Dinah Ayuma Lusichi

Being the last born of a family of 13, Dinah Ayuma never had the chance to go to school. Born in Busali, Vihiga County, in 1942, her childhood was defined by a strict father’s belief that educating a female child was unnecessary. Instead of books, her days were spent herding cattle.

The lack of formal education set her on a path of early marriage. Dina was married off and went on to have 17 children with her first husband. To support her large family, she found work. She spent two years as a cook for a European employer, followed by seven years cooking for the teachers and students at Muyala Primary School. This demanding labor eventually took its toll, forcing her to quit as her physical strength was completely exhausted.

A crushing tragedy soon followed when her husband was killed in a car accident in Eldoret, leaving her a widow with 17 young children.

In a bid for stability, Dina married a second time, settling in Shitao, Lurambi subcounty of Kakamega County. This second union blessed her with seven more children, bringing her total number of children to a remarkable 24.

Life, however, dealt her another cruel hand. Many of her children passed away, leaving only five surviving today. These remaining children work in welding. Yet, the anguish Dina faces is not just from loss but from the living. 

"What hurts my heart the most is that my children do not help me at all," she shares with a heavy heart.

Now an elder, Dina's strength is gone. She can no longer farm, and the struggle to care for herself is immense. Her children not only fail to visit but have spoken very harsh words, telling her, "It's better if you die and leave our home, we don't want you here."

Her only source of relief and stability is God, working through the Mama Ibado Charity (MIC). 

"I was suffering greatly and had difficulty finding food; I had to search with all my strength or beg from friends, but now I have received help," she said. 

The charity assists her with essential food items—flour, milk, and sugar—a lifeline for a woman whose life has been a relentless cycle of hard work, immense motherhood, and profound heartbreak.