Edward

Growing up, Edward and his family moved often. They would migrate to different places as his parents looked for casual work. His uncle often brought them food and wished to bring Edward to school, but he unfortunately passed away when Edward was seven.

Edward had to drop out of school after sixth grade because his family moved so often and because of their financial instability—they couldn’t afford school fees. “This led me to stay at home and help my parents,” Edward says.

But even the little amount of school he was able to attend was very informative for him. He enjoyed learning and gaining new skills. Also, his education and similar background to the Neema students has helped him understand them better. He has seen young women gain the capacity to fight for what they want and become determined while at Neema.

Edward says that his faith and relationship with God has impacted his life in many ways, and he loves working at a Christian organization. His faith has even been strengthened by helping the students.

He is on the security team so as he works to keep the students, their children, and the rest of the staff on campus safe, he provides the young women with comfort and a feeling of safety that allows them to more freely explore who they are and what they want to do with their lives.

He is now able to support his wife and their eight children with his income. At Neema, he loves being able to assure the campus and the community within it are safe, and hopes that Neema can one day accept and help even more vulnerable young women.

Martin

As the second born in a family of fourteen, Martin’s family struggled financially. His mother was the second of his father's two wives. It was difficult for Martin’s father to take all of his children to school, and it only got harder after he lost his job at a railway company.

Because of a combination of sickness and a lack of school fees, Martin had to drop out of school after eighth grade. He didn’t walk away empty handed though—he enjoyed his time at school and he is now able to better understand the students at Neema.

He has a good relationship with the students, and sometimes the young women go to him to share their thoughts. In return, Martin will sometimes give them advice in line with God and his Word. God has opened many doors for Martin, including one to Neema. He believes that, “He blessed me by offering a job and here I am.”

Prior to working at Neema as a security guard, Martin worked as a cook at a secondary school for boys. He also had previous experience as a security guard in the private sector.

Now at Neema, Martin has an income that allows him to support his wife, six children, and his two brothers. On top of that, he gets to help the young women at Neema. Martin ensures that the compound and his Neema family are safe. He helps provide the students, their children, and the staff with a level of security and comfort that allows them to learn and find a renewed sense of hope.

Patrick

Patrick has a strong passion for helping the students. He loves that he is able to be a part of the transformation of young women. Patrick works hard as one of Neema’s security guards to ensure the campus, and everyone on it, is safe. He also keeps the environment clean by trimming the greenery on the fence.

When Patrick was young, his father was working and life was not too hard. But things changed after his mother passed away when Patrick was in grade three. His father remarried, but his step mother did not take good care of them. Sadly, when Patrick was in fifth grade, his father passed away as well, and then his step mother left. Patrick and his siblings ended up living by themselves and doing casual work so that they could get money to pay for their school fees. “Life was so hard,” Patrick says.

School positively impacted Patrick’s life. Even though he was only able to attend until tenth grade, his teachers would say, “No matter how life is you should always work hard.” And he has worked hard. Through his education and life experiences, Patrick gained new skills and the ability to relate to others.

When we asked Patrick about what keeps him going in life, he named his faith. “God has been faithful,” Patrick says as he reflects on his life.

Patrick believes hope is what keeps us going. Working at Neema allows him to be a part of instilling this hope into vulnerable young women and helping to transform their lives, while keeping them and their children safe on campus.

Before working as a security guard, Patrick did casual work including driving the Neema students to medical care appointments or running errands for Neema. Now as a security guard, he is supporting himself and his wife, two children, four sisters, and two brothers.

Patrick has big dreams for Neema’s future. He would love to see them offer courses that will also benefit boys in the community, and help even more young women.

Joseph

Growing up in Turkana, in northwest Kenya, Joseph lived with both his parents. His father had three wives, Joseph's mother being the third. Joseph had a lot of responsibilities at a young age, such as looking after the family cows and goats. His father passed away when Joseph was seven-years-old, and his mother was unable to take Joseph to school. He did attend later on in life and managed to reach class six, but due to a lack of school fees, he had to stop his education there. Because of his brief education though, he is now able to interact with and better understand different people.

Later, Joseph said life became very hard. “I was living a life that did not please God,” he says. “But after the advice and encouragement from my church members, God rescued me and lighted my life.”

Since then, God has opened many doors for Joseph. He worked in security at Agriculture Development Corporation, and also as a gardener. Joseph’s last job before Neema was working as a security guard to a neighbor of Neema’s previous facility.

He loved how Neema treated people with so much hospitality. When a job vacancy for a security guard came up, Joseph took a chance and got the job. Joseph believes that God had a purpose for giving him work at Neema as a security guard. His desire to help vulnerable young women brought him to his position, and he loves being able to assure that the Neema family is safe. By providing these young women and their children with the comfort of safety and security, he helps them find hope for a better future.

Joseph has a wife and three children who he supports with his income from Neema in addition to his uncle and aunt. They live in Turkana and because it is so far away, Joseph is only able to see them a few times per year. There are not many good jobs in that area but he hopes that one day, Neema will be able to grow and have branches in different counties like Turkana and Lodwar where many more vulnerable young women live.

Staff Stories: Security Team—Edward, Martin, Patrick, & Joseph

Edward

Martin

Patrick

Joseph