Lucy Macharia in the tea plantation scheme.
By: Lucy Macharia
Worth Noting:
- We could wake up at dawn go in other farms early to grab the first opportunities. I vividly recall how she could ensure am well placed in the tea plantation lines to keep me moving in a high speed and as well have many kilograms at the end of the day.
- She ensured am not left behind so as not to be fired by the farm managers and to secure the job chance for the next day. the tasks were so hard, so unbearable but deadly tiresome and poorly paid but had to do them more since there was no other best part of life.
Life got at its best, growing up in a middle class family not under privilege and not so advantaged if so to say. My parents had no permanent jobs though they went to every extends to raise us in their best way possible.
Unfortunately, even I was a year old, my father was involved in an accident which claimed off his life and mama as we used to call her had to take up all the responsibilities. Her role of parenting seemed to be the best since she became the sole equilibrium in all dimensions of our life. As she had few technical skills on how to bake and do tailoring, she ensured her girls got the skills with a notion of they will be applicable sometimes in future.
Being born from Murang’a county where tea and coffee are the main cash crops, they created a good environment of work and those with no jobs got a place to work as well. Mama taught us on how to work on both in the call of seeking a living. Though we had no big acre of land, the little we had enabled us in the known how if how it’s carried out.
In our village, many people could work on them to cater for their needs and so the skills were of great importance. Since catering everything for us was a big hard deal for mama, she introduced us in few workings to make us earn a better living together.
We could wake up at dawn go in other farms early to grab the first opportunities. I vividly recall how she could ensure am well placed in the tea plantation lines to keep me moving in a high speed and as well have many kilograms at the end of the day. She ensured am not left behind so as not to be fired by the farm managers and to secure the job chance for the next day. the tasks were so hard, so unbearable but deadly tiresome and poorly paid but had to do them more since there was no other best part of life.
I could at least in a day manage to have 20-22 kilograms and since I was in my tender age that was a very good part of it. Each kilogram I was paid 10 sh and at least in a day I could manage to have at least 200 Ksh. That was kind of enough in planning for the Budget of the needs we had.
Many are a times there could be rains in the morning, sleep and the warmth of the blankets could sooth you demanding more of your company but there was no ground at all for extending sleep. Mama could come in our bedroom only carry and take out our blankets and in that coldness could not afford to sleep anymore. The pain that emerged wearing heavy clothes understanding better that it will definitely be wet and could maintain that the rest of the day was one of the worst experiences we had.
Having no privilege of being in academy school, I pursued my primary education in a newbie village public school and got an opportunity of joining a better secondary school on the same. The donkey work at home with no extension of rest, gave me enough morale of working smart in school to even at least have the young mama smile. After my seconds’ education, everyday was a day of facing daily chores alongside waiting for the placement in Rongo University to pursue bachelors in mass media and communication.
It was a night mare to believe it but that was one thing that encouraged me with pursuing my goals. Currently in forth year almost widing it up and the much involvements in school works sheds more light on the Future ahead.
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