Maternal and Familial Sacrifice

Nyamayaro rightly concludes that she would never have reached the highest ranks of the United Nations without the sacrifice of her mother, Amai, and her grandmother, Gogo. When her mother gave her up to Gogo to raise because she would have starved otherwise, she made a sacrifice. When Gogo took Nyamayaro in, she fed her from her own very limited stock of food. Gogo spent every extra minute showing Nyamayaro how to do household chores and how to take care of the goats and the cattle. This too was a great sacrifice, for Gogo was rapidly aging and had already taken care of her own sons and daughters. Most importantly, Gogo passed on her own wisdom and modeled strength and grit. In the closing pages of her memoir, Nyamayaro gives thanks for Gogo's "indomitable spirit" (248) throughout many trials.

When Amai regains her financial footing, she...