The day before yesterday, I met Denis, a second-grade boy, standing alone by the fence, watching his classmates play. When I asked him why he wasn’t in school, his answer pierced my heart: his mother couldn’t pay Ksh. 2,000 in school fees.
As I looked around, I saw his mother, seemed pleading with a teacher, desperation etched across her face. Her love for Denis was palpable, intertwined with the fear of what their lives had become. Unfortunately, the teacher didn’t allow him to return without the balance. I got pinched: if such an amount could bring such immense pain, what were their lives like day to day?
Determined to help, I gave Denis the money he needed. The next day, he returned to school, but I knew this was just a temporary relief in a much larger struggle.
Earlier today, I visited Denis’s family, and my heart ached as I learned about their reality. His mother, the sole caretaker of four children, shared her story with a voice trembling with emotion. After the birth of her last child in late 2022, her husband turned against her, bringing other women into their home and forcing her to sleep on the floor of their cramped two-room house.
When their baby was born, her situation deteriorated further. She faced a crushing lack of support, with no food or diapers, so she started selling peanuts and coffee, yet her husband continued to neglect her and their children, treating her cruelly. Eventually, he abandoned them, leaving her alone with a four-month-old baby and mounting debts—unpaid rent, school fees, and the daily costs of raising a family.
Now, she struggles to pay Ksh. 4,000 in rent for a new home while providing for her children. Each day is a battle. Denis has eye problems that remain untreated, and the youngest child suffers from health issues that some attribute to their father’s behavior. The older siblings grapple with school fees and lack proper uniforms, while food is often scarce.
They are three months behind on rent, living in constant fear of eviction. The small earnings from selling herbal medicines go straight to feeding her children, barely providing two meals a day. Each meal serves as a stark reminder of their hardships, and each day is a test of their resilience…
If this story resonates with you, please consider helping this brave family. Your generosity can offer them a glimmer of hope in their darkest moments. Contributions can be sent to M-Pesa 07 13 48 14 36, Phelix Joel. Together, we can help lift the burden from this courageous mother and her children. The struggle of a single mom and unyielding fight for hope #themakandafoundation #feeding #education