Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

"I arrived in Kenya in September 2014, I did not know anyone. By God’s grace, I got to Heshima Kenya."

When Janie arrived at Heshima Kenya’s Safe House, she was 6 months pregnant and unsure of what her future would hold. Janie grew up in the Congo with her parents and siblings during years of continued conflict.  When the fighting came to her village, she and her family ran for their lives, and became separated in the process.  All alone, Janie was abducted by the Mai Mai rebels and was forced to live and work in their camp.  She became a sex object for the rebels and soon became pregnant because of the repeated defilement she endured.  She managed to escape from the camp and fled to Uganda to be out of danger.  She was advised by a man in Kampala to continue on to Nairobi and join the many refugees who flocked to Kenya’s capitol city. 

In Nairobi, she was taken in by a family who provided her with food and shelter.  However, after 2 short weeks they were unable to continue caring for her because of the economic strain.  She found shelter with another woman, and it was through her that she learned of Heshima Kenya. Janie was given an appointment with a Heshima case worker and she was quickly referred to the Safe House.  It was there that she was provided with nutritious meals and health care that was necessary to keep her healthy to give birth.  She was also enrolled in Heshima Kenya’s Girls Empowerment Project (G.E.P) where she would have the chance to continue her education. 

She gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy whom she named Brian. Janie and Brian continued to receive aid and support from the Safe House staff, until they were ready to live in the community.  After her maternity leave, Janie came back to the G.E.P. and was enrolled in the vocational training classes. Janie is excelling in her classwork and will take the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam later this year. This is the annual certificate exam to be enrolled in secondary education.

Janie has become an independent woman, and is supporting her family through the stipend she receives working in the Maisha Collective.  She joins her peers here at Heshima in producing dyed fabrics to be sold both in Kenya and the United States. She is very grateful for the support of Heshima Kenya family.  Janie hopes to continue her education and one day become a doctor to help others.  Her past motivates her to not only work hard in school but to become a leader in her community and help those who are less fortunate than her.  She wants to be able to send her son to school and give him the best life she can.    

Sammy seemed as though she had a privileged childhood, living in a comfortable home with family. Sammy is shy and reserved and it wasn’t until she became more comfortable with staff at Heshima that she started to share her story. Sammy was born deaf but was able to learn sign language at Heshima enough to communicate with staff. She feels that it was only by the grace of God that she was rescued from the life she had back home.

Sammy was separated from her parents and brothers during the civil war in Congo, when her father was killed and her brothers and mother fled leaving her under the care of some neighbor. When war intensified, her guardian fled to Kenya as a refugee, bringing her to the country as well. The foster family rented a small house in the Eastland area of Nairobi; where they lived together until their savings ran out and they could no longer afford basic needs and rent. It was at this point that the family took her to UNHCR and left her there. She was referred to Heshima Kenya and taken to the Safe House. She was also enrolled at the Girls’ Empowerment Project at Heshima, a program that equips refugee girls with basic

Although Sammy still feels uncertain about venturing out into the world with her disability, she also feels confident that the skills and knowledge she has acquired over time will be very useful in propelling her to any heights she dreams of achieving in life. Sammy wants to strengthen her sign language knowledge in order to communicate with more people and more effectively. Sammy is optimistic and happy that she has a bright future ahead of her.