Rosemary @ Home

As the 1^st born female daughter of Mama the late Mama Lucia who gave birth to thirteen children, Rosemary Musumba at an early tender age of 5, she was a constant assistant to her mother who was juggling many responsibilities including being a traditional birth attendant, caring for young pregnant mothers who could not walk miles to the nearest health center to deliver. She performed most of the deliveries in rural communities of Budalangi, Busia County of Kenya.

Budalangi is situated in the Western part of the country, next to the shores of Lake Victoria, bordering Uganda, and takes about 8 hours drive from the capital city of Nairobi. Due to its poor infrastructure and management, it has been prone to perennial floods when the banks of River Nzoia and Yala break its banks intermittently thus exacerbating the critical health situation of the community especially when those displaced stays in camps and among host communities.

Other than being her mother’s helper, Rosemary was the 1^st in her family to get a college education, where she studies communication, international relations, and sociology, thus being among the early broadcasters at the then Voice of Kenya, the only Government controlled broadcasting station at the time in the late 1980s. As an editor and radio programs producer, she produced a number of radio pieces with a focus on the empowerment of women and girls. She also mentored many young women and men, a trait she has carried on to date.

During her stint at the United Nations, she held various positions in a number of countries especially in conflict and post-conflict countries (Iraq, Turkey, Niger, Liberia, Central African Republic, Guinea as a Communications advisor.

Rosemary Musumba has continued to inspire, mentor, and support numerous projects in rural Kenya.

Home is where you make it