EveryWoman

Ruth chikoleka: running a cleaning service for single mothers

Every time Ruth Kulaisi Chikoleka looks at a single mother, she looks at her as a strong and courageous woman.

Then she starts to wonder how that single mother is doing, how she’s coping and what kind of help or support she may need.

Because of the passion she has for single mothers, especially those going through difficult times, she has launched an initiative for single mothers.

She launched it on her birthday, April 10 this year and called it mothers’ cleaning service through her new organisation, The Ruth Kulaisi Foundation.

Ruth is a television host on Zodiak Television. She is also a master of ceremonies, a voiceover artist, a singer and an actor.

RUTH CHIKOLEKA: RUNNING A CLEANING SERVICE FOR SINGLE MOTHERS

Growing up, she never thought of being in the media because she was trained in pastoral care at Bible College in Perth, Australia.

“I did a diploma in Christian Ministry at Global Heart Leadership College in Australia Perth and my dream was to work or write music for the church, plant churches which I am still up for. I always knew I would work directly with women and make a difference in their lives. And that’s something that I still get to do now with my programme on Zodiak TV called Womanity.

“And now through the Ruth Kulaisi Foundation, we launched our first initiative— the mothers’ cleaning service for single mothers which enables me to do what I always knew I would,” she says.

The foundation links single mothers with clients who need their clothes washed, house or office cleaned and any other household chores as a livelihood.

Ruth chose to help single mothers because she saw the desperation in their stories each time she talked to them.

“It is a divine duty to raise a child and sometimes when there is no help, it can feel like a burden, yet the child is such a blessing,” she observes.

She ventured into the cleaning service because cleaning is something the women already do by knocking on gates in the mornings as piece work.

She added the cleaning aspect.

There are two models of payments— either the woman receives soon after the work or upon an agreement if they would be working there for a specific period of time.

Furthermore, all the payment is 100 percent theirs. The organisation gets nothing.

Referring to Psalms 31:25 which says the woman is clothed in dignity and laughs when she looks at the future because she is fearless, but hopes for the good future.

“That’s what we want the women to be; hopeful, bold and dignified. We are teaching them that hard work and dedication open doors. As an organisation, we are not necessarily giving them anything for free, but we are teaching them how to sustain themselves,” says Ruth.

She is optimistic that the future of these single mothers, through her initiative, will empower them to be independent.

Ruth observes that the majority of the women have never really held a proper job because of a lack of education and this is an opportunity to prove themselves.

“We want them to be strong enough to be a great example to their children because there’s power in the strength of a mother. These women will lead them towards a better life by their own examples,” Ruth says.

Since every organisation needs funds to run smoothly, the foundation is being run by Ruth’s personal funds.

But she has received donations from well-wishers and is looking for partners.

“Let me thank those that have already stepped up to the plate towards the initiative because the donations have helped in catering for group meetings that we hold weekly. I’m not 100 percent alone, but we’re definitely looking for more well wishes to donate their resources.

“Our plan is to get the women uniforms. We want these women to be better, stronger, wiser through our interactions,” she says.

When asked how she recruits these women, she said they do it through

 one of their partners called My Community My Responsibility who are already working on the ground with elderly widows and single mothers.

She added that she touched base with the director of the team and gave him a criteria of the kinds of women they were looking for—needy, single mothers, ready and willing to work.

Aside from My Community, My Responsibility, the organisation is also working with We Empower 265, an organisation that works in psychotherapy,

It has been holding group therapy sessions with the women for discussing issues such as boundaries and sexual reproductive health.

Ruth is a first born daughter in a family of three. Her parents are Douglas and Margaret Kulaisi. She has a sister Victory and a brother 

Precious.

She is married to rapper Noel Phyzix Chikoleka and together they have a three-year-old daughter, Alyssa.

Her role models are her parents as she has learned a lot from them.

She attributes consistency, hard work and family support to her success.

Ruth enjoys meeting new people, hearing their stories, putting stories that matter in the full front, giving people a platform, helping them share different issues and telling peoples’ stories.

In her free time, she loves listening to music and she also enjoys her role as judge in a competition called the DBR conquer the Mike competition in which one singer will walk away with k1 million.

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