Africa region and trainings are shared in local contexts by passionate, trained, national Christians.
