Karibu Magazine July 2022 (updated)

ALICE NDEBU
FOUNDER - LIVERPOOL USHIRIKA WOMEN’S GROUP
My name is Alice Ndebu. I live in
Liverpool, UK. I am married and we
have four children Eric, Jack, Jackie,
and Grace. Eric lives in Kenya with
his own family. The rest live and
work in the UK. We are blessed
with several grandchildren too. I
was born in Central Kenya, a small
village called Kabuku in Limuru.
Our late dad was a civil servant
and he retired as a Provincial
Probation Officer. My mum was a
housewife but she also managed
small enterprises. My sister and
I spent most of our childhood in
various primary schools based on
our Dad’s work transfers. I spent
my formative years at St Francis
Girl’s Primary School and later at
Mang’u High School.
My interest in Nursing was sparked
by my cousin. She was among
the best four nurses in Kenya.
She was my role model. I admired
her uniform, white apron, and
matching cap. Because of her,
I pursued a Nursing career and
now, I have been practicing for
over 48 years! I started off in
Mombasa, where I met a smart,
handsome Kenya Navy officer
called Samuel Ndebu. Today we
have been married for over 44
years. After Samuel took early
retirement we decided to come
to the UK to give our children a
high-quality education. In 2001
I came to Liverpool on my own
to secure a nursing role and was
successful. Six months later my
family joined me. Life as a nurse
in the UK came with ups and
downs. Back in Kenya, I was a
Senior Nurse running a dialysis
unit in a large hospital. However in
the UK, despite my expertise and
years of experience, I was treated
like a junior nurse. I nevertheless
remained positive and let my
work speak for itself. Eventually,
my peers and supervisors learned
that I was nothing close to their
preconceived notions and began to
respect me as I deserved. Today we
are more than colleagues they are
my second family.
Community outreach and support
are traits I learned from my Mother.
She has always been at the heart of
the community. Back in Kenya, I ran
a small low-cost clinic to provide
affordable village health services.
I admired her uniform,
white apron, and matching
cap. Because of her, I
pursued a Nursing career
and now, I have been
practicing for over 48 years!
I also joined various “chamas”
(informal corporative societies) to
invest our savings. After meeting
a few Kenyan families in the UK,
I came up with ideas to support
the community. In Liverpool,
I became friends with 5 lovely
Kenyan women. We met once a
month to socialise and encourage
one another. After a couple of
meetings, I realised that this was
the exact type of forum I was a part
of back in Kenya. I proposed that
we formalise the group’s outputs to
include savings the same way we
did back in Kenya with the merrygo-round.
This was well received
and that is how Liverpool Ushirika
Women’s Group was born - more
than 16 years ago.
The Pioneers were myself as the
first Chairlady, Florah Birengo
(Treasurer), Pauline Ngugi
(Secretary) alongside members
Alice Gichuki, Priscilla Kiragu and
Elizabeth Fikirry. Each of us invited
our friends and today we have a
total of 24 registered members. We
have a rule that the chairperson
steps down after 6 years. Our
Mission
was initially to hold prayer
sessions, intercessions for family
issues, and counsel individuals. We
held monthly meetings
each first Monday of
the month. Today the
group is dedicated
to mutual support
morally, spiritually, and
financially. We have a
membership kitty. The
‘merry-go-round’ money
is shared between
two members each
month. We to create
space for women to network and
share information. We organise
holidays both locally and abroad.
In Merseyside, we reach out to
newcomers and help them settle
quickly. On reflection, I see that
my small idea has grown bigger
than we initially anticipated.
Despite some internal conflicts,
we have stuck together through
the years. All Ushirika sisters love
one another. We all look forward
to each first Monday of the
month when we meet. Through
the Liverpool Ushirika Women’s
Group, our families have come to
know each other better. I pray it
continues.
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5TH EDITION | JULY 2022