A Day in the Life of Risper Angugo Ogonda
As told to Loyce Ong’udi
Risper is a grandmother who has full guardianship of three grandchildren between the ages of five and ten. She also works as a custodian at the Mwanzo Education Center (MEC).
When Loyce first asked Risper to describe a day in her life, Risper did not directly respond, but beamed with a smile while tears rolled down her face. She remarked, “Nyar yuora, akia ni di tinde bende pod angima—erokamano kuom ng’wono ni, ng’ama dine ndik otiya kaka an?”
“I don’t think I’d still be alive [without Mwanzo]. Thanks for your kindness and that of your friends. Who else would employ an old woman like me?”
Risper’s Day
On weekdays, Risper wakes at 5:00 a.m. and begins to work in her garden. By 6:00, if there is no rain, she harvests her maize, then leaves the cobs to dry in the sun. Risper then makes the ten-minute walk to MEC to draw water from the school’s cistern tanks for her family’s bathing. Upon return, she prepares her three grandchildren for school: Vivian Achieng’ (10), Sarah Opise (7), and Sammy Ochieng’ (5). After bathing, the children put on their school uniforms and eat porridge or drink tea. At 7:30, the family leaves together for MEC.
Risper took Sarah in at two weeks old. Vivian and Sammy have lived with their grandmother for two years, as their mother suffers from severe night blindness and their father has a disability. Night blindness affects Risper and several of her family members. A year ago, Risper underwent corrective surgery and now has regained 70% of her sight at night.
After arriving at the school at 7:40, Risper begins to clean the classrooms. Once the school day begins at 8:00, she walks a mile to grind corn for cornmeal, which MEC uses for school feeding. Meanwhile, Millicent and Patricia, members of the nutrition team, prepare food for students and staff. When Risper returns to the school, she cleans the restrooms and helps the kitchen staff clean the dining hall and the cups and dishes from the children’s breaktime, while others continue with lunch preparation.
At noon, Risper assists Millicent and Patricia to serve lunch to the early childhood development (ECD) classes (ages 2-5) with the help of their teachers. Next, the team prepares the dining hall for the primary school students’ lunch (grades 1-6). Once the primary school students return to their classrooms and the ECD students go down for their afternoon nap, Risper begins to help with the washing of the dining hall and dishes.
At 4:00 p.m., as students gather for the end-of-day assembly, Risper cleans the classrooms again to ensure that they are in good order after continued use. Risper travels to school each day with an empty 20-liter jerrycan. Once the school day ends at 4:30 p.m., she fills the can with water, gathers her grandchildren, and leaves for home.
Upon reaching home, Risper searches for firewood while collecting greenery and other feed for her two cows. She gives water to her cows, feeds them, and goes to her garden to weed, harvest, or plough, depending on the season. Risper then harvests vegetables from her kitchen garden.
In this moment, while sharing the story of her day with Loyce, Risper paused. She expressed gratitude for Mwanzo’s support through providing fertilizer and alkaline for community members’ gardens. Using these tools, Risper has grown a flourishing garden and robust corn – which she donates to MEC and uses to feed her family.
Vivian, Sarah, and Sammy help their grandmother prepare dinner by removing corn from the cob. After dinner, the family prays together. Once the children have gone to bed, and after washing dishes, Risper removes corn from the cob for another two hours. At 10:30, after a day of service to her grandchildren and community, Risper retires to bed, ready for a new day tomorrow.
