"There's nothing as great as being a mom..."
"There's nothing as great as being a mom..."
"My name is Resi Aicho. I am twenty-one years old. I’m living in Kibera and staying with my parents. I’m a mum of a boy named Ethan Nolan. He’s one year and six months old. I’m a single mum. My parents met in Kibera and I was born here so I'm a long-standing resident."
"I had my child after form four last year in 2024. I met the father of the child around here. When I was pregnant he was there, but things changed after giving birth. In my view, he changed from the person that I knew."
"At first it was hard because I was fearing to go to the clinic. I was a first-time mum so it was really hard for me and that time I was twenty. So I wondered how someone goes to the clinic, how to tell my mum that I’m pregnant - things like that. So it came to a point where I just accepted it and things became easier. My parents were supportive. They were really supportive and I didn’t expect that."
Giving birth is not easy. For me it was really hard. That day…my screams…even my mum was scared and she thought I’d have to be operated on. I had to toughen up and be determined. My mum also told me to be resilient, even though she knew I was struggling to be. I really pushed myself.
One of the challenges is that he gets sick really quickly. There’s a time he had pneumonia and we were admitted to Kenyatta Hospital. So I think he has a problem with his chest because every time we’re treating issues to do with his chest. That’s just a challenge that I have. I can afford medical care due to the support from my parents, they support me in any way. I’m a full-time mother.
I tell people that my child’s father got knocked by a car in Busia- that’s what us single mothers say. We kill them off since they’re dead to us. I actually prefer being a single mother, I get to make my own decisions without someone stressing me.
"I was working at Miniso doing sales and marketing for their nails for three months and I liked it. I like sales and marketing. My dream place to work would be China because my boss was Chinese and we’d talk a lot about it. China has a lot of business and products.
I want a good life for my kid. I’d say I just want a good life for us and for his health to improve. I’m told that the more a child grows, their sickness reduces. So I wish for that cough that comes and goes, to stop. So he just enjoys life and I enjoy it with him.
"I don’t want more kids for now, I’m okay. Maybe far in the future. I once tried using the 3-month implant as a contraceptive. It didn’t treat me well, I was bleeding a lot and finding that I needed to use more pads than usual. Right now I’m practising abstinence, it’s practical. Maybe I’ll date later but for now I’m focusing on the baby."
"What I can say is that at first I was scared of being a mum, but there’s nothing as great as being a mum. A lot of women fear early pregnancies but in the end, there’s nothing as great as being a mum."
Resi’s childlike spirit is still well alive and it was a privilege to witness and photograph. What struck me the most about her is she had the biggest dreams of everyone, and she wasn’t afraid to say them out loud. She accompanied us to shoot with her friend and was an exciting and happy person to work with.