Rhoda Nelson

Rhoda Nelson hails from Mshanga village. She is 35-years-old, divorced, and responsible for her four children. She has not been able to find consistent work, and depends on odd jobs to provide for her family. They live in a dilapidated house, with a grass thatched roof and a door made from straw, offering them little protection from the elements. The beds they sleep on are hard and uncomfortable. Yet every day, she has to fight to feed and clothe her children, the youngest of whom is just a year-and-a-half old. Rhoda has to walk miles to fetch water for her children, and wood from the forest to warm her home. She works in the fields when she can. Rhoda owns very few things – she is forced to borrow pots and pans to cook with, along with utensils and other supplies from her neighbors. But too often her children go hungry. It breaks her heart to see them go without the nutrients that young, growing children need. But there is little she can do. Says Rhoda: “I try very hard to not let my children go a day without eating but some days are just impossible. No work found, and at times too exhausted to fetch firewood because it’s so far, and we end up sleeping on empty stomachs.”Rhoda is a hard worker. But the obstacles in her life are so great that they seem insurmountable. She wasn’t able to receive an education as a young woman, and so was relegated to a life of wage labor. When her husband divorced her, he left her and their children to fend for themselves. Our AIM is fighting for Rhoda and many other women like her. We want to give them a fighting chance in a world that has left them powerless. We hope to build her a home, and provide meals for her family whenever they come to our Community Center in Tongozala. With your support, we can help her family tremendously. Give today – the smallest amount donated can make a bigger impact than you think.