Madam Benta Community Centre (MBCC) is a community-led organization started in the Western Kenya region of Kenya, Homabay County within Mbita/ Rusinga to provide humanitarian support by improving the livelihoods of the families living within and surrounding Islands of Lake Victoria, targeting women, Youths, Children and people neglected by the society and their own family members.

The initiative of Madam Benta Community Centre was born in memory of the Late Madam Benta Asingo who was known as the Big Teacher and Founder of Kanyala Littles Stars. Madam Benta was a local teacher within Rusinga Island but with an international mind set. She was full of compassion and care for the well-being of communities. The people of Rusinga and beyond have emulated the great work she did. This has led to the birth of Madam Benta Community Centre (MBCC), which is a registered CBO with the aim to create a community full of compassion and care by providing sustainable solutions on Community Health, Capacity Building, Education, Environmental Conservation, Nutrition and Food Security.

Life in the Villages and small towns has many challenges with continued increase in the costs of basic need requirements. Limited WASH facilities and lack of mental Health programs within the fishing beaches and homes as well as inadequate safe space for the youths and children has created a gap that has made MBCC to rethink its strategies on how to fill the gaps.  Malnutrition due to poverty and harsh environmental conditions has made MBCC to adopt a home-based approach that includes greening homes, nutritional value addition, and creation of food banks through alternative kitchen gardening strategies aiming at the 3Rs (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle). We believe that knowledge is power. MBCC therefore supports Literacy programs by providing Library Services to help children learn how to read and write at early ages, ICT services to engage youths meaningfully  and Capacity Building aiming at behavioural trainings, talents nurturing and families’ empowerment.

When Communities are knowledgeable, there are higher chances to utilize the available resources well and pass the button of knowledge gained to the coming generations. Therefore, we create centres of compassion and care within the households through a SCALII Model by utilizing a home-based Approach initiated and led by the community members. The word ’scalii’ was driven from one of the late Madam Benta dependants who used to cry for sugar (Sukari in Kiswahili) This depandant did not know how to pronounce Sukari so well, so he used to say ‘scalii’ meaning something sweet and valuable. These words formed the basis of our core values. Compassion and caring for all should be sweet and valuable.

S – Sustainability: Whatever approach, actions or solution  we embrace should be sustainable

C – Compassion: Being empathetic and sympathetic to all families around us. Holding each other’s hands without looking at their origin, tribe, religion, or sexual orientation.

A – Affordability: All that we consume should be affordable and healthy for all generations

L – Local Solutions: All solutions should be locally available within the reach of communities. Utilizing locally available resources to solve community challenges.

I – Innovation: We enables communities to think within and without the box.

I – Integrity: Honesty pays. Practising integrity as a lifestyle in all that we do when are alone or with people.  Whatever resources we get we utilize with much integrity. Whatever we share, integrity guides us and the people we engage should embrace integrity as a life style.