By reporter
More than 40 widows in Kibiri Ward, Karachuonyo Constituency, have received assorted household items to improve their living standards within the community.
The Office of the Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary, Raymond Omollo, donated cooking gas, mattresses, and food items to the women on Tuesday.
His representative in the area, Kennedy Ongati, said they decided to assist the women after realising that most of them lacked these items and were living in indecent conditions.
According to Ongati, many of the women and their families had been cooking with firewood, sleeping on ragged mats, and facing food shortages.
They were selected from three locations: Kanyipir, Koyugi, and Wadhgone Nyonge.
“The assessment undertaken by the office revealed that the families where widows hail from were seriously suffering. Priority was given to the most vulnerable people,” Ongati said.
Speaking after distributing the items at their homes in Kanyipir, Ongati said they have also listed the widows’ children and plan to pay school fees for those in secondary schools.
Principal Secretary Omollo is running an ongoing programme to build houses for selected vulnerable widows.
Beneficiaries are chosen based on their level of vulnerability.
More than 20 women across Nyanza have had houses built for them under the programme.
Ongati stated that the focus is on creating a conducive environment for less fortunate families.
“Everybody wants to live a good life. We’re providing such an environment to make them healthy for continued productivity,” he said.
Some of the beneficiaries, led by Valarie Otieno and Jamila Amayo, expressed confidence that the programme would improve their health and protect them from shame.
Otieno said they have been sleeping more comfortably now that they have better bedding.
“The small mat could not even accommodate all my seven children. Some of them used to sleep in neighbouring houses,” Otieno said.
Amayo said the programme would transform the lives of the beneficiaries. She noted that improved living conditions would prevent diseases associated with poor environments.
“Many families which have benefited will not contract eye diseases and pneumonia. The project will improve their lives,” Amayo said.
