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Christmas under staircase ‘manger’
Kicked out by her husband and co-wives, then thrown out by her brothers, street mother Pamela Atieno will spend her third Christmas in the city streets. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI
Posted Tuesday, December 22 2009 at 20:00
In Summary
- Mother of four has no idea where two are, and only hopes they were adopted
“My children would be healthier if we were back in the village,” Atieno said, adding the boys catch colds, especially during the rainy season.
Atieno refutes myths that city life is fascinating and only wishes she had a little “soil” (land) in Kisumu. Life would not be as cruel, she says.
She says a quarter of an acre would feed her family and leave enough to help her save for school fees. And her children would be healthier, physically and emotionally.
In 2003, the government set up the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund to train the homeless in tailoring and building. Head of media relations Jan Bosire says 7,000 have so far been trained, but “rehab is long and expensive”.
This Christmas, Atieno will have to “eat” hope.
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