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Grandmother’s Heart, Belleville, Ontario (2026)

Growing up in a broken home in rural Kenya, Jackie Dibben fondly remembers the love and compassion of her uneducated yet very wise grandmother. This busy woman raised 13 children of her own and managed a 35 acre farm, yet throughout her life she charitably gave food and money to local farm workers and hungry strangers. She passed away in early 2022, but not before leaving an indelible impression o

n her grandaughter. In early 2021, when the world was gripped with the Covid 19 pandemic, Jackie was challenged to look again at the dire circumstances many women and girls face in rural Kenya. She, and her husband, Peter, decided to do something and Grandmother`s Heart (GH) was created. At first, GH helped provide food to struggling households in Kenya; business start-up grants followed shortly after. Grandmother's Heart is a unique blend of African values and Western pragmatism. By combining the best of both worlds, GH leverages Canadian generosity while remaining sensitive to traditional Kenyan customs. With multiple trusted partners on the ground, sponsors are assured that funds reach the intended audience with the very minimum of program expenses and government interferrence. Grandmother's Heart is a Christian ministry, motivated by the compassion of Jesus and practiced by those who love Him. Although not yet registered as a charity in Canada, all donations and program disbursements are carefully recorded and are available for review. Future plans:
Peter and Jackie recently purchased 3 1/2 acres of land in Kisii, Kenya where they are starting to build a vocational training centre for women. Instruction on traditional skills like tailoring, knitting, cooking, agriculture and hairdressing will empower local women with their own source of income, and will allow them to make their own life choices. Life-skills classes will also be offered free of charge to locals of all ages. Ultimately, through sales of their products to the local community, GH intends to become a self- sustaining and environmentally-friendly non-profit ministry, making a real difference in the lives of many of God's most-impoverished.

06/26/2025

This month we managed to visit farmworkers whereby we gave them shopping and maize for corn flour. We also distributed bras and underwear to a local church. last but not least we visited Moraa with things to improve her daily life.

Below are the families we visited;

1. Aurelia Nyanchama
Aurelia is a farm worker. She is a new mother with a three weeks old baby. We interacted and she told me that she couldn’t complete high school due to lack of school fees. She was in form two when her dad lost his job. There are other five siblings who follow her, so the mother told her that at least for her she has finished primary school, let others also reach to that level. So, they started working together with her mother to raise school fees for the other siblings.

They could trek long distance to come to Nyansiongo scheme to pluck tea with her mother. They used to wake up very earlier such that by 8:am they were at the farm. After quite a long time she found a boyfriend whom they used to pluck tea together and they got married. They rented a house here at scheme and have been plucking tea for their survival. She’s been married for three years now.

Life has not been easy as the husband is a drunkard so the little money he gets, he uses it for drinking. Aurelia told me that she was forced to go back to plucking tea after just three weeks of delivering a baby because she was dying of hunger. The husband as usual doesn’t care. He continued with his normal life as a drunkard. He doesn’t provide anything.

I didn’t know she had given birth when I visited her so I revisited her again whereby I gave her a baby set and some baby clothes. On this day I couldn’t find her at home as she had gone to make a call to her mother from a neighbor because she doesn’t own a phone. So, I had to wait for her. She really appreciated our support.

2. Marion Nelima
Marion is one of the farmworkers who we visited in march and here was her story;

Marion has two kids the eldest is three years and the youngest is six months. She is also a farm worker. When I interacted with her, she told me that she plucks tea whereby she is being paid on a monthly basis, but because she goes to the farm with the kids who keeps on disturbing, you find out that per month, she has plucked like 70kgs of tea which is equivalent to ($ 8.75) not even enough to purchase food so it’s even difficult to buy clothes for the kids.

She was really very happy when we visited her for the second time again. I gave her the shopping and she really appreciated a lot.

3. Phylis
She is also a farmworker and here was her story;

Phylis who is a farm worker told me that she is living on a rental house of which she pays rent on a monthly basis. She has three children whereby the eldest is in grade two. Her husband left them whereby he told them that he was going to be employed as a farmworker where he would be taking care of cattle. It’s now over one year she has never heard from him. She decided to move on with life and take care of her kids. Her second born is two years and third born is 10 months.

