I just got back from Kenya after visiting the Neema Project for two days. I am a business owner in the United States. I have owned a sewing & design studio called Maridadi Couture in Exton, PA since 1988.

I was born in Kenya and I left in 1980. I was a child of difficult circumstances.
My siblings and I ended up in an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya, so I can relate to the Neema girls.

I pulled up into the Neema compound and I was immediately surrounded by 35+ people hugging and kissing me. My first instinct is “Why are you loving me ..... You don’t know me”!

I have truly never experienced that kind of emotion. What I observed was that the school operated in such a way that it felt like a family composed of 35 young ladies, some with babies, and a handful of adults who love & care for them. I also saw how the staff in Kenya did not feel stifled and worked in harmony with the U.S. home office for the good of the program.

* As a child who spent time in an institution: I saw connection, hope, and love.
* As a girl who left Kenya because I felt there was no hope: I see hope in their future, that they can create something from their training without leaving Kenya.
* As a business owner of a sewing studio: I was impressed with the curriculum and knowledge of the teachers. I saw pride in the girls of who they are.
* As an American: I am proud that they are empowered and that all is possible.
* As a Christian (Romans 15:7 says it all): “Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”