Shimelemende Sarah

Sarah Shimelemende was born in 1943 in the village of Lukose.

She was one of eight children, but throughout her life, she witnessed the passing of every single one of her siblings, leaving her as the only surviving member of her birth family.

She never stepped foot inside a classroom because, during her childhood, the prevailing belief was that girls did not need an education. Her early years were spent entirely in the fields, where she worked alongside her parents to grow the food they needed to survive.

After her parents passed away, she continued to sustain herself through manual farm labor. She spent her days digging, planting, and weeding maize just to ensure there was a meal on the table.

Sarah eventually married and settled in Bukhulunya, Shivakala, where she gave birth to five children. The weight of her struggle deepened when three of her children died, and later, her husband passed away after a sudden illness.

She worked alongside her husband as a casual laborer, taking any small job available to buy food for their family. Since she could never afford school fees, her surviving children grew up without an education and now remain unemployed, unable to provide for her or her five grandchildren.

Before finding help, Sarah spent many nights sleeping hungry, wandering through the village to look for any manual work she could find. Her aging body eventually lost the strength required for heavy farm labor, leaving her with no source of income and no way to feed the dependants left in her care.

Her life took a turn when she noticed people carrying supplies from a local gathering at the Mama Ibado Office, she decided to approach and share her troubles. She was welcomed into the program and now receives essential supplies, including flour, milk, sugar, rice, and cooking oil.

Beyond the food support, Sarah now has access to medical care through the program to manage her health in her old age. She visits the clinic every Thursday for a regular check-up, ensuring that her physical well-being is monitored.

"Life was very difficult before, but now I no longer sleep hungry, and I have less stress about where the next meal will come from."

Sarah remains in great need of continued support because she is too elderly to work and is the sole provider for five grandchildren. Without this assistance, she and her dependants would have no means of survival.