She depends on working on people farm to get food more especially plucking tea. She told me she has to go to work with her children since there is no one to live them home with. As usual kids are disturbing so she can’t work very well. When plucking tea, people are being paid according to the number of kilos you pluck, so for her you find out that per day, she can pluck like 10kgs which is equivalent to ($1.25). The money is not even enough to purchase even one tin of maize.

Paying rent was a challenge to her, one time the landlord kicked her out of the house with her children because she delayed to pay rent, she had nowhere to go to, were it not for the neighbors who came to her rescue by raising rent money, that day, she had planned to commit su***de. I gave her some shopping and baby clothes; she was very appreciative.

Today when I visited her, I didn’t find her at home, I had to wait for her. When she came back, she told me that she had gone to borrow maize such that she can be able to take to the mill so as to be able to make food for her children. Bad luck, she wasn’t given the maize because she was not having money. She came back stranded, overthinking of how the children will sleep without food.

Luckily enough I had carried two tins of maize and some shopping. She couldn’t believe it, she saw it as a miracle, I also gave her money to go and grind the maize. She was so much happy and thankful.

She also told me that the landlady was about to kick her out of the house due to accrued rent of two months. She looked so depressed. Imagine being kicked out of the house with the kids having nowhere to go to.

I gave her one month rent and she was so much appreciative. She said if she pays that money the landlady will at least spare her up to the next month. She truly never expected that much from us. She was so much thankful.

4. Mariamu Nyanchera
Mr. Osoro raised a concern about Mariamu who comes from Matibo village. So, we planned for a visit. We visited in the morning and we found her seated outside. She said she hasn’t eaten for two days because she had nothing to eat.

When I interacted with her, she told me she is an orphan. She was never married. But before her mother died, village elders came together and divided some piece of land for her and asked her brothers never even one day should they think of chasing her and acquiring that piece of land. That’s because most families here when a girl is not married and then both parents die, the brothers tend to chase that girl away such that they take that piece of land. Girls are meant to acquire land in their husbands’ place which is wrong because not all women get the opportunity to get married. Some women are even forced to leave their marriages because you find out that the husband is violent. So, the only place they find peace is in their parents’ home. But you find out that when the parents have died, the brother chase them away.

Mariamu has been living happily in her parents’ house without any problem from her brothers. But she said that they don’t even visit her. Later she developed a wound on her leg which continued to expand and she was confirmed to be suffering from cancer. This made her not to work on farm and depend on begging food from people. Even her own brothers don’t support her. They can’t even give her food. She is living all alone in the house their parents left for her.

After hearing that she hasn’t taken anything for two days Mr. Osoro gave her some money to go and buy food. In my shopping I had bread and sugar, so we told her to prepare tea such that she can drink and be able to get some strength to go and buy the food. She seems to be so weak and she stays all alone. She said nobody visits her, she was so much happy for our visit and appreciated a lot.

5. Bousi
She is the blind woman whom we have been visiting monthly. She was happy when we introduced ourselves. She was making strong tea. She likes telling good old stories. This time she was alone as her grandkids were at school. She said how she used to walk from Matibo all the way to Nyansiongo to great Tabitha Keire (Jackie’s grandmother) and then Tabitha Keire could give her milk in a small pot to take to her children. That was before she got blind. We gave her the shopping and she really appreciated a lot.

6. Josephine Moraa Suguta
Moraa is the woman who lost her 10 kids plus her husband. Here was her story from the last report;

Josephine Moraa is a widow. One of our volunteers John had raised a concern about her case. We planned for a visit and when we got there, her story made us shed tears.

She was happily married to her lovely husband Moikoyo and were blessed with 13 children. 10 girls and 3 boys. Due to old age and trauma, she couldn’t remember the year she was married.

She then sighed and told us that all her 10 girls passed on and later her husband also passed on. She then showed us the 10 graves in her compound. I was more concerned to know what really happened. She told me that some died when they were toddlers while others died when they were teenagers. She explained that a child would fall sick, she will take her to the hospital but never comes back alive. Others died before even reaching the hospital. A very sad story.

Now she is remaining with three sons. The eldest is working as a farm worker, the second born also survives on doing contracts on people farm and the youngest has a disability. He can hear but doesn’t talk.

