What We Do
Marita Mateus
Marita’s mother found life hard when, after a long treatment from the local witch doctor, her husband died leaving her with 5 children to care for. The youngest of these was Marita who is now the only surviving member of the family.
Eventually Marita and her mother went to Geita to try to find work, leaving the other older children in Tumbili, their home village. They stayed in Geita for 20 years but while they were there Marita’s mother caught leprosy. She was referred for treatment and then admitted to Bukumbi Care Centre in 1989, along with Marita and the 3 children she had while in Geita. The oldest boy died of malaria in 1999, her remaining son is 24 and has a small vegetable garden and lives in a village close by with his wife who sews clothes. Marita is fortunate to see them every week. Her daughter is 23 and has 4 young children, since her husband left her she looks after them alone. She has no work so Marita tries to help her with 5,000/= each month when she visits town.
Marita’s skin has been covered in lumps and bumps since she was a little girl. When she was younger the lumps used to grow and swell, but now they stay the same. The two largest ‘lobes’ on her head hang, but they don’t give her any pain. Marita is able to make hanging basket strings, used to hang storage pots or plants from the rafters. Unfortunately she has a very limited group of people who buy from her, but Bridge2Aid hopes to work with her to improve her skills and expand her group of potential buyers!