Because life has been difficult for her, Rachel said she would rather get married than go back to living with her step families. Marriage brings status and financial gain into a girl’s family. And while the legal marriage age in Kenya is 18, 23% of girls are married before that age, sometimes against their will (Educating Adolescents Around the Globe). Others, like Rachel, think about it as a way to escape unhealthy households.
Read MoreThird year student Brenda’s mother says, "Neema has been the source of joy to me and my family through the education of our daughter and the care she receives. She has good morals, [and] she is a role model to other young girls at home.
Read MoreNeema was able to collaborate with InNOVAtion 一 a team of students Civil Engineers from Villanova University working under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Smith一 to begin the process of getting detailed design ideas for a new, potential “Neema campus,” as well as estimated material and building costs.
Read More“When I asked Mercy what makes her happy,” says our counselor, “she said the day Neema took her up with all her mistakes together with her child. She felt blessed and loved again even when she thought she had lost all in life.”
Read MoreOne of our first year students, Catherine, recently shared, "Being at Neema is reducing my stress because of the love they are showing me and my child. Ever since I gave birth to my child, no one has loved and accepted us like Neema has."
Read MoreSince Brenda joined Neema in January of 2021, her grandparents have seen a change in her. Her grandfather shared, “Brenda is really responsible and clean. She doesn’t need to be followed around to do her work. Even in her talking, she’s growing and maturing.” Her grandmother says, “Brenda is a great girl. She is disciplined and is an example. When I went away for two weeks to bury my mother, Brenda was left with the other kids, and she was responsible for taking care of them. She is calm.”
Read MoreNeema is excited to announce that we recently acquired two acres of land to build our own brand new campus! We’re thrilled about this progress and the exciting future that it affords to double our impact in the same community.
Read MoreFor Ann and Faith, hope was restored when they found emotional and spiritual healing as well as the opportunity to learn a skill to provide for themselves and their mother. But many other young women in rural Kenya are still facing the same struggles that make them vulnerable. Since Covid-19, “School closures, barriers to distance learning, economic insecurity, food insecurity, gender-based violence, and the health risks of COVID-19 have all increased adolescent girls’ concerns and feelings of hopelessness about their own educational futures.” (Brookings).
Read MoreI have learned to love unconditionally, and this has helped me extend it to the young women at Neema and the people I encounter without passing judgment…. We do trauma counseling at Neema to help our students to spiritually, physically, emotionally, and psychologically address their personal experiences and come to terms with and recover from traumatic events by becoming survivors and knowing their true identity and worth.
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