I asked john we enter the house to see how they are living in there, it was terrible. Very terrible. She has a bed but no mattress. She sleeps on rags with a tiny blanket. Same with her disabled son, he also sleeps on rags. She only has two old saucepans and some old utensils. No chair.

Before the death of her husband the piece of land was big, but brothers to her husband took all the land living her with just the compound. she had no strength to overpower them. Now she is getting old even going to work on people’s farm is becoming difficult. And that has been her only way of survival.

I gave her the shopping and she was very happy. Even though they have nothing, they gave me a bunch of sweet bananas. Her son who has a disability helped carrying it to the road. I tried convincing them to keep it since they have nothing but she said ‘’my daughter, I’m giving it to you as gift passionately from my heart, the shopping you have given me, nobody has ever done me, so please take it.’’ They were indeed happy for our visit.

This month we purchased a bed, two mattresses and 4blankets for Moraa and her son Meshack, a plastic table and three chairs. Through John our volunteer, church members were requested to volunteer and help smear Moraa’s house of which they did. The house had no windows when I visited last month. It was so dark when I entered inside hence there was no proper air circulation. I had to use light from my phone more especially when I entered the bedroom. We gave out some money for two windows to be purchased. One was fixed in the bedroom and the other in the sitting room.

We hired a vehicle which helped in transporting the items. Upon arrival people who helped smear the house were there whereby they witnessed Moraa getting new bed, mattress and blankets, table and chairs. Not only that, her son was also going to get new beddings. Her son was sleeping on dirty rags whereby he put some wood together as a bed. He was so happy for the new beddings, even if he doesn’t talk, you can tell that from the smile on his face.

Josephine had a bed which we gave out to his son as it was still in good condition. We also gave them some new clothes and they were really happy. Some church members who were present helped in burning the old dirty rags. Josephine and her son were really overjoyed to have new beddings and clothes.

Josephine’s brother was informed that we were going to visit his sister whereby he also came to see a miracle happening to his sister. Josephine happened to get married just nearby her home. He was also very happy but couldn’t be able to express himself. I got to learn that all Josephine’s siblings were born with a mental defect including Josephine. Like they need somebody to direct them on what they are supposed to do. For example, somebody has to remind them that they need to take shower, wash their clothes, sweep the house.

Josephine was wearing the knitted sweater that we gave her last time we visited her. She said that she likes the sweater a lot as it keeps her warm. She also told me that she sees me as her daughter since all her daughters died. She was telling people ‘’you see how daughters can take care of their parents’’ that’s because when we first visited her, I went up to her bedroom where no one has ever entered to know the situation over there but I got the courage to go up to her bedroom and now I have surprised her with new beddings. She was very much thankful. She further said that this is a miracle in her life and its like God has brought her a daughter she always desired for in her old age.

Later I got a call from one of the church members who told me that he was so much thankful for the support we gave to Josephine. He then added that he has never seen such kind of support in his community. It was like a miracle more especially to the person who is in dire need. He finished by saying that surely God really exists. He was so much appreciative.

Visit to college girls

I did visit the college girls after they resumed back to school. I did buy them shopping as usual and also went to school whereby I paid school fees for Annastancia and Cyprine

I also paid for all the five girls final exam fee which will commence on July and end in August and that will be their college completion so far all have been doing well except two who had some issues in their last exam but it was not their mistake.

DISTRIBUTION OF BRAS AND UNDERWEAR

1. IGWERO CHURCH
I visited women and girls at Igwero church. They were having a crusade. I gave them bras and underwear. They really appreciated a lot.

Judith said that is the best gift she has ever received. She added that she has never seen this kind of bras in the market. They seem to be of good quality. She was so much thankful.

Fridah also said that she can’t remember the last time she went to the market to buy a bra. It’s been quite a long time because of poverty, she can’t even imagine of purchasing one soon either. She said she wears some old bra which is torn. She was so much happy to have received a new bra.

Grace a single mother narrated the hardships she passes through in raising her four children. She told me that her husband is a drunkard who doesn’t care about her nor her children. She was lucky to have received a bra and her children also got underwear.

