Hatice leaves home before sunrise. The soles of her shoes are already worn thin, but she keeps walking. Her children and elderly mother-in-law are waiting for her at home. Around this time last year, her husband passed away. Since then, the weight of the family has been on her shoulders.

Every day, Hatice walks 15 kilometers to reach the city center. She cleans homes, washes laundry, and does ironing. Even when she is tired, she does not show it.

“I have to keep walking every day for my children,” she says.

On the first day of Eid al-Adha this year, we knocked on her door and delivered a share of Qurbani meat. Hatice welcomed us with her twin children. There was surprise in her eyes, and then joy.

After taking the Qurbani package in her hands, she smiled and said:

“People who do not even know us helped my children smile this Eid. May Allah be pleased with them.”

Kenya, 2025