Battled infertility? This story will show you that you're much more than a mother
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| “I ask myself every day – ‘Who I am in this world? Is this the life I was meant to live?’ there is no one to love or help me” – Grace Kambini. |
Fifty-seven year
old Grace Kambini popularly known as Mama Chips says she got married out of
societal expectations, whereby women are expected to get married to earn
respect from their communities.
After nine years
in her marriage, she realized that she could not give birth. Both her husband
and his relatives started abusing and insulting Grace.
The abuse and
insults extended to her home where she was tortured and frequently denied food
for weeks at a time. Her husband did not care about her woes.
“I remember
asking my husband, how long I will continue to live this misery. He replied
-You refuse to leave my house as if your parents are dead, if they are dead you
should ask them to open their grave so you may join them. You are of no use to
me-. Every time I remember his insult or talk about it, I feel faint and out of
breath. Due to the stress I endured I suffered hypertension and Diabetes, now
my life is about injecting insulin day and night.” Grace said crying.
She had nowhere
to go. Unfortunately, Grace has no living relatives on her mother's side and
her in-laws did not seem to care about her suffering. At one point, Grace's
husband even asked her to go back to her late parent's home and wake them from
their graves so they can accommodate her.
Grace says that
she did not have money but she soldiered on. There was a point in her marriage
where she missed her periods for a month. The following month she started
bleeding excessively instead of getting her period. She was also vomiting
profusely.
She decided to
seek medical advice to find out what was wrong with her. The doctor advised her
to go for an operation since she was pregnant and the fetus was developing in
her fallopian tubes instead of the uterus. Her husband of
ten years has divorced her and she started living alone with no one to support
or advise her. Life became harder with each passing day.
“I still ask myself “Who I am in this
world? Is this the life I was meant to
live?” There is no one to love or help me; I have nowhere to go when I travel
to the village my brothers’ wives constantly insult me”. She described her desperate situation on her
video.
She started her
own small business selling chips by the roadside to help sustain her – hence
the nickname “Mama Chips”.
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Grace Kambini at her vegetable stand in Kibera.
Watch her video:
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Grace advises young couples to visit hospitals regularly and seek
solutions as a couple saying, “If
I was younger with the knowledge that I have now, I would have explored better
fertility options to better my life, but now I am too
old”.
Her
story continues to get several views on social media via the popular “Merck
more than a Mother” campaign. The campaign seeks to reduce the stigmatization
and social suffering of infertile women in Africa.
“The “Merck more than a Mother” campaign
launched the “Empowering Berna” initiative at the recently concluded CSW60, and
it aims to empower underprivileged
infertile women who have past the stage of receiving treatment. The initiative
helps them establish their own small business and build their own independent
lives.” Rasha Kelej, Chief Social Officer, Merck Healthcare.
Stay
tuned to see what happened to Grace after Meeting "Merck More than a
Mother” and how “Empowering Berna” project has changed her life. If you would like to share your story, please contact mystory@merckmorethanamother.com.
Let your voice be
heard and Join the conversation on social media:
Disclaimer: This is a featured blog post c/o www.merckmorethanamother.com to highlight the plight of infertile women
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