SHITANDANYI JOSEPHAT SHASHA

Shitandanyi Josephat Shasha was born in 1952, in Shirere. He grew up as a young boy caught between homes, eventually returning to live in Shivakhala after spending years with his mother.

Josephat started his education at a local school where he managed to reach class three. He was forced to drop out because there was no money to pay for his fees, leaving him with limited options for the future.

After leaving school, he stayed at home to assist his father with manual labor, primarily tilling the land to sustain them. He spent his youth in the fields, using his physical strength to provide what his education could not.

He married in the 1970s and fathered five children named Peter, Anna, Maria, Shidao, and a fifth child who passed away in infancy. To support his large family, Josephat moved to Nairobi to work on construction sites, but the separation from his family eventually led to his wife leaving the home and the children.

Life took an even more difficult turn after he returned from Nairobi and suffered a debilitating stroke that left him partially paralyzed. He now lives in a two-roomed mud house in Shivakhala, suffering from chronic joint pain and the lasting effects of the stroke that ended his working days.

His surviving children are now adults, but they do not have stable jobs and rely on casual manual labor that barely covers their own needs. His sons, Peter and Shidao, remain nearby but are unable to provide for their father as they struggle with the same lack of opportunity he faced.

Josephat was introduced to the Mama Ibado Charity by a village elder who witnessed his deteriorating condition and lack of food. Representatives from the program later visited his home to assess his situation and enrolled him in the seniors' program on January 2, 2019.

He now receives essential supplies including maize flour, rice, sugar, tea leaves, oil, and salt. Beyond the food, he benefits from medical check-ups every Thursday at the clinic, which are vital for managing his high blood pressure and joint pains.

"In the years before this help, I sat in this house with no strength and no hope for a meal, but today the support has restored my dignity and given me the health to stay with my family."

The regular nutrition and medical care have brought a significant change to his physical well-being and emotional state. He no longer has to depend on the inconsistent odd jobs of his children to avoid going to bed hungry.

Josephat still needs help because his stroke-related disabilities make it impossible for him to fend for himself or his four dependents. His fragile health and the lack of stable income within his household make continued donor support his only means of survival.