A Mutai Grandmother Strives to Raise her Grandchildren Against All Odds

In Mutai, we found a 61 year old Grandmother named Esther struggling to look after her two young grandchildren, Joseph (7) and Grace (3).  Since the death of her own daughter three years ago, following the birth of Grace, Esther has done whatever she can to help provide for them –though despite her best efforts, the family still exist on the breadline.

           

We found Esther and the children living in a dilapidated cottage on the outskirts of town.  She invited us inside, to what resembled more a junkyard than a dwelling suitable for young children –strewn across the dirt floor were all manner of items including a broken bicycle, dozens of soiled plastic containers and shreds of moth-eaten tarpaulin.  The family sat on a single straw matt which had seen better days, and we followed suit –they ate, bathed and slept there and it was the only thing between them and the cold, hard, unsanitary ground below.   

 

 

The house provided some shelter from the elements but was plagued by flies and pests. It was also in need of some major repairs –behind Esther was a huge gap in the supporting wall where the building material had simply crumbled away.  Esther told us that they had acquired the house after a friend had seen the family sleeping rough and had taken pity on them. Incredibly, she also told us that she occasionally engaged in some manual labour in return for a small fee and/or some food for the children.

Our time with Esther left us truly humbled; we had met a woman who would stop at nothing to take care of her family against all the odds.  It seemed only right that before we left, we vowed to do the same for her.  We plan to help Esther and other families like hers by carrying out vital repairs on homes and finding more suitable and stable employment options so people have a chance to change their lives and lift themselves out of poverty.