By Martha Sunda | Project Leader
Becky lived with her parents in one of the informal settlements in Nairobi until both her parents died in quick succession. Becky and her brother were then taken in by neighbors. There were no known relatives. She is now a beautiful 13 year old full of life. She can’t remember where the problem started but her foster father began sexually abusing her and her step mother became very hostile towards her.
A neighbor got concerned about how Becky was being treated and sought to find out the details She secretly asked her about her situation. When she got to know what was happening, she called the child helpline for immediate help. Becky was rescued from the abusive environment with the help of the children officers at the helpline with financial support from our donors.
Becky needed a safe environment from the hostility and the sexual abuse she was going through. She said she used to "do all the work in the house" and would be "beaten each time she made a small mistake". The man of the house on several occasions tried to "do bad manners" with her (referring to having sex with her) and even succeeded on some occasions. Becky felt scared and sad "all the time".
After rescue however, she looked happier in her new environment. Becky went through several counseling sessions where she got to understand that it was not her fault that all these bad things had happened to her. The counselors worked to build her self-esteem and now she is a confident and happy girl, a very different picture from the withdrawn and scared little girl that had been rescued in 2014. She is currently back to school with support from Childline Kenya and its partners and is always top of her class. She has a bright future ahead thanks to the timely intervention by Childline Kenya with the support of our partners to Shine a Light on Child Abuse.
Childline Kenya staff are continually in touch with Becky and provide play therapy as necessary. Childline also pays her school fees and provides all she needs through your generous donations.
By Wairimu Njuguna | Counsellor
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