JUMBA BEATRICE KANAIZA

Beatrice Jomba Kanaiza was born in 1956 in Maragoli Central, Vihiga County. She was the only child born to her mother and grew up in a household with her stepfather and other siblings.

She started her education with the support of her uncle, who paid her fees through the primary level. However, she was forced to stop her studies in Form 3 when her uncle could no longer afford to educate her alongside his own children.

After leaving school, Beatrice remained at home and began working as a domestic laborer to earn a living. She spent her days performing grueling manual tasks in other people's homes to secure enough money for basic needs.

She later got married in Maragoli and gave birth to five children, though she endured the pain of losing three of them in a road accident. Raising her two surviving children was a constant struggle involving odd jobs and many nights where the family slept hungry after her husband took other wives and stopped providing.

Her situation became more difficult when she was evicted from her home in Otiende to make way for the construction of affordable housing units. With no home and no assets, she watched as her remaining daughter struggled to find work, leaving them with no source of income or stability.

Beatrice joined the Mama Ibado program on June 4, 2018, after being introduced by her preacher, Captain Risper. She was registered to receive monthly supplies including rice, maize flour, sugar, tea leaves, salt, and porridge flour.

The intervention has provided a steady source of nutrition and health monitoring that was previously unavailable to her. She visits the clinic every Thursday for check-ups to manage health complications that developed from decades of hard labor and poor nutrition.

Beatrice reflects on how the consistency of the program has restored her dignity and reduced her daily anxiety. "In the past, my mind was always heavy with the worry of where the next meal would come from, but now I have the peace of mind to focus on my grandchildren because my kitchen is never empty."

She expresses deep gratitude to the donors and prays for their continued health so they may keep helping seniors who have no one else to turn to. She currently lives in Bukhulunya with her daughter and two grandchildren, all of whom rely on her monthly allocation.

Beatrice still requires help because she lacks a permanent home and suffers from chronic health issues that prevent her from working. She remains entirely dependent on the program to ensure her grandchildren do not go hungry as she navigates her final years.