MUSHIRA RITA MUNYASA

Rita Mnyasa Mushira was born in 1956 in the village of Bukondi, Idakho, located within Kakamega County. She was born to her parents Joseph Amboso and Tesina Hassandi.

She grew up as the third child in a large family of eleven children. Her childhood was spent alongside seven brothers and three sisters in a home where resources were always stretched thin.

Despite her father’s efforts to educate the children, the family’s poverty meant that only the oldest siblings were prioritized for schooling. Rita managed to attend school until Class Four, but she was eventually forced to drop out because her parents could no longer afford the fees for every child.

After leaving school, Rita spent her youth performing heavy manual labor at home to support her mother. She spent her days tilling the land and splitting heavy logs for firewood, as the family had no other means to obtain fuel or income.

In January 1968, Rita married her husband and moved to Mukhonje, where they eventually had eleven children of their own. The family faced deep sorrow when three of their children died, leaving them with eight children to raise on a small piece of land.

Life became a desperate struggle for survival as the couple made traditional pots to sell at the market just to buy a single meal. In January 1986, Rita’s husband passed away after a long illness, leaving her as a widow with eight children and no source of income.

The burden of being a single mother was overwhelming, and she watched helplessly as her children dropped out of school one by one because she could not provide for them. Many days they slept hungry, and Rita eventually developed severe ulcers and diabetes from the years of stress and lack of proper nutrition.

A village elder, noticing her failing health and the weight of her poverty, stepped in to guide her through the registration for the Mama Ibado program. This support changed everything, providing her with a steady supply of essentials like maize and porridge flour, rice, oil, sugar, and tea.

"I used to feel completely defeated and lived in constant pain, but now I feel a sense of peace because I am no longer forgotten. If it weren't for this help, I would have followed my husband to the grave a long time ago, but today I have the strength to keep going."

Rita continues to live in a state of high need because her remaining children are also struggling with poverty and lack formal employment. Your continued support is vital to ensure she can access the specialized diet and medicine required to manage her diabetes and survive her old age.