04/22/2025

alone to take care of the kids whereby you find out that men ran away from responsibilities. Others who stay back are not better either, they are drunkards who also makes life more difficult.
You will also find highlights from local churches and school where we distributed bras, underwear & ponchos. It was really breathtaking.
Below are the families that we visited.
1. Phylis Moraa
2. Faith Kwamboka
3. Marion Nelima
4. Esther
5. Naom
6. Bousi
7. Baby Sandra Family
8. Scholarship girls

1. Phylis Moraa
Phylis who is a farm worker told me that she is living on a rental house of which she pays rent on a monthly basis. She has three children whereby the eldest is in grade two. Her husband left them whereby he told them that he was going to be employed as a farmworker where he would be taking care of cattle. It’s now over one year she has never heard from him. She decided to move on with life and take care of her kids. Her second born is two years and third born is 10 months.
She depends on working on people farm to get food more especially plucking tea. She told me she has to go to work with her children since there is no one to live them home with. As usual kids are disturbing so she can’t work very well. When plucking tea, people are being paid according to the number of kilos you pluck, so for her you find out that per day, she can pluck like 10kgs which is equivalent to ($1.25). The money is not even enough to purchase even one tin of maize.
Paying rent was a challenge to her, one time the landlord kicked her out of the house with her children because she delayed to pay rent, she had nowhere to go to, were it not for the neighbors who came to her rescue by raising rent money, that day, she had planned to commit su***de.
I gave her some shopping and baby clothes; she was very appreciative.
2. Marion Nelima
Marion has two kids the eldest is three years and the youngest is six months. She is also a farm worker. When I interacted with her, she told me that she plucks tea whereby she is being paid on a monthly basis, but because she goes to the farm with the kids who keeps on disturbing, you find out that per month, she has plucked like 70kgs of tea which is equivalent to ($ 8.75) not even enough to purchase food so it’s even difficult to buy clothes for the kids.
U will see from the pictures her three-year-old son wearing old torn clothes. I gave her some clothes and knitted sweaters and baby set for her baby. She was overjoyed and very much thankful. I also gave her some shopping where she appreciated a lot.
3. Faith Kwamboka
Faith lives together with her husband. They have two children whereby the eldest is two years and the youngest is one year. Due to poverty, they both agreed to send their first-born child to go and live with faith’s sister because it was hard for them to go work on the farm with the baby. And most people don’t like it when you go to work on their farm with the baby. They are really struggling to get food. sometimes the contracts are not available so they sometimes go to bed hungry. We gave clothes to her two months baby and a baby set. We also gave her shopping. She really appreciated.
4. Esther
Esther is a single mother, she had a boyfriend whereby when he realized that she is pregnant, the boyfriend ran away. She has been through the journey all alone. Doing contracts on people’s farms to earn a living. She later delivered the baby and is now 5months. The parents who are also farm workers won’t manage to take care of her and the baby, because of poverty. So, Esther began to pluck tea when the child was just two months. Because there was nobody to provide for her. She was so much thankful for our visit.
5. Naom
Naom was married before and were blessed with two children. She told me that during her period in marriage, she went through a lot of pain as the husband was so violent. He used to get drunk and start fights. One time he was at home with the eldest child who was by then three years and Naomi had gone to work on people farm to get food, the husband left the baby alone whereby he went to drink as usual and the worst happened. There was an open well around their home and the child fell inside and unfortunately, he lost his life.
Naom was patient enough, she endured it all hoping that one day her husband will change and maybe stop harming her when he is drunk but this never happened. He even got more worse. Naom became pregnant and thought maybe he will spare her, but he didn’t, and this made Naomi to leave to save her life and that of her unborn child. She left to Nyansiongo scheme whereby she rented a house and started plucking tea on people farm to get food. Her child Is now six months.
She said despite the challenges, she is doing good and has peace of mind now. I gave her some baby clothes and shopping. She was so much happy for our impromptu visit.
6. Bousi
Bousi is the blind woman whom we have been visiting on a monthly basis. I went there morning hours and she we still sleeping. I had to wait for like 15 minutes for her to open the door because her body was so weak and trembling. She then informed me that her grandchild whom they used to sleep together went to visit their parents. So, she stays alone, her health was not that well because I realized even her legs had started to swell.
I asked her how she gets food to eat now that she is sick, she told me that if there is food in the house, she can prepare something to eat. She added that the cash and shopping we have been giving her on a monthly basis, has kept her going. Otherwise, she could have died long time ago because of hunger.
She then remembered back then when her children used to visit her, more especially her daughters, but death took them all away. Out of seven children, six are deceased. Only one son remaining but he doesn’t seem to take care of her aging mother.
Our monthly visits have really kept her going and she is very much appreciative. Were it not for the support she is getting from GH, she couldn’t be alive up to today.
7. Baby Sandra
I visited baby Sandra whereby I gave her a special wrap from Grandma Sandra. I found out that she is now crawling. She is growing so fast. I gave them the shopping and they really appreciated. Baby Sandra’s grandmother was so much thankful for the monthly support towards baby Sandra milk. She said the milk has really helped in boosting the health of the baby.
8. College girls
I visited college girls whereby I found out they were doing well. They are doing their end term exams before breaking for April holiday.

