Just a few weeks ago, Florence was crowned Miss Neema 2022 at our annual Fashion Show. And today, she’s preparing to take her highest national dressmaking certification exam before graduating. "I now believe that truly God cannot forget his children. I cannot believe that he has made me who I am today,” Florence says. But life did not always look so bright.

Florence lost her mother when she was just 17. And her father is a casual laborer, but also an alcoholic. “When I lost my mother, who was my motivator and guided me in life, I thought I would never be happy or be anybody,” says Florence.

She attended school until 9th grade but, like many of our students, had to drop out because, living in extreme material poverty meant her family was unable to pay for the necessary school supplies. Florence is also partially deaf and has difficulties with her speech.

“I had nothing until I started working as a maid, but later got pregnant because I was taken advantage of. I became so bitter with life,” she says. Florence was a pregnant woman with disabilities and then had a marriage arranged for her with a rich and already married man. Because of her poverty and pregnancy, she was vulnerable, and lost all hope in life.

But she managed to join Neema in time to evade the arranged marriage and gained the confidence she needed to tell the man that she was not interested. When she first joined Neema, she had nightmares because she was so afraid of what the man could do to her. But with time in counseling, she overcame the nightmares and is now stable.

“I joined Neema which changed everything. I now have a dream of opening a nice workshop, a place where I can stay with my daughter because I believe that I can make it in life without being manipulated by men. Neema has helped me so much to discover a talent I never dreamed of. Winning the Fashion Show made me so excited, and I could not even believe myself.” She also remarks about how she’s learned to become a better mother to her daughter, Savin, who just graduated from preschool. She has hope to be able to provide for Savin to go to elementary school.

“And above all, it has helped me heal from the death of my mother and the bitterness I had. I did not believe in God because I was so angry with him over my mother's death.”

“But now, I cannot explain my love for God because of what he has done in my life. I had a lot of pain in my heart, but I am happy that I will leave Neema with a different heart.”

Fashion Show video