Lydia came from an unstable family, and life was full of challenges. Not only did she live in abject poverty, she was also being brought up by a step-father. Because of this, she really desired to one day know and meet her biological father.

She wasn’t doing well at school, and because of an eye problem and financial constraints, she dropped out in seventh grade. Home wasn’t a peaceful place either, so she got into early marriage. A few months after the marriage, her husband died in a road accident, and she was forced to return home. Life was so tough there that she decided to travel to Nairobi and look for work as house help. But unfortunately, life in Nairobi ended up being worse: she was overworked and underpaid, and she would often end up sleeping on an empty stomach. Once again, these challenges pushed her to get into a relationship. But after she got pregnant, the man she was with denied responsibility, and she was forced to again return home.

But, “God answers the desires of our hearts” says Lydia. (Psalm 37:4)

In the midst of her troubles, she met her biological father and moved in with him and his family, including her paternal grandmother. She had her baby, and immediately after, her father, who lives close to Neema, heard about our assessment. When Lydia came to Neema for the interview, her baby girl, Lynn, was just 3 months old. She was accepted into the program and started in 2017.

At Neema, Lydia received counseling and was able to forgive herself and others who had hurt her. She was a hard-working girl in class and says she was able to concentrate because her heart was now free. During her third year, she interned at the Neema Shop and sat for the National Dressmaking Exam. Her dad added to the money she’d saved while working at the shop, bought her a sewing machine, and gifted it to her during the graduation ceremony in 2019.

Her mother said on that day, “May God reward Neema for changing the destiny of my child.” 

Just before graduation, Lydia got a job at the Kitale Wool Shop. She started paying her own rent, helped to support her family, and began saving money. Being a hard worker, she used her free time to make new items and do repairs from home on her own machine. After working at the Wool Shop for fifteen months, she saved enough money to start her own business. Now when she gets lots of work, she hires other Neema alumni to work for her. (She currently has one of the young women she graduated with working at her shop.)

We are so proud of Lydia. With her small business, she is able to support herself, her kids, and her parents. In fact, her daughter, Lynn, just started primary school this year. We are considering enrolling Lydia in our Balozi Mentorship Program as a mentor to other young women from Neema.

Written by Joyce, Neema Tailoring Instructor