Distribution of bras, ponchos and underwear
1. Nyagacho SDA church
I gave out bras and ponchos to women at Nyagacho sda church. Nyagacho church is found in Matibo village. Through Mr. Osoro I was connected to the church elder who gave me the number of women in the church and later I planned a visit. I do carry different sizes whereby each one of them gets the correct size because not all of them knows their sizes unless they fit it on.
There was one who wears size 48 and had thought that her size was not there so she was just seated back there when others were busy fitting. I asked her why she isn’t fitting, she then told me that I wear oversize and my size can’t be there. I had carried a piece of 48, I gave her to fit and guess what it fitted her perfectly. She was indeed happy and said that even in the market getting her size is a very big problem. She was overjoyed.
Susan was so happy to have received a bra. She quoted a verse from psalms 41:1-3 which says that happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble. The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives; He will make them happy in the land; He will not abandon them to the power of their enemies. The lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health… she also said words of blessings to GH donors for the wonderful job they are doing in their community. She was so thankful.
Gesare was also happy. She said that the little money they get, they use it to buy food so it makes it hard for one to buy a bra and leave to buy food. she was so much thankful.
Jane was so thankful. She said that if you get to see the kind of bra she was wearing, it’s so old. She was happy now that she has gotten one. She added that this was really a precious gift which most of them can’t afford.
I also gave ponchos to the four elderly women. They were so happy and appreciative since most elderly women don’t wear bras.
2. St. Josephs Mukasa high school
I visited girls whereby I gave them bras and underwear. When I was addressing them before giving them out, I announced that we are privileged to have underwear in our distribution and each one of them is going to get a bra and an underwear. The girls smiled and then clapped. They were so much happy as almost all of them comes from humble backgrounds where getting such basic items is a challenge.
I met with two girls under scholarship program (Elvin and Sarah) they were doing great whereby I encouraged them to concentrate on their studies now that they are not being sent home for school fees unlike other students.

