Mary Luvutse Luseno

Mary Luvutse Luseno was born in 1955 in Lugose, Shinyalu, Kakamega County. She was the only child in her family.

She never had the chance to attend school because her parents lacked the resources to provide for her education. They spent their lives as peasant farmers, tilling the land for others to ensure the family could survive.

After leaving her parents' home, Mary performed manual labor on various farms to help her family put food on the table. She spent her younger years working under the hot sun, doing the heavy lifting that her parents could no longer manage.

She eventually married and moved to Butsotso, where she and her husband were blessed with three children, one son and two daughters. However, her life took a difficult turn when all three of her children passed away one after the other, leaving her arms empty and her heart heavy.

Her husband, who worked as a simple laborer, also passed away, leaving her a widow with no one to turn to for support. Life in her marital home became unbearable as she faced rejection from her family members because all her children were gone.

Mary was forced to return to her ancestral land in Shitaho, only to find that her family had sold the land she once called home. With nowhere to go, she was forced to move into a small, rented mud house where she struggles to pay the monthly rent.

For many years, she resorted to brewing and selling illicit liquor to survive, but the constant fear of the law eventually made her give up the trade. Today, she sits in her tiny room, selling small portions of groundnuts to passersby, making just a few shillings that are never enough for a full meal.

She lives with one dependent and relies on a caregiver, Ann Irupia, to help her with basic tasks like washing dishes and clothes because her strength has failed her. Her situation was noticed by a community member who saw her suffering and recommended her for assistance.

The team from Mama Ibado Charity visited her, seeing her desperate state, enrolled her into the program on April 1, 2023. She now receives monthly rations of rice, sugar, maize flour, and soap, which have brought life back into her kitchen.

"In the past, I lived in total silence and hunger after losing my children and my home, but now I feel seen and cared for because there is food in my house."

The support has allowed her to focus on her health instead of the crushing anxiety of where her next meal will come from. She no longer has to choose between her medicine and a bowl of maize.

Mary still needs help because she is an elderly widow living in a rented house with no land of her own. With no surviving children to look after her and only a small groundnut business, the charity is the only thing keeping her from being locked out and left hungry.