Watch 3rd year student Winnie M share about her experience in the Neema Fashion Show, her dream of life post-Neema, and how the skills she’s developed have changed these dreams. Because you took action and invested generously in the hopes and dreams of the young women at Neema, young women like Winnie have opportunities they never could have imagined.
Read More“Not only does the Fashion Show give them an opportunity to be creative, make what they want, and show off the skills they’ve learned over the past three years, it also boosts their confidence as they head off after graduation to begin working and providing for themselves and their families.”
Read MoreWorking 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.
Read MoreAt Neema, she received counseling and was able to forgive herself and others who had hurt her. She was a hard worker in class and says she was able to concentrate because her heart was now free… Lydia now supports herself, her kids, and her parents, and when she gets lots of work, she hires other Neema alumni to work for her! She currently even has employees and is also actively involved in her church and prays regularly. Lydia says she’s found new hope and vision since being at Neema.
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreWhen first year student Sarah first joined Neema in 2021 with her baby Emmanuel, she was shy, didn’t interact much with the other students, and wouldn’t contribute in the group counseling sessions. Sarah has suffered from rejection and in sixth grade, she became pregnant and had to drop out of school. But since coming to Neema, she told our counselor that she can now see a future and her lost hope is restored: “God has blessed me with Neema where I am loved and listened to."
Read MoreThanks to our vantage point of “walking alongside”, we are blessed to witness the efforts and results of the execution of Neema's mission. As accountants, we are privileged to support and assist the Neema team as they responsibly steward the financial resources entrusted to them by donors in order to carry out the work God has called them to.
Read MoreOne 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].
Read MoreNeema 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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