04/05/2025

This month we visited some families and also distributed bras, ponchos and baby sets.
1. Sarah Abira
Sarah is one of the students under the scholarship program. She joined the program this year. Here was her brief history from the January report;
Sarah was born in the year 2006. She was the second born in a family of four girls. She is in grade ten at St. Josephs Mukasa secondary school. Unfortunately, her mother was not married and she died living them very young. Life was so difficult as they were under the care of their grandparents. Taking care of them was a challenge as their grandfather is disabled on both legs and the grandmother is epileptic…
I visited them this month to check how they are doing. I didn’t find Sarah at home as she had gone to fetch water from the river since they were home for half term break. The grandparents were so much appreciative for all that GH did to Sarah. From scholarship to buying her a full school uniform. They were so much thankful.
2. Nyamweya
Nyamweya is one of GH beneficiaries whom we have been visiting on a monthly basis. He is mentally challenged together with his wife.
I found out Nyamweya’s daughter had brought water from the river to wash her father’s clothes but she was stranded because there was no soap and there was no money to go and purchase one. Thank God I had included soap in my shopping. They were really happy and the girl told me that now she was going to even wash her father’s blankets. They were so much happy. I gave Nyamweya some cash to go and shave her head. He was so much appreciative.
3. Bousi
Bousi is the blind woman who is in her mid-90s. We have been visiting her on a monthly basis.
When I visited, she was sleeping on her bed, I knocked the door and she welcomed me inside while still in bed. The door was not locked. I introduced myself and she immediately woke up and came to the sitting room. She was very much happy for our regular visits. She told me if it wasn’t for me, she couldn’t have woken up because she has not been feeling so well from the previous week. Her legs were swollen. I gave her the shopping and she was so much thankful. I also gave her some cash whereby she told me she was going to send her granddaughter to go and get her some meat so that she can prepare it and drink some soup. She likes meat a lot. She was really very happy.
4. Nyanchama
Nyanchama was very happy when she saw us. She told me that her cow is now doing very well and it keeps her busy all day haha (looking for cow feeds all day). I gave her the shopping and she was so thankful. She then told me that she had no sugar to make tea so that day she didn’t take anything for breakfast. She said its God who directed us to visit her this month. She was so much appreciative and she didn’t forget to send her regards to all GH donors for enabling her reach this far.
Each time we visit her, she keeps on mentioning words of blessings to GH for ensuring that she got a new house. When she thinks of that old house, she surely said that if she was still staying there, she could have been dead by now because that house fell down. She was so thankful and said that GH saved her life. she added that our visits make her feel that her only daughter who died many years ago is still alive because she used to visit her. She was really grateful.
5. Baby Sandra
We visited baby Sandra and this time round she was so grown and healthy. All thanks to her grandmother who takes care of her. I didn’t find her grandmother at home she had gone to collect water from the river because it’s now a dry season here in Kenya and people go to long distances to get water as most families can’t afford water tanks to collect enough water during the rainy season. So, baby Sandra was with her auntie. I gave them the shopping and they really appreciated.
6. Mrs. Onkonga
Mrs. Onkonga is one of the elderly couples that we have been visiting. During the Christmas distribution the husband was sick and was admitted at the hospital but unfortunately, he passed on earlier Jan.
We visited her this month after she lost her husband. She was doing well. We didn’t find her at home, she had gone to work on people’s farm to get food. An elderly woman of her age is not supposed to be doing heavy jobs as such but due to poverty, she is forced to do such heavy jobs. She told me if she doesn’t go to work on people’s farms, she won’t get anything to eat so she has to do it.
I gave her the shopping and she was so much thankful. She also appreciated our regular visits by saying it’s of great importance to her. Sometimes you find out that there is nothing in the house, but our visits with some shopping keeps them going because the contracts they do on people’s farms are not available on a daily basis.

Visit to college girls
I visited college girls at school whereby I paid exam fee for Rachael. The first series of exams which Rachael did in November last year was released and she did exceptionally well. Next series will be in march 2025.
Distribution of bras, ponchos and baby sets
1. St. Mathias Mulumba girls
I took bras to girls at St. Mathias Mulumba girls’ secondary school. The girls were overjoyed as most of them comes from very poor backgrounds whereby you found out that one has only one bra which she washes only during weekends.
Dorcas, the school captain, said that this was really a great inspiration to the girls to hold each other’s hand in time of need. She also added that ‘’to the girls, a bra is like a basic need and yes most of us have only one’’ she was so much thankful on behalf of all girls and said that this was indeed a wonderful gift to them. Now those with only one bra have gotten another one to exchange with. They were really appreciative.
2. Nyasike SDA
I also gave bras, ponchos and baby sets to women at Nyasike SDA church. The women we so happy. One of them by the name Esther said that most women here don’t afford money to buy a bra because the little money they get they focus on buying food, so most of them doesn’t wear bras because they can’t afford it. She was really appreciative and said that this was like a miracle. Now women can at least have a bra.
Janet said that they have never seen this happen in their community before, this is a gift from God. She was so thankful to Grandmother’s heart donors for remembering them. They never imagined that there could be somebody who could sit down and think that women need bras and start donating them for free. This was outstandingly impressive. They were really happy and thankful.
I gave baby sets to two expectant women and they were so much thankful. One of them (Sarah) said that this will help her as she is struggling with life. At least even if the baby comes, you find out that she has a baby set to kickstart her off.
We also gave ponchos to two elderly women. They were really happy and said that they will be wearing them during the cold season. They were all thankful.

Address

Belleville
Ontario

Website

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