Widow’s daily long treks selling porridge help put food on her table

Every day, Sabina Oduk, 37, a single mother from Huruma slums, Nairobi, has to walk for over 10 kilometres to make a living for her family.

She has to take long walks to construction sites in Muthaiga where she sells porridge and sweet potatoes.

And this is a ritual she has been through since 2011 when her husband died: “After burying him in the countryside, I came back to the city and reality dawned on me that my three children needed to be in school, clothed and fed. My husband was no more, I was the only one to provide for the family.”

With Sh1,000, she started her business, putting all her hope in it.

“This is the only viable business I can do given my financial condition for now. When I started the business, I told my children that all our lives depended on what the Sh1,000 would bring. They encouraged me by believing in my idea. My first-born daughter even offered to assist in the cooking during weekends. In a way, it was business we all shared,” she says.

Three years later, Sabina is going strong in the business and affording to put a meal on the table for her children.
“Looking at the distance I have covered, I take courage. I can count what my small business has done for me and the family.

I can now afford to buy my children what they need. I can plan for tomorrow and even the future, thanks to selling porridge and potatoes. It has also helped me to avoid temptation, especially after the death of my husband,” she says.

With a plan for the future in mind, Sabina is saving for her children’s education. Her first-born daughter is in Standard Seven.

“I walk because of their education. Only education can give us a better future. Although I may not afford to pay the full amount of school fees, at least I am trying my best to prepare,” she says.