Damaris at work. This was taken around 2009
Damaris is a hard working, loving mother and grandmother. She has encouraged her sons to do well in school and be good men. We have written emails to each other for years. She goes to her “cyber café” to get internet service and access to a computer. I eagerly read her letters as she tells me about her life in Kenya. She has shared her grief over losing her beloved grandparents a few months apart, several years ago. I know her favorite food (vegetables and rice), and what she does for a living (washes clothes). I loved seeing a photo of her holding the book I had mailed to her. I mailed her instant coffee one time, wondering if she would like it – she didn’t!
I also used to mail small amounts of cash, hidden inside something so it wouldn’t get stolen or lost by the post office. One time, I sent her a small sewing kit and I hid a $5 bill inside. I had folded it over and over to make it really small, then wrapped it in a rubber band to disguise it. She didn’t see it right away and over a year later, I received a note from Hillary that he found her jumping for joy and yelling with excitement because she had just then stumbled upon the hidden five dollars!
She is now raising her granddaughter so Hillary can work and help support the family. She has lost her job as a laundress because of Covid and her two sons have moved back in with her to help with expenses.
Mother Damaris with son Hadson
