The dad of a Kenyan woman who drowned in a swimming pool in Canada while livestreaming on Facebook has spoken of his family's tragic loss.
Hellen Wendy Nyabuto could be seen in the video struggling to stay afloat after she dove into the deep end of the pool last week, according to NBC News. The 23-year-old, who lived in the city of Toronto, had responded to her viewers' comments before resuming her swim.
The health worker's body was spotted hours later at the bottom of the swimming pool. According to Hellen's brother, Enock, the victim drowned in Collingwood, Ontario, the town where she worked.
Dad watched video of her daughter drowning
Her dad Nyabuto John Kiyondi, told CNN from his home in Kenya that he watched that video. He described his anguish upon seeing the clip, saying that he cried and it was terrible. Kiyondi said they talked two days before she perished, and she sounded terrific and happy. He said his daughter promised him a phone, and he did not feel anything abnormal during that call.
Hellen lived with Enock in an apartment in Toronto. According to her family, she worked part-time as a health worker while studying nursing. Enock, one of her five siblings, said she had been in Canada for about three years.
He added that all their family's financial responsibilities in Kenya were on his sister, and they are now back to square one. Wendy's dad, a smallholder farmer in Kisii, southwest Kenya, has no idea what his family will do now that his daughter is gone.
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Family wants Wendy's body to be returned to Kenya for her burial
He said that his daughter was the one assisting him financially to educate her siblings. She took care of things such as her siblings' school fees and their other expenses. He added in an interview that he is stuck now and back to square one. He wonders how his children will continue their schooling now that their older sibling is gone.
Kiyondi's wish is for his daughter's body to be returned to Kenya. He said that according to their tradition, one is supposed to be buried where they were born. The grieving dad said he would not feel comfortable psychologically if his daughter was buried away from her home country.
However, repatriating her body will take a toll on the family's meager resources. Enock said they had started a GoFundMe campaign to raise 50,000 Canadian dollars (around $38,000) to help the family with Wendy's burial costs.
He noted that the family is going through a rough time now, and all they want is for her body to be transported back home for burial, the New York Post reported.
