Saleh Salma Bisher

Saleh Salma Bisher was born in 1944 in Kakamega, Kenya, into a large family where she grew up alongside several brothers and sisters. She was among the older siblings in her household.

She did not get the chance to attend school at all because her family could not afford the fees. Instead of getting an education, she stayed at home to help her parents with daily chores and care for her younger relatives.

As she grew into a young woman, she had to find ways to make her own living through casual labor. She started cooking and selling mandazi and operating small food kiosks around Kakamega to earn a few coins.

She later got married and was blessed with eleven children, though two of them sadly passed away over the years. The family faced deep poverty, and they often went to bed on empty stomachs when her small business failed to make a profit.

Her husband eventually passed away in their family house, leaving her with the heavy burden of raising the remaining nine children alone. Her children grew up without stable employment, and today, only one of them has a job, while the others survive on irregular day labor.

As the years went by, Salma became frail and moved from Kambi Somali to different areas before settling in Masingo.

Her neighbors and representatives from Mama Ibado eventually visited her home, assessed her dire situation, and officially enrolled her in the seniors' feeding program on May 17, 2021.

Through this intervention, she started receiving a monthly food basket containing maize flour, millet flour, sugar, tea leaves, salt, milk, and rice.

"Life was so difficult before because we did not know where the next meal would come from, but now we have food on the table," her eldest son, Jaafar, explains.

Salma and her family are deeply grateful for the continuous support they receive, which has restored her dignity in her old age. However, she is now completely bedridden because arthritis has destroyed her bones and left her unable to move.

She needs further specialized medical help and continuous care because she is suffering from severe dental complications that cannot be treated easily due to her high blood pressure.