Two Mothers. One Hasn't Stood Since 2022. One Doesn't Know Where the Latrine Is. 🇰🇪 скачать в хорошем качестве

Two Mothers. One Hasn't Stood Since 2022. One Doesn't Know Where the Latrine Is. 🇰🇪

"I've only heard my grandchildren going to the toilet. But I don't even know where the pit latrine is." When Regina said those words in Athi River, it stopped us cold. This is what happened when two mothers—Angeline and Regina—and their children refused to give up. We support families in need across Kenya by facilitating community-driven acts of kindness that restore dignity and hope. TWO MOTHERS. TWO DEVASTATING STORIES. ONE MESSAGE: FAMILIES NEVER QUIT. --- ANGELINE - THOMAS MULEI'S MOTHER - ATHI RIVER Angeline has been an ardent viewer of Twende Tusaidie for years. She watched every Saturday at 10 PM, never missing a show. She never thought she'd need the help herself. THE PAIN THAT STARTED IT ALL: Angeline started experiencing excruciating pains in her leg. "It felt like someone was cutting my leg from within," she told us. The pain was unbearable. Constant. Like a knife slicing through her from the inside. She tried to manage it. Tried to push through. But the pain wouldn't stop. THEN CAME MAY 2022: In the 5th month of 2022—May—Angeline fell. From that day to this very moment, she hasn't been able to wake up again. Hasn't stood. Hasn't walked. That fall took everything. May 2022 to March 2025. Nearly 3 years lying down. Unable to move herself. Completely dependent. HER SON THOMAS MULEI - THE SON WHO NEVER GAVE UP: Thomas did everything he could for his mother. He scraped together money and got her a wheelchair—an old, used one. But it was broken. Falling apart. So Thomas took it to a "jua kali" metal workshop and had it mended. Welded back together. Patched up. It was all he could afford. Angeline has been using that mended, patchwork wheelchair. It's unstable. It's unsafe. But it's all Thomas could give her. Thomas's wish is simple: replace his mother's old wheelchair with one that's safe, stable, and won't break down on her. ANGELINE'S GREATEST WISH: "I don't want to be alone in the dark," Angeline told us. Because of her disability, she's often left alone. In the dark. Isolated. She desperately wishes to stay near people. To not be by herself. To be part of life again. For nearly 3 years, Angeline has been an ardent viewer watching others get help. Now she needs it herself. --- REGINA MUENI KHADIJA - WAMBUA'S MOTHER - ATHI RIVER Regina has been sick since 2019. Six years of illness. Six years of decline. THE BREADWINNER WHO COULDN'T WORK ANYMORE: Before 2019, Regina was the breadwinner of her family. She worked. She provided. She kept everything together. Then the sickness came. And Regina couldn't work anymore. Her daughter Wambua wasn't working at the time either. So Wambua couldn't help her mother. Couldn't provide for her. Couldn't even afford basic care. They had no choice—they relocated Regina back to her home village, hoping family could help. But when they got home, Regina's condition worsened dramatically. She couldn't move anymore. From that day forward, she's been immobile. Bedridden. Unable to walk. EVERY DAY HAS BEEN MARRED BY SUFFERING: Regina recounts that she has been in a situation where she cannot move. She hasn't been able to leave her house for a very long time. Weeks. Sometimes longer. Just trapped inside four walls. THE TOILET SHE'S NEVER SEEN: "I only hear my grandchildren going to the toilet," Regina told us. "But I don't even know where the pit latrine is." She's heard them. Heard the door. Heard them talking about it. For years. But she's never laid eyes on it. Never been wheeled there. Never seen it. THE DANGER OF BEING LEFT ALONE: If Regina's children aren't around to take care of her, she faces impossible situations: If she's inside, she stays indoors for days or even weeks—no fresh air, no sunlight, no movement If she's outside and it rains, she's left in the rain—soaking wet, unable to move to safety If she's in the sun too long, she's overbaked for hours—burning, dehydrated, unable to get to shade These aren't rare occurrences. These are regular realities of Regina's life. When your children work and you can't move yourself, you're at the mercy of weather, time, and circumstance. --- TWO FAMILIES IN ATHI RIVER WHO REFUSED TO QUIT: These are two families in Athi River, Machakos County, who could have said "this is just how it is now, there's nothing we can do." But they didn't. THOMAS MULEI did everything in his power for his mother Angeline. Got her a wheelchair with the little money he had. When it broke, took it to a jua kali workshop to get it mended. Kept fighting. WAMBUA watched her mother—the family breadwinner—become completely dependent. Relocated her home. Cares for her despite not working. Never gave up. These families reminded us: love doesn't quit when things get hard. Love keeps showing up. --- WHAT WE PROVIDED IN ATHI RIVER: When we met Angeline, Regina, Thomas, and Wambua in Athi River last week, we knew we could restore mobility and dignity.