A widowed mother of eight in Kericho County, Rift Valley region, is appealing to well-wishers for assistance as she struggles to provide for her children, among them a child with special needs.

Caroline Tuikong, 39, lives in a modest mud-walled house roofed with corrugated iron-sheets in Otowi Village in Ainamoi Sub-County. Since the death of her husband in 2019, Tuikong has been the sole breadwinner of her family, a responsibility she says is overwhelming.

Her greatest challenge is caring for her youngest child, six-year-old Blessing Chepchumba, who was born with severe cerebral palsey and requires constant care and attention. With no stable source of income, Tuikong says she struggles daily to meet basic needs such as food, school fees and medical care for her children.

Speaking during an interview at her home, the mother said her daughter is fully dependent on her for almost every aspect of daily life, including feeding, bathing, dressing and movement.

“I never imagined I would one day have a child with special needs,” Tuikong said. “When my husband passed away, I was pregnant with my last-born daughter, Blessing Chepchumba. Her birth was difficult and over time we realised she had serious health challenges.”

She explained that the child requires constant attention throughout the day and night.

“She cannot chew or swallow solid food. So I must prepare liquid meals for her. She cannot sit, stand or move without full support. Although she cannot speak, she responds to touch and recognises familiar voices. I have to bathe her, dress her and carry her most of the time,” she explains.

Tuikong said the demanding care required by the child makes it nearly impossible for her to seek employment or engage in any economic activities.

“My life revolves around taking care of her. She needs me all the time and I cannot leave her alone even for a short period,” she says.

The family survives on a small piece of land measuring about a quarter of an acre where they grow limited food for domestic consumption. Although the house is connected to electricity, the family does not have running water and mainly relies on harvesting rainwater for domestic use.

Tuikong explains that the financial strain has also affected her children’s education. Her 19-year-old daughter is preparing to repeat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination this year after scoring a C-minus in last year’s national exams in hopes of improving her chances of pursuing further studies.

Another son completed his KCSE last year and hopes to enrol in a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution to pursue electrical engineering, but the family lacks the resources to support his plans.

The mother also has younger children in Grade 10, Grade 7 and Grade 4 – all of whom require school fees, uniform and learning materials. Two of her daughters aged 26 and 24, are already married. Tuikong says financial strain forced them to drop out of school early.

“It pains me that I could not support their education. Poverty pushed them to marry early because life at home was too difficult,” she says.

Despite the hardships she faces, Tuikong remains hopeful that well-wishers, leaders and charitable organisations will come forward to support her family.

“I only want a better future for my children,” she says.

Well-wishers can support the family via her mobile number 0725112 289.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Sarah Njagi