Staff Stories: Irine

Irine (right) with Neema’s chaplain (center) on Graduation Day giving a certificate to Mercy (left), Class of 2024.

Irine grew up in a western part of Kenya as sibling number nine out of ten. She had a good relationship with her mom, but her father favored her brothers and he struggled to pay his children's school fees, so he stopped paying Irine’s fees in 8th grade. Her brother took her to school but unfortunately he passed away in 2019. He remains an important role model to her. 

While Irine did go to college for social work and counseling, she was not able to do it right after high school. She ended up being a single mom to a little boy, and lacked support and basic needs, but she was able to move to Kitale, Kenya to start a small business with her sister. In 2013-2014, she spent about a year and a half in Dubai working to support her family. She was even able to put herself through university, despite how hard and expensive it is to do so. Irine places a high value on learning and has continued her education beyond her first degree.

Irine (right) with Gaëlle, Neema’s Executive Director, on Groundbreaking Day for Neema’s new campus in 2023.

Before being promoted to Program Director in 2022, Irine worked at Neema as a weekday matron and social worker. At that time, she was at Neema 24/7 Monday-Friday. While she spent the week away from her family, she was very happy that she was working close enough to home that she saw her family on the weekends. Her husband, a pastor, supports her work and education. She shares that her husband accepted her son as his own, and they now have two daughters as well. Irine is determined to make sure her children get a good education, so they don’t have to go through many of the hardships that she did.

Irine also explains how Neema kept the program running through Covid as much as possible. In 2020, the students were at home, but the Neema staff still went to visit them. They brought food and counseling to the students homes, even if they couldn’t stay long, they helped the students as much as they could while they were home.

On the podcast “The Human Experience” by Neema Board Member Jennifer Peterkin, Irine explains the importance of compassion. She strongly believes that showing compassion to the students directly feeds into their self-esteem. Jennifer describes Irine as someone who has a “bright smile nearly constantly…[and] exudes joy.”

Irine leads staff and students on moving day as they enter the school’s new campus in 2023.

Irine explains that the primary reason for girls being unable to go to school is a lack of school fees because of poverty, and teen pregnancy. Neema now provides counseling to primary schools in the community, and hopes to expand this initiative. The primary school headmaster has shared that they are seeing less teen pregnancies since Neema’s work there.

Irine says that while there is not a stigma around counseling in Kenya, it’s just too expensive for most people. But the students at Neema receive counseling sessions regularly, and free counseling is also extended to their guardians.

Irine (right) with young women graduating from Neema in 2024.

Despite all the incredible work and support Irine has given to the young women at Neema and the community, she continues to look forward to even greater things. She loves spending time with the students and providing a shoulder for them to lean on. She stresses the fact that God provides a second chance and when he does, you need to use it. She says that in her own life, God helped her learn to forgive. She harbored bitterness for the situation she was in that led to the birth of her first son. However, she learned to move forward and loves her son very much. She uses her experiences as motivation to help Neema’s students learn to forgive the fathers of their babies. Teen pregnancies usually stop young women from continuing in school, so they often feel bitter about this loss. But at Neema, they learn to move on and love their children without reservation. 

Neema has built a tight community that feels like family, and Irine sometimes misses this when she is home on breaks. She is incredibly grateful for where she has ended up, and she is thankful for how God has helped her throughout her life. She believes in living with compassion, saying that compassion makes young women's self-confidence rise, and that showing them love allows them to show love to their young ones. 

To hear more about Irinie’s story, check out her episode on “The Human Podcast”.