MULUBA JERIDAH

Muluba Jeridah was born in 1948 in Kakamega County. She was raised in a household of five children, though three of her siblings passed away over the years.

From her infancy, she faced a severe physical disability that limited her movement, making life difficult for her parents, who struggled daily to find enough food for the family.

Her physical disability kept her from ever stepping into a classroom or learning how to read. Her parents could not afford the special attention or school fees required due to their extreme poverty. Her educational journey ended before it could even begin because of these combined struggles.

Remaining at home while other children went to school, she spent her youth performing light manual domestic tasks to support her family. She sat on the floor of their compound daily, sorting grain and doing what she could to assist. This indoor labor was the only way she could help her parents secure their daily meals.

She later got married to her husband, Mr. Murubai, and they relocated to Handiti in Kakamega to start a family.

They cultivated a tiny piece of land together, but they regularly slept on empty stomachs because her husband had no steady work and their crops often failed.

Life became much harder after her husband passed away, leaving her to raise their two children alone; later, her daughter passed away in Nairobi, and her only surviving son became severely disabled and is now a cripple who cannot walk or work.

Today, Jeridah lives in a leaking mud house in Handiti, completely bedridden due to a combination of severe arthritis, painful stomach ulcers, and life-threatening anemia that leaves her entirely breathless.

She spent years in total isolation, relying on her crippled son, who could only crawl around the dirt yard while they starved. Their neighbors sometimes forgot about them, leaving the household without a single bite of food for days.

A turning point occurred when church members at a local meeting organized by a lady named Florence noticed her absence and physical suffering. They notified the charity team about her situation.

Later on, Mama Ibado Charity (MIC) visited her home to assess her situation and enrolled her in the seniors program in 2019. She began receiving monthly packages containing four bags of flour, rice, sugar, porridge flour, cooking oil, salt, and tea leaves.

The consistent arrival of these supplies brought immediate relief to a home that had been defined by hunger and sickness.

"We used to lie on the floor in absolute despair, waiting to die of hunger because my son is a cripple and my own illnesses left me completely paralyzed. Mama Ibado Charity brought light into our darkness, and today we no longer sleep hungry because our kitchen is always full."

The guaranteed food package lifted a massive burden off Jeridah's failing health. It allows her to rest without the constant panic of how she and her disabled son will survive.

Jeridah still needs continuous help because her advanced age of 78, combined with her severe physical disability, ulcers, and anemia, makes it impossible for her to work. Ongoing support from donors is the only lifeline that ensures this vulnerable household has food and dignity.