In the last few years I have been working as a Development Specialist with Safe harbor International (SHI).I work with women who have been rescued from the streets. These women have been to hell and back. They have been homeless for over 5 years, they have suffered physical and sexual abuse, slept hungry for days on cold, dark, dirty and dangerous alleys, have been arrested by city council police and thrown into jail. They have begged for coins in order to feed their children, been insulted by passers-by. In short, these women have been stripped of their dignity.
SHI partners with Tandaza Trust and Always enough—two NGO’s that are passionate about street families. They rescue these women, rent flats for them, and then enroll them in the empowerment program. Here, the women are taught entrepreneurial skills, how to make artwork such as note cards, mats, baskets, jewelry etc. These are sold and proceeds used to help them. Since most of the women are drug addicts by the time they join us, they are enrolled in a rehabilitation program.
I coordinate the Literacy program. As they go through rehab and empowerment, we concurrently enroll them for English classes depending on the entry level. We currently have Beginner’s 1 and 2, Lower and Upper Intermediate and Advanced English levels. In our classes, we teach job skills such as resume writing, interviewing, customer relations and public speaking skills among others. Other trainings include reproductive health (family planning, STIs and HIV/AIDS) basic nutrition, basic hygiene and good grooming, basic business skills etc.Once the women finish a cycle (usually one year) we help them find a job, go to college or start a small business depending on their choice.
As part of their healing process, the women have been sharing their stories with us. They say we have given them voices, restored their dignity. Those in Advanced and Intermediate levels write the stories themselves but the beginners tell the stories to us. We then record and transcribe them. In the next few entries, I will be sharing these success stories. To protect their identities, we will use pseudonyms or totally withhold the women’s names. We pray that they will encourage women everywhere no matter how bad their life has been. I am so glad to be part of the amazing work that Safe Harbor International, Tandaza Trust and Always Enough are doing in Nairobi, Kenya.
Below is one of the stories as shared by Maggie (Not her real name):
I come from a poor family. I was raised by a single mother in Mathare slums and later moved to the streets of Nairobi to beg for food. During my frequent visit to the streets, I met a woman from England who sponsored me up to form 3 but she later went back to her country. This made me devastated and left me with no other option than to go back to my old ways of begging. I met a man who married me and I got pregnant. Unfortunately, he chased me out of his house after delivery. I had nowhere to go since I was estranged from my mother. I had only one option: to go back to the streets of Nairobi.
Life in the streets was not easy and especially with my young daughter. We slept in the cold and my child developed a chest problem. In order to relieve myself from the stress, I started abusing drugs. I would beg during the day around museum hill and at night we would go and sleep at the corridors in the city. I begged until my child was five years old. I always received insults from people I begged from.
When begging became difficult for me, I joined a gang of thieves. I would seduce men and when they followed me, the others would attack from behind. I did this for three months but we disagreed with my friends after I helped a white man escape. They threatened me and I had to run away from Nairobi town to Kawangware.
While at Kawangware I met my old friends from the city and at first I was very scared since I didn't know whether they had changed or they would report me to the gang. Later, I met with them again and after sharing my story with them, they introduced me to Tandaza Trust and Safe Harbor International.
I stopped abusing drugs and became a Christian. I also joined the Literacy class where I sharpen my English skills. Currently, I am assisting in teaching some students. I can now see a future for me and my child and I know she will get a good education. I desire to become a hair dresser someday. I appreciate the Tandaza Trust program and Safe Harbor International.
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