In our ministry to women we’re privileged to help those who cannot help themselves. Josephine Thogori Waithera is one of those women.
This 45 year old woman is the mother of 6 children. She was abandoned by her husband after 13 years of marriage. When she was in labor at home, with her last born child, she walked outside and fell into a cooking fire. Because of the disfigurement of the burns from the fire accident, her husband left her.
Women in Kenya usually cook on an open fire outside their one or two room dirt floor houses. She had a seizure, as she labored to give birth, and fell into the fire and suffered severe burns.
Josephine gave birth to a healthy baby girl that day. Now, at 13 years old, Julia now helps her mother everyday and is sponsored for school fees by the LEARN ministry.
That was the first time of 5 times she fell into a fire during a seizure. Burns over 85% of her body have resulted in debilitating scarring.
Before the birth of this baby, Josephine had never had a seizure. To this day, she has multiple seizures 3 - 4 days a week.
During the post election violence of 2007, having no place to go, she was forced to live with her children in an IDP camp. While living there she was known as the delightful, encouraging woman that she was, and still is today, in spite of the tradegies in her life.
She walked among the people in the camp singing, dancing and speaking of her faith in Christ, telling them about Jesus, and spreading hope throughout the camp.
The authorities in the IDP camp were told she was a mad woman. After questioning her they realized, contrary to the rumors, she was a light in the darkness. They asked her to stay and continue to encouraging people. After 3 years in the IDP camp the government gave her a plot of land in the farming community of Njoro.
She doesn’t have money to build a house so Josephine and Julia are now living in a corner of a mud house with her elderly grand parents. She’s dependent upon the charity of others to meet her everyday needs and has no reliable income. But she’s not a slacker and doesn’t use her handicap for excuses not to work as she does her best to do some little farming to grow food for her family.
Both of Josephines parents have died. Her two oldest daughters are married and one daughter is on her own. She’s blessed with 10 grandchildren. One son went with his father but no one knows where either of them are. Her adult children struggle raising their own families and aren’t able to help her. She has a 16 year old son, Joseph, who, after finishing 6th grade, had to quit school and leave home to work as a houseboy, to help his mom and 13 year old sister, Julia. He is sending them $5.00 a month to help with food and clothing. Josephine would love to have her son back with her and he wants to come home but she cannot afford to house and feed him.
As you see in the picture someone is growing maize corn on her land until she can build a house.
Her land is close to where the pastor of StoneHouse Fellowship Church in Njoro, Joshua and his wife, Caroline, live with their sweet daughter.
Her grandparents are aging, her children are growing up and she needs to be close to the church family who will watch over her.
Josephine is worthy of our help and an inspiration to all who meet her. Please consider these needs and how you can be a part of helping her and her family.
How can you help?
Please consider these needs and how you can be a part of helping Josephine and her family:
Build a house on her own land: $3,000.00
Provide Food and Water - $10.00 a week
Provide Clothing and Shoes for Josephine and Julia - $50.00 a year.
Medical Care - $20.00 a month
Bring Joseph home: $10.00 a month
Give a pair of goats that Joseph can help take care of: $150.00
Help the Grandparents by Providing Food for them - $10.00 a week;
and clothing $50.00 a year.