The Safe House: An Enclave of Peace and Hope

"I finally feel like I found a new home in Heshima Kenya.”

Aisha is a 13 year old girl from Somalia. She used to live with her family in Somalia. Her mother stayed at home taking care of her younger sibling, while her father worked in a small shop in the nearby city. Aisha always dreamt of studying hard and becoming a teacher in future. Her parents could not afford to take her to a good school because most of the schools in their area had been shut down due to security issues. Aisha was told to stay home and help her mother with house chores as her father continued working hard to fend for the family.

In January 2016, some military policemen came to Aisha’s home and took her father away. The policemen harassed her mother with a lot questions and a lot of threats. Aisha could not understand what was going on and she cried all through the night. Her mother eventually disappeared without a trace as well. Aisha was taken away by her paternal aunt, who told her that she was not safe and needed to go to a safer place. They fled with the aunt to Kenya to seek refuge. On arrival in Kenya, Aisha was left stranded alone in city of Nairobi as the aunt claimed she had nowhere to take her. As night time drew closer, Aisha felt frightened and did not know what to do. Luckily, some good samaritan assisted her by taking to a police station where she was asked a couple and immediately reffered to the Safe House for protection and care.

Aisha cried all through the nights wanting to be reunited with her family. The child was taken to UNHCR for follow ups, registration, and tracing of her family. It was hard for Aisha to express her pain but with time, she has been able to talk about her worries. She was enrolled into counselling and life planning skills that enabled her build hope that one day she will meet with her family. With the education provided in Heshima Kenya, Aisha feels that parts of her dreams are being fulfilled. She always wanted to study and learn basic literacy skills to enable her to communicate clearly in English. She has developed friendship with girls in Heshima Kenya. She likes modelling and playing games. She enjoys going for team building events and taking walks in the park with friends. When she grows up and completes her education, Aisha wants to become a teacher.

*A picture of Aisha in April of 2016, Aisha with some friends at the Safe House during an event, and Aisha and her friends going for a walk in the gardens.