Lagos is the kind of place where no one really seeks out a trash can. Ms Roselyn, affectionately called “Mama” by her grandchildren, is one of the people doing their best to keep government spaces clean, so her job is a lot more arduous than it should be. Mama’s official role with the local government office is to sweep the hospital, but her salary of N20,000 was barely enough to cover her feeding for an entire month, not to mention the rest of her family, so she augmented her income by selling drinks and snacks within the clinic.
LMD
Mama, who’s the primary caregiver for her household, lives with her children and grandchildren in her house. Her grandchildren’s father absconded a long time ago, leaving Mama and her daughters to take up all the responsibilities for the children. Unfortunately, the mother of these kids was involved in an accident that left her unable to work for a while. Mama’s other daughter is also a petty trader in another part of town. This meant that an already tight money situation got tighter, and she and her family found it harder to have food on the table.
Although Mama was a retiree who took the job cleaning at the clinic to survive, she had begun thinking of resigning and expanding her business by selling a lot more than snacks and drinks to make ends meet.
When she received the box of food items, Mama danced excitedly because there would be food for her and her family for a while. She was also excited to see the Three crowns milk from our partner, Peak Milk, Friesland Campina. She said it works well for her health, and the supply provided some much-needed relief for her.
Mama was one of those who did not have the luxury of retiring quietly or of thinking too far into the future, as they had to worry about the present. Seeing her dance at the box of food supplies caused us to imagine how the future would look if she were able to expand her small business.
Despite the hardships, Mama has remained resilient. Her home, though small, is filled with the love and laughter of her grandchildren, and she seems more than happy to have them around. But love and laughter can’t fill empty bellies. According to UNICEF, one in every three Nigerian children under five years old was malnourished. Through the Bags of Joy food distribution project, Mama’s grandchildren would not be counted among the heartbreaking statistics of Nigerian children who went to bed hungry- at least not for a while.
Roselyn (Mama) and several people like her would like to see Lluvia Health again. You can help make that happen by donating and supporting us in carrying out more food outreaches and empowering mothers and caregivers with income-generating activities across different locations.
