Esther Kitumaini is no ordinary young woman. A public health student, a team leader at Afya Moms and Tots Nutrition Hub, a Montessori teacher on weekends, and an Amahoro Fellow, Esther wears many hats, and wears them well. Her schedule is packed, but her purpose is clear: to make sure no child dies because of something as simple and as fixable as poor nutrition. If you want to make a difference in life, she believes, you don’t make excuses, you make moves.
We don’t need to import solutions, we can build them ourselves
Esther Kitumaini
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Esther came to Uganda at the age of 13 as a refugee fleeing the M23 conflict. The challenges were immediate. She was placed in a lower grade because she didn’t know the language or the Ugandan curriculum. But she didn’t complain. She studied harder and rose to the top of her class. Her personal motto is: No excuses. Esther has always had a soft spot for children. At home, she was the one happily carrying babies around. But it was a painful moment that sparked her purpose. Her cousin living in a refugee camp, lost her baby. Only later did they learn from the health worker that the child’s illness was due to poor nutrition, a tragedy that might have been avoided with the right food. That moment stuck with Esther.
As she did her research, she noticed a gap. Most nutritional products for children in Uganda were imported, expensive, and made with limited ingredients. Local, affordable, nutritious options were almost non-existent. She had a dream to change that but fear held her back. She had a stable job. A steady salary. Was it worth the risk?
Then came Amahoro. During a trip to Rwanda with her cohort, she pulled aside Isaac, Amahoro’s curator, and asked him: “How did you build all of this?” His answer was simple but life-changing:
“You may never know if it will work, if you never start.” That was the push she needed. Esther went home and started Wise Baby Porridge, teaming up with a food scientist and a nutritionist to develop a product tailored for children’s health. The journey wasn’t smooth. She tested ingredients, adjusted recipes, and took feedback seriously. Over time, her porridge formula evolved into something real, something mothers could trust. But she didn’t stop at just the product.
Esther wants the entire value chain, from farm to table, to empower her community. She’s working to source ingredients from local farmers, involve mothers in the process, and create jobs for women along the way. For her, it’s not just about feeding children—it’s about educating and uplifting their mothers, too.
Wise Baby Porridge is more than just a food product. It’s a mission to ensure that every child in refugee camps across Uganda and beyond has access to organic, nutritious meals. It’s about saying: “We don’t need to import solutions, we can build them ourselves.”
