MULUNGA SALIMA WERE

Salima Were Mlunga was born in 1938 in Lutonyi, growing up in a large family where she was one of seven children.

As time passed, loss claimed her siblings one by one until she remained the only one of the seven. Her father did not focus on educating daughters, choosing instead to send the boys to school. Because of this, she never stepped into a formal classroom, spending her childhood helping around the homestead instead.

With no formal schooling, her education was limited to attending madrasa classes during her youth. As soon as those classes ended, her childhood came to an abrupt close as she stepped into early adulthood. Without a foundational education, the doors to formal employment remained firmly closed, setting the stage for a lifetime of hard labor.

She married and moved to Musanda, hoping to build a stable family and future. The marriage brought six children into the world, consisting of five daughters and two sons, but domestic life quickly turned heavy and unyielding.

Struggling under harsh conditions, she eventually made the difficult decision to leave Musanda and return to her home area on her own. Raising six children without consistent support meant enduring severe poverty, where odd jobs barely brought home enough food, and days often ended with empty stomachs.

Sometimes, when heavy rains beat against the grass-thatched roof of her fragile house, leaks flooded the interior so badly that she and her children practically slept out in the cold.

Survival demanded relentless physical exertion, pushing her to take on hard manual labor weeding fields and later working for an Indian employer.

Her children managed to reach standard seven before having to drop out of school due to a complete lack of fees. None of the children secured stable employment, leaving them unable to provide steady financial help for their aging mother.

Everything shifted when she connected with the Mama Ibado Charity through a community member named Zainab. Her mother had originally been enrolled in the seniors program, and Salima depended heavily on that support while living with her.

After her mother passed away, the charity stepped in to review her living situation and officially enrolled her into the seniors program on May 1, 2019. Through this assistance, she now receives vital monthly provisions, including rice, maize flour, porridge flour, sugar, tea leaves, cooking oil, and milk.

Reflecting on the stark transformation in her daily survival, she shares deep gratitude for the relief brought to her doorstep. "Mama Ibado sustains me when I have nowhere else to turn, completely removing the constant worry of an empty stomach."

Today, Salima still faces the deep physical strains of advanced age and a lifetime of harsh manual labor. She urgently needs continued support from donors to cover her basic living expenses and maintain a stable, secure shelter in her final years.