Protect, feed, and educate 114 rescued children

The year closed on a high note for Bahati. Like her name, Bahati concurs that she is a lucky girl. (Bahati in Swahili language means luck). She wants to be an ambassador to other girls and advocate for the rights of young girls and children. She says as she proudly displays her primary school national examination results slip.

Bahati sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in November 2018 and obtained 368 points out of a possible 500 points. This is a good pass that allows her to be admitted to a secondary school of her choice. Now she is looking forward to join form one soon. But coming this far has not been easy for Bahati. The fouth born in a family of six, Bahati had dreams for a bright future when she began her primary education in her home village of Ganze in Kilifi County. Her dream would however be dimmed when in 2015 she dropped out of school for lack of necessities. In November of the same year, she was forced into marriage so the dowry could be used to pay school fees for her two younger siblings.

“I tried to run away from home before that fateful day but I was captured, beaten and warned never to try such a thing. I could not resist since my community believed that I was old enough to be married off as I was out of school. I pleaded with my mum not to allow this to happen. She said she could not decide on this and that my father and clansmen had the final word. Little did I know that they had already accepted dowry for me. After staying with my husband for four months, in late February 2016, I decided to run away and I found myself on the streets of Mombasa. Older street children helped me get used to the life which was very tough.  I had been there a few months when some social workers found me and insisted that I tell them why I was on the street instead of school. I started crying and they assured me all was well. I believed them and told them how I ran away from my husband because I still wanted to be in school. They were surprised and asked my age. I was fifteen years old”.

Bahati’s case was not easy to deal with. The children’s office was involved in her rescue. Her parents and “husband” were arrested and charged in court. Bahati could now be placed in a safe place where she could continue with school. She was committed to a Rescue Centre that enrolled her at Abraham’s Education Centre. Almost two years later she was able to sit for her certificate of primary education. Following her good results, she now has a smile on her face as she can now proceed to secondary school.

Thanks to friends and supporters like you who have donated to Grandsons (and daughters) of Abraham through GlobalGiving, Bahati and other vulnerable girls have hope that they can now go to school and be assured of a safe environment free from any sort of abuse.