Residents fete Murang'a woman for her charity work

As Kenyans marked Mashujaa Day on Wednesday, women in Murang'a  had all the more reason to celebrate as they honoured their heroine for her acts of charity.

Kandara residents have nothing but praise for Eunice Ndung'u who they describe as selfless and giving.

Popularly know as mama jiggers, Eunice is credited with going out of her way to make the lives of the destitute better and this is why she is a shujaa for her community. 

Joyce Wangui, a Kandara resident,  said she met Eunice about two decades ago when she and her family were infested by jiggers.

Eunice, she said, helped to treat them and restore their lives to normal at a time when jigger infestation had threatened to grind them to a halt.

“I have seen her do the same thing with children and the elderly. She is able to reach out to the needy and help them,” Wangui said.

Whenever there is a fire, Eunice is among the first to arrive at scene and mobilises residents to help clothe and feed the affected family.

She is also known to help build decent houses for destitute families and has been a major pillar in the community, Wangui added.

“The work she has done for us is a lot. If possible, we would want her charitable activities recognised by the government. It would be well deserved and would make us happy,” she added.

Peris Wambui said Eunice is a heroine saying she uses her individual resources to help the community.

Wambui said the charity worker is able to go to those at the lowest level of the community and empower the most destitute.

She said if Eunice had more support, she would be able to touch the lives of more needy families.

Residents say mama jiggers is the link between disadvantaged members of the community and finding help and has seen many orphans and children from poor families enrolled in school.

“She is able to manoeuvre and get sponsorships for children whose parents cannot raise fees. Having such a person within us is very helpful. She acts as a bridge between the villagers and the leaders,” she said.

Wambui said Eunice is a darling of the elderly as she cares for them and ensures they are well fed and taken care of. Her impact in the fight against jiggers has been monumental.

Eunice started her charitable work in 1996 after noticing a destitute family that lived near Gaichanjiru primary school where her children schooled.

She says the family was infested by jiggers which almost immobilised  the children. Their clothes were worn out and dirty.

The following day, Eunice visited the family to help treat their jiggers and clean up their home.

Since then, she has never looked back and started looking after the elderly and orphaned children, and would source for clothes for them.

She also consolidated women into groups to empower and support each other.

Eunice who had been widowed in 1993 says she went through many challenges that changed her perspective in life.

"I realised that the issues I faced as a widow were similar to a single mother’s and made a decision to help where I could," she said.

Before long, people with extra clothes and foodstuff would bring them to her home as donations to the needy families.

It was while working in the villages that Ahadi Kenya Trust, an anti-jigger organisation, approached her for partnership in 2003.

The group complements her work and is able to provide necessities that she cannot provide in her charitable work.

Some 58 children from Kandara are now being sponsored through secondary education by Kenyatta Trust through Ahadi Kenya Trust.

“I am not paid to do what I do, but am happy that God has blessed my children enough to even buy me a car that I use to help the needy where I can,” she said.

Eunice said she has also worked with the Kenya Red Cross Society.

In June last year, Eunice mobilised over 20 teenage girls that had fallen pregnant in an event that was highly criticised by some residents.

But the philanthropist says she does not regret organising the event that was attended by some local leaders and organisations as it helped empower the girls.

“It breaks my heart when I see teens impregnated by adult members of the society and do not get justice yet their lives are totally changed,” she said, adding that most of the girls have resumed their education.

-Edited by SKanyara