Community “Elder Sister” Discusses Opening Her Home to the Community

Lorna Wanyama has been a pillar in her community for over 20 years. What started out a preparing a simple meal for orphaned children in her community turned into a large extended family she always wanted.

When she started working in 1988, Lorna was moved by the needs of the children in her neighborhood in Turkana County, Kenya. Many did not have adequate food or clothing and were not attending school.

With only one child to support, Lorna decided to tack action.

“I was seeing my neighbors and other children in my neighborhood suffering and I thought, ‘Why not give back to the community? I can do this and still be able to feed my one child,’” Lorna told The Weight She Carries.

At first, she began sharing her meals with them. Soon other kids heard that there was food at her home and began congregating at her house.

“I decided to open my home to them,” she said.

With a background in agriculture, part of Lorna’s work involved going to schools to speak about gardening and agriculture. The more she visited the schools, the more astonished she was at what she saw.

“I met many girls and boys who could not support themselves. Some didn’t have uniforms, some didn’t have books, pens or shoes. I wanted to assist them to have access to basic necessities and encourage them that, despite their background, they can achieve their dreams. I kept referring back to the fact that God only gave me one child. That meant that I could find a way to help other children.” – Lorna Wanyama

When she talked to the children, she discovered most of them were vulnerable. Some had lost parents and left under the care of their old grandparents who are also struggling to access a meal.

“I looked at the space in my home and decided that I wanted to share the little I had,” she said. “I took some of them in and they began living with me in my household. I’ve lived with some of them for 5 to 7 years. Now some have gone on to secondary school.”

The more she interacted with the children, the more she learnt about their circumstances. Some were ill and faced stigma at school and at home.

“This troubled me, so I took them to my house. They began to live with me and I began to educate them from my house,” Lorna said. “I wanted to give them shelter, an education and food. I wanted them to have a sense of belonging. I wanted them to feel that even though their parents are not there – even if they were sick – they should not be rejected. I’m there as a mother figure for them.”

Lorna’s passion for children also prompts her to support them by buying school uniforms, book bags, geometrical sets, pens and books.

In addition to supporting at-risk children, Lorna has taken an interest in girl child empowerment. She gives them sanitary towels and panties.

According to The Borgen Project, 10 percent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa miss school during menstruation.

“I would see most girls missing school and classes and staying home because they could not afford sanitary towels,” Lorna said. “Many of them could also not afford panties. It touched me and I thought, ‘Why would somebody miss school because they don’t have sanitary towels?’”

Adding to the problem are motorcycle riders who take advantage of young girls, Lorna said. They sleep with the young girls and give them very little money, like 50 Kenyan shillings which is equivalent to $0.50. The girls agree to this so they can buy sanitary towels.

“It is a very, very pathetic situation. I knew that if I could find a way to support these girls and give them sanitary towels to keep them in schools then I would have done something very good,” she said.

Lorna started going to schools and training girls on menstrual hygiene and the dangers of early pregnancy and sex. In addition to having children that they cannot take care of and dropping out of school, they could also contract HIV, she informs them. 

In addition to this work, Lorna also goes to villages to see some of the girls. Many of them have the heart to go back to school and dropped out because either their parents didn’t have enough money or have died.

“I collect these girls and now they’re in school with the help of my friends,” she said.

“Being an agricultural officer, I also thought I could give back to community using my profession. The area where we are there’s a lot of malnutrition and stunted growth. So I get the young mothers of reproductive age and use my profession to train them on food and nutrition using some money from my salary. I buy some food and train them and do a cooking demonstration so that young women know how to feed their children and themselves.”
– Lorna Wanyama

Though many of us would agree that Lorna is an extraordinary woman with giant heart, she believes the decision to help others is one that we all have the power to do.

“We need to help our girls grow up with dignity. Who knows, some of them may grow up to become presidents, doctors and teachers, and they can also give back to the community. And from there, the economy of the community will go up. The economy of the county will go up. And the economy of our country will go up,” she said.

She counts it a blessing to have had other children come into her home because she didn’t want her daughter to grow up alone.

“She has grown up with a crowd in the house! We have grown together as a family. Some have grown up and have jobs, others are still struggling, and others got pregnant along the way, but we never give up on them,” Lorna said.

Although her biological daughter is now an adult, Lorna is currently paying tuition for several young girls and boys in high school. She also has a number children who she is directly supporting in her home currently.

Lorna has no funding to support the children but is very grateful to her friends who have helped her. Without them, her dream to meet the needs of children would not have come true.

“Sometimes life is difficult, but we just find a way to manage,” she said.

“If we don’t have elder sisters like me supporting the girls, these children will fall into wrong hands and their destiny will be ruined forever. Support somebody else and give them a chance. If they come to you listen to them because God has a place for all of us.”
– Lorna Wanyama