Staff Spotlight: Mama Vicky

A conversation with Mama Vicky, who cooks community lunch every day at the GHI’s farm headquarters!

Introduce yourself. How long you have been working in GHI?

Mama Vicky: I am called Mukamanzi Epiphanie, I am 46 years old, and I have worked at GHI for seven years.

What do you do on daily basis for your job?

In general, my job is in the kitchen where I cook here at GHI. I came here in 2012 working as part-time worker for a month and a half. After that, one of the GHI’s kitchen workers got another job and they called me back. That time, we cooked food for the field educators who were training mothers who work with health related things in their communities. Since then, I mostly cook here at the farm in Ndera and we use the hygiene concepts that GHI teaches.

What do you like most about your daily job?

In my job, I like to cook so much because that is my passion. Everybody here knows I cook the best rice.

Which vegetables do you like?

I like cassava leaves so much.

After working here, why do you think that nutrition is important?

Nutrition is important because it helps people to live well, to have a good health without getting sick often, and to have strength to work.

What is a something people do not know about you?

A funny thing that I know about myself is that when I am at home, I like to dance together with the children in the living room. On the television I watch exercise shows and do the exercises while I’m watching, the children laugh.

What message would you like to give to your co-workers?

The message I would like to give is that we have to have courage and do our jobs well. Another thing is that we value our project that we are working on. I wish for every staff member to like GHI just as much as I do. I came here and learned things that also helped my four children.

When you say that GHI changed your life, what do you mean specifically?

I mean that I learned many things from GHI regarding health, and I practiced those things at home. I am thankful that I am working here with GHI.

Thank you!

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Ikiganiro na Mama Vicky, utekera kominote ibiryo bya saa sita buri munsi ku cyicaro cy’umurima w’ubuzima!

Ubaza: Witwa nde? Amazina yawe yombi? Ufite imyaka ingahe? Umaze igihe kingana gute ukora muri GHI?

Mama Vicky: Nitwa Mukamanzi Epiphanie, mfite imyaka 46, maze imyaka 7.

Ubaza: Mumagambo make, vuga uko akazi kawe kaba gateye umunsi kuwundi muri make ukora iki?

Mama Vicky: Muri rusange akazi kange nkora umurimo ugendanye n’igikoni no guteka. Natangiye hano muri GHI 2012 nza ari ikiraka nje gukora, ikiraka ngikora ukwezi kumwe n’igice nyuma yaho baransezerera nsubira murugo. Kubera rero nari nagikoze neza, nyuma yaho hano mu gikoni hari uwavuyemo yabonye akazi ahandi, numva bantumyeho ngarutse. Icyo gihe twatekeraga abantu bamahugurwa bahuguraga bano bamama bakora mubintu by’ubuzima noneho ari twebwe tubakira. Ubwo rero kuva icyo gihe kugeza n’izi saha nkora umurimo wo guteka niyo twagiye kumatere twagize ahandi tujya gukorera turagenda tugateka tukawufatanya n’undi w’isuku.

Ubaza: N’ ikiye kintu ukunda mu kazi kawe ka buri munsi? N’ikiye kintu uvuga ukabona uragikunze?

Mama Vicky: Mukazi nkora nkunda guteka cyane kuko numva ari ibintu byanjye cyane cyane hano banziho guteka neza umuceri.

Ubaza: Ni izihe mboga ukunda?

Mama Vicky: Njyewe buriya nkunda cyane cyane isombe.

Ubaza: Nyuma yuko ukoze hano, watekerejeko ari iyihe mpamvu imirire myiza ari ngombwa cyangwa kuberiki imirire myiza wumvako ari ngombwa?

Mama Vicky: Imirire myiza ni ngombwa my buzima kubera yuko ituma abantu babaho neza, bakagira ubuzima bwiza ntibarwaragurike, bakagira n’imbaraga zo gukora.

Ubaza: Ni ikihe kintu gisekeje abantu batakuziho ariko wowe uzi?

Mama Vicky: ikintu gisekeje niyiziho nuko iyo ndimurugo nkunda kubyinana nabana muri saro.

Ubaza: Tuvuge nk’umunsi basohoyeko uri umukozi w’ukwezi, niyihe message watambutsa kubakozi bagenzi bawe bazayibona?

Mama Vicky: message natambutsa nuko tugomba kugira courage tugakora neza akazi kacu muri rusange nk’abakozi kandi ikindi nuko umushinga wacu dukoramo turawukunda. Nifuzako uwukoramo (umushinga) wese akwiye gukunda GHI kuko GHI nabonye ari umushinga mwiza wangiriye umumaro mubuzima, naraje ndakora mbasha gufasha abana, mfite abana 4.

Ubaza: Iyo uvuze ngo GHI yahinduye ubuzima bwawe, Uba ushatse kuvuga iki cyimbitse?

Mama Vicky: Mbashaka kuvuga ko nahamenyeye ibintu byinshi muburyo bw’ubuzima kuburyo nanjye nagiye iwanjye nkajya mbikora. Kandi barakoze kungirira nikizere bakumvako nshoboye gukora.

Murakoze!