This Mother's Day, we wanted to shine the light on a few of our Ubuntu Mums! We have so many great Mums that are apart of Ubuntu that it was very hard to pick just 4 but these ladies have a long history with us and we could not LOVE them any more. Let's hear their stories -
Beatrice Nduta:
"My name is Beatrice. I am a mother of three girls. I knew Ubuntu through my second born daughter Joy, who was suffering from meningitis. Ubuntu Life Foundation offers therapy to kids with special needs, and I started to take my daughter. Later I joined Maker Mum's studio after receiving a huge order from Whole Foods, I was introduced to how to use the machines.
That was the turning point of my life.
In 2013 My daughter's sickness deteriorated and she passed on, during that time Ubuntu was mostly employing women who had children with special needs and disabilities. I had many questions - I fearfully asked myself "What if I will be sent back to the community where no one wants to be associated with me?" But when our Co-Founder Zane came to comfort me, he lovingly told me that I am not going anywhere. I thought "Who are those people sharing all of this LOVE that I didn't get even from my community? How will I pay this back? Deeply in my mind I decided I can only pay back with hard work. I went back to school through the salary that I was paid and learned to work with computers. During that time I was promoted from stitching to working the store - keeping Inventory. I went ahead with my studies in business management during that time, and I am now working as a Kenya sales representative. I am a proud Mother and Ubuntu is like a Mother to me."
Jane Wanja:
Jane Wanja is one of the newest members of the Ubuntu Life Foundation team, working as the lead Occupational Therapist, and she happens to be expecting the newest member of her family! Despite her fears of giving birth to her first child during the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been passionate about finding ways to continue to serve the children in our care despite having to close the special needs school and we are grateful for her dedication and passion - something we know she will pass down to her children.
Mary Thuo Kuria:
Many of our followers know Mary as the wife of Ubuntu Life Foundation Co-Founder and Executive Director Jeremiah Kuria. Because of her family connection, Mary has been a part of Ubuntu from the word GO - supporting from the background and behind the scenes for 20 years. In 2019 we finally convinced Mary to join us as an official staff-member of Ubuntu and she has been an incredible resource and leader since that moment. She is a teacher by profession and had known some of the parents in our programs for a long time which has helped in creating trust and respect in the community.
Teresia Kirima:
Teresia has been a Maker Mum at Ubuntu Life since the very beginning. She is the proud mother of 2 sons - Daniel is almost 18 and works out of the home to help provide for his family, and James (we call him Jimmy, he is 8 years old) is a student at the Special Needs Centre. Jimmy has delayed milestones, developmental disabilities, and speaks through sign language. He was one of our first students at the school and is, as anyone who has visited will attest to, an incredibly happy boy with massive energy and spunk - we like to attribute his infectious smile to his beautiful, hardworking mother.
"Be optimistic - always see good things coming regardless of the present situation."
-Beatrice Nduta
"My mother taught me to always be responsible and accountable for myself and my actions, a lesson which I look forward to sharing with my child."
-Jane Wanja
"One of the lessons that I learned is that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and hard work pays."
-Mary Thuo Kuria
" Being myself. Being mannered and organized. Cleanliness! Being self-reliant. All of these things have gotten us where we are and I am forever grateful."
-Teresia Kirima
"A good new bible!"
-Teresia Kirima
"Dancing Music - It makes me feel rejuvenated and joyful."
-Beatrice Nduta
"My favorite game has always been peek-a-boo, so I know that will be a familiar sound in our home!"
-Jane Wanja
"Whenever my kids are at home our favorite game is spoons."
-Mary Thuo Kuria
"Football (soccer in America) - the boys are quite good at it!"
-Teresia Kirima
"Playing together, being their teacher and mentor. We have slowly forgotten the traditional shaking of hands, washing of hands has become normal in our home. We have cultivated home fellowship."
-Beatrice Nduta
"It is not easy to have a college kid and a six year old at home all over sudden. We have started tying a lot of new recipes and eating at home a lot. Exercising together has been the best!"
-Mary Thuo Kuria
"Right now we are focusing on being safe and staying healthy. I’m focusing on being always at home and making hand-washing a habit with the boys."
-Teresia Kirima
"To be a God fearing and what goes around comes around."
-Beatrice Nduta
"The best advice I received from my mum was be humble - always be open minded, be hardworking, and be kind."
-Jane Wanja
"Best advice, always believe in yourself and always be a risk taker."
-Mary Thuo Kuria
