Kenya shines at Bazaar Int. de Luxembourg

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Victoria Dhyr, founder and owner of Kenya’s stand at the annual International Bazaar is a well established social worker who has participated in myriads of development projects in Africa.

The Bazaar which was started in 1960  by the Ambassadors wives is under the patronage by H.R.H. the Grand -Duchess of Luxembourg.

In 1996, Victoria created the first Kenya’s exhibition stand after being a volunteer at the South Africa’s stand. At this time, Kenya was bottlenecked by corruption and unscrupulous custom laws that made her work to establish her stand in Luxembourg enormously difficult.

Being part of the Bazaar meant charities organizations from Kenya had a more better chance of getting Grants from the profits. More than 45 countries take part at the Bazaar and all participants as Victoria are none paid volunteers.

Murang’a school for the deaf, Salecian sisters’ of St. John Don Bosco in Makuyu Dandora and Kibera - MSF - HIV/AIDS Orphans,  Ndumbuini water project,  Kabete,   St. Mary’s Primary School in Narok, Good News Children’s Home in Mombasa, Mbogo Valley in Kericho, Nyanza women Group ( NYAWEG ) Kisumu Museum, Majiwa Health Clinic in Bondo, Raliew Primary School in Asembo Bay, Overcomers’ Primary and Secondary School in Otonglo -  Kisumu, Good Hope Women Group - Kajulu Geta - Kisumu , Kendu-Bay and family program, Masinya Developers - money for feeding orphans,  Ongata Rongai Christian Women Work of Charity   
Mothers’ Union ( Anglican Church in Kisumu ).

Other Bazaar projects
Forodhani Orphanage Home in Zanzibar,  St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Namitete - Malawi, Haiti - Solidarity - street children ,  Guatemala - Chicken Project,   France - Alhuda (Mosque) aid for refugees,   Luxembourg - School fees for Fabio, India - Believe - construction of an orthopedic factory  in Anantapur - Andhra - Pradesh

Victoria wishes Africa and other under developed continents could do more in water and sanitation, housing, education, health, better roads, Agriculture, electricity and better humane conditions in the work place for their people. Job creation at village levels should be effective. The fight against the use of Marijuana among
the youth in the village must be enforced, as this is indeed a big setback to development.

Her thanks goes to her husband, children and friends for their support.

Also:- Kenya Wine Agencies, Kenya Breweries, Kenya Airways and Swiss Cargo in Nairobi.

Victoria’s Background:
Victoria Dyhr: born on the 25th - 09 - 1957 in Kendu - Bay near the Great Lake Victoria – known as Nam Lolwe in the native language Luo.

Her parents are poor peasants and had difficulties in educating her.

Victoria’s father was born to a man in a wife inheritance system. His mother was an inherited widow. Her mother comes from a fairly wealthy in Kenya’s Luo Nyanza. Many cattle, many wives and plenty of land.

In 1965 at the age of seven, she started her primary education. This was two years after Kenya gained its Independence from the British Colonial rule.
Tough childhood.

Everyday during lunch break, while other children took a pause, little Victoria had to dash to the factory where her father worked as unskilled laborer, warm food and back to school again for the afternoon session.  Her parents were very enterprising though. After work at the cotton ginnery where he had a full time job, Victoria’s father cut long straw grass for roof thatching. Her mother was self employed, selling fish, vegetables, maize and brewed the favorite local illegal alcoholic brew.

After school and during the weekends, besides doing household work, Victoria who is the eldest had to graze sheep and goat, making her studies very difficult.
in 1970, she went to live with her step female cousin near the highlands of Kisii. and in 1972, she went to live with a different step male cousin for a fee. Her father had to pay a bull.

Due to re-introduction of School fees and meager facilities and social inequalities between boys and girls, Victoria soon found herself out of school. Sidelined.
Rejected to become third wife.

From 1973 onwards, Victoria found her self on the wrong side of cultural expectations when she refused to marry an old man already with two wives. She got completely isolated and had to find her own means as single mother and social reject.

Her prince on a white horse came on 10th - June – 1978 she recalls. Peter Dyhr came into her life. He was a 23 year old Danish volunteer in Kenya with a monthly income of less than 10 euros.

12th - May, 1979, Victoria got married to her Danish friend. Life became even tougher as many in Africa believe that there is no poor white man on EARTH.
 
Ways of improving the life of her family disturbed her. She started with a 100 egg laying chicks project and planting of fruits at her parents home.
None of the projects was a complete success unfortunately. Educating her siblings became another task, with limited financial income.

In 1982, she left Kenya for Denmark. In 1983, she left Denmark for Tanzania. It was in Tanzania where she started her works of sharing.
She grew fruits and vegetables and gave free to a German Mission Hospital. She gave clothes to the sick of all ages.