By Christine Macharia | Shelter Manager
Tumaini is a Kiswahili word meaning Hope.
Hope has been the impact of HAART's support to a girl called Tumaini (*not her real name), born and raised in rural Kenya. Unfortunately, her parents separated when she was very young and her mother remarried. Tumaini's stepfather promised to support her through her education. Tumaini was elated by the promise that she vowed to herself to work hard in school so that she could have a better life in future. This dream was quickly shattered when her stepfather only honored his promise for one term. This resulted in her dropping out of school due to a lack of school fees.
Tumaini had to stay home while her mother went to do laundry for people to ensure that her family had at least one meal per day. Her stepfather was equally a casual laborer and when without work he stayed home with Tumaini. It was during this time that he would abuse her sexually and threatened her not to disclose what was happening to anyone. This became Tumaini's reality until one day when she opened up to her former teacher who assisted in her rescue. Tumaini was referred to the HAART Shelter by the Department of Children Services for assistance. Her mother was remorseful after finding out what happened to her daughter and agreed to entrust her under the care of HAART Kenya as a child in need of care and protection at the tender age of 13 years.
Tumaini is a young woman.. We have walked with her in her quest to get education, supporting her from primary through to secondary school. She finally sat for her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and she completed her exams this year. She dreams of becoming a beauty specialist.
Girls like Tumaini deserve the chance to have a better life. Their immediate need after being rescued from exploitative situations, is a place where they are protected, a safe environment for them to regain their strength to move on. For some girls, this place is the HAART Shelter. In the past 3 months, we supported 16 girls and young women, two of them with babies. They all have their own story and like Tumaini, they all have their hopes and dreams.
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