Empower vulnerable girls out of poverty in Kenya

At Neema in rural Kenya, Back-to-School season is a powerful reminder of both deep need and real hope. This year, we are welcoming 57 young women and 30 of their children—our largest incoming class ever—each arriving with a story shaped by poverty, loss, and limited opportunity, and each seeking a chance to rebuild her future.

For 17-year-old D. and her 5-month-old daughter, K., Neema offers something that has been painfully absent from their lives: safety, stability, and peace. D. was just six years old when her mother abandoned her; her father had already passed away. With no reliable caregiver and few resources, her education ended in sixth grade. Like many girls in her community, D. was married at only 15 in the hope of securing survival—but instead, she found herself trapped in a violent marriage. When K. was born this past summer, D.’s husband abandoned them both, leaving a teenage mother with no income, no education, and nowhere to turn.

Stories like D.’s are far too common in Neema’s region, where deep-seated gender inequality, domestic violence, preventable maternal and infant deaths, parental abandonment, and chronic lack of economic opportunity create cycles of hardship for young women and their children. Neema exists to interrupt these cycles. Through safe housing, access to education, vocational training, trauma-informed care, childcare, and community-based support, Neema walks alongside young women as they heal, learn, and gain the skills needed to provide for their families. By investing in both individual women and the broader community, Neema restores dignity, builds resilience, and helps young women move from survival to sustainable independence in rural Kenya.