Imali Rabeka Osaji

Imali Rabeka Osaji was born in 1948 in Chavakali, Vihiga County. She grew up as the seventh child in a household of nine children. Her parents struggled constantly, relying entirely on casual farm labor just to find enough food for the large family.

She went to school up to class four before dropping out due to lack of school fees. The family budget could not support her primary education anymore. Her journey in the classroom ended early because of these money problems.

After leaving school, she stayed at home to assist her parents with domestic duties. She spent her days working on the family plot to help secure their daily meals. This manual labor became her primary responsibility during her youth.

She later got married and moved to Kakamega, where she gave birth to seven children, consisting of five daughters and two sons. Her husband was a chronic alcoholic who would take the food she farmed and sell it to buy local drinks. This behavior left their children to walk without clothes and miss school entirely.

Unable to handle this difficult life, Rabeka took her children and moved to Majengo on the outskirts of Kakamega town, where she rented a small, two-roomed semi-permanent house. She spent her days doing manual weeding for neighbors, but two of her adult sons passed away, and two of her daughters later fell into alcoholism.

Her daughter Jacqueline now sells second-hand clothes to help with the rent, but they frequently slept on empty stomachs, a situation made worse when Rabeka developed severe arthritis that left her limbs swollen.

Her situation began to change when a neighbor nearby noticed her severe illness and lack of food. This well-wisher connected her to Mama Ibado Charity for assistance.

Later on, Mama Ibado Charity visited her home, assessed her situation, and enrolled her in the seniors program. She began receiving regular monthly food allocations. She now gets maize flour, sugar, porridge flour, salt, tea leaves, and milk every month.

The consistent arrival of these items brought immediate relief to the struggling household. The family no longer has to beg for food from well-wishers.

"We used to sleep on empty stomachs while my children walked in tattered clothes because my husband would sell all our food for alcohol. Mama Ibado Charity has acted like a biological mother to us, restoring our family dignity and ensuring that hunger is no longer our daily reality."

The monthly food supplies have managed to lift the heavy burden of starvation from Rabeka's shoulders. This allows her daughter to focus her small income on paying the house rent. And the food security keeps the elderly grandma stable, despite her painful joints.

Rabeka still needs help because her advanced age of 78 and severe arthritis prevent her from performing any manual labor. Ongoing donor support is necessary to ensure this vulnerable grandmother and her three dependents can maintain a stable life in their rented rooms.