Rechina Nalisi Lukhomwa

Rechina Nalisi Lukhomwa was born in 1943 in Shimanyiro Idakho, Kakamega County into a family where she was one of three daughters.

Her early life was marked by the absence of siblings to grow old with, as she eventually became the sole survivor after both of her sisters passed away.

She began her education at a local primary school and progressed until Class Three. She was forced to leave her studies prematurely after falling seriously ill, and as the only girl in her school at the time, there was little social support to help her return.

Following her departure from school, Rechina dedicated her time to the church and assisted her parents with manual labor at home.

She spent her youth working in the fields, a period she remembers as a time when the family had enough to eat because they could still physically manage the demands of the land.

She later married and moved to Bukhulunya, where she and her husband raised ten children. They worked tirelessly to ensure every child reached Form Four, but their efforts were met with hardship when four of their children—two sons and two daughters—passed away.

Her husband, who supported the large family through his work at an electricity company in Nairobi, fell ill and passed away in August 2015.

After her husband died, the household stability vanished, leaving Rechina in a three-roomed mud house with no income. She was eventually left to care for four grandchildren whose parents had died, and because she could not afford the bills, her electricity was disconnected, leaving them in darkness.

The physical toll of aging and chronic illness made it impossible for her to continue the casual farm labor she once relied on for food. Suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, she often faced days of hunger while trying to provide for the young grandchildren who depend entirely on her.

Her breakthrough came when officers from the Mama Ibado office in Kakamega visited her home to assess her situation. Seeing that she was elderly, ill, and without a provider, they registered her for the senior support program which now provides her with flour, milk, maize, cooking oil, and salt.

"In the past, I lived in constant worry and hunger, but now I am happy because my grandchildren and I have good food to eat every day. Being in the program has removed the heavy burden of food from my shoulders, and the weekly clinic visits have given me the strength to keep living for my family."

Rechina still needs urgent help because her medical conditions require consistent care and she remains the sole guardian of four orphaned grandchildren. Without continued assistance, this elderly grandmother would have no way to pay for basic necessities or maintain the health required to raise the children in her care.