A Chance for Everyone by our Tailoring Instructor
Working alongside young women has been my passion. It has been my joy to show love and empathy. I have been able to gain an understanding of the different backgrounds our girls come from and how it affects their behavior, and that has greatly changed how I handle them. My life has been transformed in this encounter with them. Indeed, you cannot give what you do not have. So I seek to gain patience in order to be patient. I seek to have hope in order to give hope. And by working with young women, I’ve realized there is potential in every young woman, especially after they know who they are.
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Transforming Communities: A Reflection by Our Executive Director
I just came back from Neema a couple of weeks ago—not that I did not want to go earlier but, because of COVID-19, we postponed this trip until we felt it was safe for both our Kenyan colleagues and us to travel there. Since I started working at Neema back in January, I have talked (mostly over Zoom, COVID oblige) with the teams here and in Kenya about Neema. I have seen pictures and videos. And I even learned some Swahili. So, in a way, going to Neema was not like going to an unfamiliar place.
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Blessed to Be a Blessing: Life After Neema
One thing I have observed and loved is that all the girls not only want to make it but also want to help other girls who might be going through things that they have experienced. [One of our recent graduates, Lydia, even acquired work—making masks—for the third year students interning in our Neema shop].
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Hope Renewed
Neema is the fresh scent of water to these girls, and I am just privileged to be part of the watering system to enhance the nurturing, and hence, renewal of hope. The uniqueness of this project never ceases to awe me. How in the world does a young woman, after going through tough life situations, receive a second chance by getting life skills training while her child is a few meters away receiving much needed care by dedicated staff?
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How the Loss of Students Affects Staff
When a student drops out, shock and disbelief are the first feelings to arise. You are in denial, hoping to come to work the following morning and still find them there. After that, you try bargaining, looking for ways to bring them back. But when you realize that they are indeed gone, guilt and discouragement overwhelm you. You wonder whether you failed them, whether or not you did all you could, whether or not you nurtured their strengths and helped them in their weaknesses. Once you realize you did do these things, anger sets in, because you feel like they’ve trampled on your love for them.
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Rahab's Story Finding Healing Through God’s Word
As a young teenager, Rahab insulted her grandmother who was very hurt by the incident, especially because Rahab never apologized. Fast forward many years, and now Rahab is being discipled at Neema. “Rahab and her sister Elizabeth joined Neema in 2020. The two are the most brilliant in their class, but despite this, something was pulling Rahab back.”
In January 2021, we did the ALPHA discipleship course. It includes teachings on Who is the Holy Spirit? and What Does the Holy Spirit Do? It also teaches about forgiveness, and after the study, Rahab approached one of our Neema counselors and requested a sit down.
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Life In Kenya During Covid: A Firsthand Experience
In April, Kenyans cried: If Covid-19 doesn’t kill us, hunger will. But because of Neema, that is not the reality for the young women in our program and their families. And for that we are super grateful.
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