SHIKUKU STEPHEN NABWANI

Stephen Nabwani Shukuku is a 58-year-old resident of Lutonyi, the village where he was born and raised.

His early life was marked by significant hardship after he was orphaned at a young age, leaving his family with very little income.

Due to these financial constraints and additional family struggles, Stephen was only able to attend primary school until Standard Six.

Following his departure from school, he survived by taking up casual labor and dedicated many years to farming his land, primarily growing vegetables to sustain himself.

In the year 2000, he married and eventually fathered three children who remain in his care today. However, his life took a difficult turn when he developed severe cataracts, which...

Stephen Nabwani Shukuku is a 58-year-old resident of Lutonyi, the village where he was born and raised.

His early life was marked by significant hardship after he was orphaned at a young age, leaving his family with very little income.

Due to these financial constraints and additional family struggles, Stephen was only able to attend primary school until Standard Six.

Following his departure from school, he survived by taking up casual labor and dedicated many years to farming his land, primarily growing vegetables to sustain himself.

In the year 2000, he married and eventually fathered three children who remain in his care today. However, his life took a difficult turn when he developed severe cataracts, which led to the total loss of his vision.

This physical impairment made it impossible for him to continue the manual labor and farming that had previously provided for his family. The subsequent loss of his wife further compounded these challenges, leaving him to raise his children alone. Before receiving formal assistance, Stephen struggled to find enough food for his household, relying on meager earnings from selling bananas or poultry and the kindness of a relative who stepped in to help pay his children's school fees.

His situation eventually reached the attention of local authorities when the area chief visited his home to register his disability. This report was forwarded to Mama Ibado Charity (MIC), leading to his enrollment in the Seniors Feeding Program.

Since joining the program, Stephen's daily life has been stabilized through a consistent supply of essential food items, including maize flour for ugali and porridge, rice, cooking oil, salt, tea leaves, and milk.

Stephen requires continued support because his total loss of sight has rendered him completely unable to engage in the manual labor he once relied on. As a widower and a single father, the burden of providing for his children’s nutrition and education falls solely on his shoulders, yet he lacks the physical means to earn an income.

Continued assistance through Mama Ibado Charity is not just a matter of food security; it is a vital lifeline that ensures his children can remain in school and that Stephen can live with the dignity and health oversight he deserves despite his disability.