Pastor Dorcas Rigathi dons apron, chef's hat to serve widows food

Second Lady Dorcas Rigathi on Thursday wore an apron as she served food to widows and children in Lang'ata, Nairobi. 

She also had a pleated chef's hat on as she served the more than 300 widows.

Dorcas was all smiles as she served the women who she eventually sat with to eat.

She did so as she launched a Widows Feeding and Empowerment Programme under her office as she shared her vision of dignifying the lives of widows.

"A widow is not a beggar, but circumstances pushed her to widowhood," the Second Lady said. 

Pastor Dorcas encouraged the widows not to give up in life and that their children can still become great despite the odds.

Dorcas said she has worked with widows for more than 10 years, dignifying their lives through different economic and social empowerment programmes in Njoro, Kajiado, and other parts of Kenya.

She said the programme under her office will be cascaded to other parts of Nairobi county and the country.

The Second Lady said the widows will be involved in the Nairobi River Cleaning Programme, the planting of tree seedlings, and social-economic and entrepreneurial activities to transform their lives.

"The government has a target of planting 15 billion trees, and this is an opportunity for even the widows to make money. If widows can grow 5 million trees and sell them for Sh10, they can become millionaires," Dorcas said.

She also expounded on her office’s other programmes, which include the rehabilitation of the boy child from drug and substance abuse.

Her office is currently working on four pillars: the boy child, widows and orphans, chaplaincy and family values, and persons with disabilities. 

Pastor Dorcas also shared her life story, saying she was raised by a widow in the Kiandutu slum in Thika, Kiambu county.

The Second Lady said she faced struggles through school like lack of school fees and basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing.