Single Mother Roasts and Hawks Snacks to Educate Six Children After Abandonment

Veronica Lenia wakes up by 6:30am in Mbuya, Kampala, to roast simsim, groundnuts, corn, soya, and snacks like daddies over a fire. She often works until late at night, sometimes grabbing just four hours of sleep before starting again. The next days involve hawking her products on foot through Kitintale, Mutungo, Luzira, and beyond.

Her business started out of necessity in 2009 when the father of her children abandoned the family. A friend taught her the trade, beginning with 20kg of simsim. When the friend left for the village, she handed over her customer base, helping Lenia expand.

Lenia faced a major setback supplying a supermarket chain on credit, losing Shs8.5 million when they vanished without payment. Despite this, she took microfinance loans to cover school fees and restock, cycling through debt until last year when she managed without borrowing.

All six children have progressed in education thanks to her efforts. Her fourth-born son, Maxwell Allen Aribo, recently achieved a perfect 20/20 in Senior Six and aspires to become a surgeon, hoping for a government scholarship. Her second-born daughter earned a bursary, though a mediator once tricked Lenia into overpaying. The eldest son volunteers at Mulago Cancer Institute, while others received university scholarships.

Health issues plague Lenia now—chest pain from heavy loads and weak knees—but she persists, using boda bodas when needed. She dreams of her children’s secure future and advises other single mothers to work tirelessly.

‘I have educated my children, taken them to hospital, clothed them, and given them a roof,’ she says.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)