ABOKOR HIBO AHMED

Abokor Hibo Ahmed was born in the Kariobangi area of Nairobi in 1957. She was among the eldest children in the family, which later faced the passing of several siblings, leaving only her and one other sister alive today.

She never went to school at all during her childhood and grew up completely unable to read or write. She spent her formative years at home without basic literacy, a reality that she deeply regrets to this day because it barred her from obtaining employment.

After missing out on an education, she stayed at home assisting her parents with their small trading activities. She later moved away from Nairobi when she got married and was brought by her husband to his ancestral home in Kakamega.

Their marriage was not blessed with children, leaving the couple to navigate life on their own through small-scale businesses.

When her husband passed away, she was left entirely alone with no relatives to support her, forcing her to move into a tiny, makeshift corrugated iron sheet mabati house built for her by well-wishers within the Jamia Mosque compound in Kakamega town.

To survive, she depends on selling goats, a job her husband was doing before he died. In this work, she buys small goats, feeds them until they are old enough, sells them to get money, saves the profit, and then buys more small goats to continue the cycle.

Her life became a severe struggle for survival as she coped with constant food insecurity and deteriorating health, frequently going without meals or relying on irregular Islamic alms during Ramadan.

Her situation turned around when staff from the Mama Ibado Seniors Feeding Programme visited the mosque compound, assessed her living conditions, and took her photographs to register her. She was officially enrolled in the program on December 10, 2021, and began receiving consistent relief.

"Before joining the program, getting food was an absolute struggle, but now I no longer sleep hungry because I receive my regular rations."

Through the program, she receives monthly food supplies including rice, flour, milk, sugar, porridge flour, and cooking oil. The initiative also addresses her failing health, ensuring she can attend medical check-ups every Thursday to manage her painful stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

Reflecting on her life, she uses her experience as a lesson for the younger generation, urging young girls to utilize their education well so it can secure their future. She remains deeply grateful for the dignity restored to her, though she still requires ongoing donor aid to afford extra vegetables to complement her meals and to cover the transport costs for her weekly hospital visits.