By K Dudi, IDAK Foundation
Carren Anyango is a woman whose quiet strength has anchored her through nearly five decades of life in Nairobi. At 82 years old, her story is a testament to unwavering resilience—a life lived on the front lines of Nairobi’s informal economy, marked by hard work, profound personal loss, and deep endurance.
Today, she faces her twilight years with acute vulnerability, without a stable home or family caregiver.
49 Years of Honest Labour
Carren first moved to Nairobi in 1976 and settled in Kibera, the community that has been her home ever since. She lost her husband shortly after, in 1980, and carried on alone, providing for her family through relentless casual labour.
By 1984, Carren secured domestic employment, serving European and later Indian families. For an astonishing 24 consecutive years (until 2005), she served faithfully as a house help. Her life has been defined by consistency and honest service, earning her immense respect among her neighbours.
But time and tragedy have taken their toll. Out of her children, two have passed away, leaving her with no direct support structure. She has survived loss and hardship, only to face a final chapter stripped of comfort and security.
The Cost of Perseverance
The years of demanding physical work began to break her body. Since 1999, Carren has struggled with a severe physical condition that started as small pimples and worsened into painful, chronic sores and swelling, eventually resulting in a permanent physical disability.
She now battles chronic pain and severe arthritis, relying heavily on painkillers just to get through the day.
This relentless pain finally forced her to stop working in 2025. Despite having lived in the same Kibera plot for 42 years, her home is not owned, and she has no stable place to return to in her ancestral village in Homa Bay County. At 82, after nearly fifty years of providing for others, Carren is now fully dependent on sporadic support from kind well-wishers for food and rent.
Restoring Dignity in Her Final Chapter
Carren is soft-spoken, dignified, and hopeful for a stable life. Her case is a powerful call to action for the IDAK Social Protection and Dignified Aging Program. We believe that after a lifetime of hard labour, Carren deserves security, comfort, and peace.
Our intervention is focused on stability and care, with a target of KSh 265,000 (£1,580) to cover essential needs:
| Intervention | Purpose | Estimated Cost |
| Resettlement Support | To secure a modest, accessible, and stable home, allowing her to live safely and securely, potentially in her rural home where costs may be lower. | KSh 165,000 |
| Medical & Nutrition | Access to regular pain management, medical treatment, and nutritional assistance to manage her chronic conditions. | KSh 50,000 |
| Psychosocial Support | Emotional counselling and community integration to combat the isolation that often accompanies old age and loss. | KSh 25,000 |
| Caregiver Linkage | Coordination with local networks for consistent check-ins and welfare monitoring. | KSh 25,000 |
By providing this support, we can ensure:
- Safe and stable housing.
- Improved physical and emotional well-being.
- Restored dignity and community belonging.
Carren Anyango worked tirelessly for a generation. Now, it is our opportunity to ensure her remaining years are not spent in quiet struggle, but in the security she has rightfully earned. A small investment can truly have a transformative impact on her life.
