GABRIEL MATETE

Gabriel Matete was born in 1948 in Mumias, coming into a family that experienced deep financial vulnerability from the start.

He was the youngest child in a household of four boys, while their only sister passed away at a young age. His father did not own land or a proper home, leaving the children to grow up in severe poverty.

He entered a local school and managed to reach class four in 1959 before his educational journey was cut short. The family faced a heavy setback when his father passed away that year, stripping away their sole provider and forcing the young boy out of the classroom.

Soon after, local machinery industries expanded into their village, displacing them from their ancestral land and leaving them completely unsettled.

Without basic literacy, Gabriel had to look for manual tasks in the surrounding villages to survive. He spent his teenage years tilling other people's fields and carrying heavy loads to assist his mother.

He later married his wife and established a home, eventually raising two sons and two daughters, though one of his daughters passed away in childhood.

The family struggled constantly, unable to afford education beyond class eight for three of the children, while one son stopped at class four.

Today, his surviving daughters have moved away without steady incomes; one son is a caretaker in Kapsabet, and the family lives in a small, semi-permanent rented house in Shivakhala with four young dependents.

All of his brothers passed away over the years, leaving Gabriel completely alone to handle the ancestral burdens. He is forced to survive by doing occasional weeding in faraway fields for less than Ksh. 200 shillings, while his elderly wife washes clothes for neighbors just to get by.

The family frequently faced severe food scarcity, sometimes sleeping on the bare ground on empty stomachs because they did not have blankets or a mattress. Gabriel's physical health began declining from years of intensive manual labor, making it painful to stand or walk long distances.

A turning point came when a village leader noticed how Gabriel was struggling to walk and recommended him to the organization. The local chief provided a formal referral letter to support his condition. Later on, Mama Ibado visited Gabriel, assessed his situation, and enrolled him in the seniors' feeding program in 2021.

He receives monthly packages containing maize flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil, and milk.

The implementation of the monthly feeding schedule brought stability to the home, ensuring the family had access to proper nutrition.

"We spent years sleeping on the cold floor with empty stomachs, constantly worrying if we would survive the next day. This program has restored our dignity because we now have milk for our tea and we no longer go to bed hungry."

The monthly food supplies took a heavy burden off Gabriel's elderly wife, allowing the household to focus on finding basic bedding. The continuous support preserves the health of the aging couple.

Gabriel still needs help because his advanced age of 78 and failing legs prevent him from doing regular farm labor. Continuous funding from donors is essential to keep this rented household secure and ensure they do not slide back into absolute hunger.