Esther Wanjiru Kariuki lives in a settlement area above the road to Kijabe, and the path to her home is so steep and muddy that it is very difficult to reach her. Esther has been a widow for six years and lives with her nine surviving children and 20 grandchildren in a group of small, corrugated iron houses. Despite all the mud and rain, Esther’s kerchief and blouse are snowy white and her green patterned skirt is bright. And despite the uncertainty of her life – she is only renting this property and could be chased away at any time because of the possible construction of a railway line – she has a positive energy about her that can only be attributed to her faith. As she says, Christ is her Saviour.
The solar lights will help her in many ways, one of which is to ease the problems with her eyes she has been having because of kerosene smoke. She is extremely pleased that her costs to operate her phone and light her house will be gone. We’re glad we struggled up and down the path to visit her; everyone was encouraged by our time together.
