At the crack of dawn, girls like Naomi fetch water from communal wells, tend to crops in the fields, and prepare for their trek to school. But growing up as a girl in rural Kenya requires resilience.

Shortly after Naomi was born, her mother left the family. Naomi doesn’t know her father and grew up living with her uncle. After getting pregnant with her son David, Naomi had to leave her uncle’s home to live with other relatives.

Naomi’s other uncle works as a carpenter, but the work is a form of casual labor, meaning it is not a reliable source of income. And because of the excess rain in Kenya in recent years, he has had difficulty maintaining the same level of work because he depends on dry days to get his work done outside. Metrine, Naomi’s aunt, stays at home to care for their farm animals and for her daughter who suffers from a disability. 

They have four children of their own, and between the caretaking of Naomi’s baby David and the lack of money for school fees, Naomi had no choice but to drop out of traditional school as a teenager. The path to education in Kenya is often filled with obstacles—from limited access to schools to gender norms that prioritize boys' education over girls'. From a young age, girls are also tasked with household chores and caregiving duties, so whether because of gender norms, poverty, or teen pregnancy, many girls have to abandon their education.

Despite these challenges, Naomi maintained an unwavering commitment to her son. As David’s father is no longer involved, Naomi is raising her son as a single mother. Women like Naomi are unsung heroes.

“Naomi is at the best place,” Metrine now says. “Neema has good food, and at the end of three years [when she] graduates, she will succeed. It is my dream that she will succeed.”

Naomi says she’s very grateful for the counseling sessions at Neema that have helped her deal with stress and past traumas in her life—especially having faced rejection multiple times from close family members. 

She’s also so grateful that her son David is being taken care of well while she is in class. 

“I want to thank the childcare workers for taking care of my son,” Naomi says. “He used to cry a lot, he would not socialize with others, and the worst part, he didn't like to feed when we came in. It’s now [been] three months, and I can testify my son has really improved. He feeds very well, he has stopped crying, and he can socialize with others while I do my chores. It has really given me great joy.”

Despite the challenges I passed through, when I see my son, I always tell myself that he is not an accident, and I am strong for him.”  - Naomi

Through sheer determination and the support that you’ve made possible through Neema, Naomi is rewriting the narrative of her life and paving the way toward a brighter future for generations.