By Caroline Malloy | Grants Intern
Chantal is a 16-year-old girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She was born with a physical disability that makes it difficult to walk. Her parents separated when she was very young and Chantal was sent to live with her elder sister, Momo. Her sister took good care of her, providing love and support, taking her to hospital whenever she needed medical attention. One night in 2013, as they were sleeping in their small thatched house, Chantal heard children screaming and women wailing. She peeped through a hole in the wall and was shocked to see militia men walking towards their door. Chantal was abducted by the militia men and taken to their camp where her days of abuse at their hands soon turned into months. In 2014, government soldiers finally came and destroyed the camp and a kind woman helped Chantal escape. After two weeks travelling by truck and already five months pregnant, Chantal arrived in Kenya where she gave birth in March 2015 to a bouncing baby girl. Due to her special needs as a disabled mother, Chantal was referred to the Safe House for care and protection.
When she arrived at the Safe House, Chantal was extremely sad and discouraged. She missed her sister and was extremely traumatized by the abuse she faced before leaving the Congo. She would not make eye contact with anyone, she could not understand Kiswahili, and she lay in bed mute much of the day. She was also unable to carry her new baby because of her disability. Recognizing her needs, our Case Management team quickly enrolled Chantal into counselling and life skills activities; fellow residents and program staff members jumped in to help support her with her baby. Slowly but surely, she started talking with the residents and speaking up in house meetings.
Now, just two months later, Chantal can smile, she can communicate in English, she dresses smartly, and she is happy. She is enrolled in a physiotherapy program with the Association of Persons with Disabilities in Kenya (APDK) where she is receiving walking training and a special shoe to help her walk. She is confident; attending Heshima Kenya education classes, and no longer needs support to carry her baby. She finds her life transformed through Heshima Kenya and she hopes that one day she will get a good job so that she can provide for her growing daughter, whom she named Blessings.
Chantal says “I want to be a counsellor so that I can assist children in the community to deal with their predicaments well.” She loves to smile and she is full of life, despite all she has been through.
Thank you for your support. By donating to our Safe House, you make recovery stories like Chantal’s a real possibility. Your generosity is changing lives every day and we thank you.
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