Fridah Kaweria.

I started noticing chances when the child joined kindergarten school, I was supposed to take the child to wake up early by 5 am wash the house, prepared the kid breakfast and finally take her to school. On returning I was given more work to do, day by day the lady kept on increasing the work load until finally I was like the servant of the house.

I would wake up at 5 wash the house , utensils , make breakfast , clean the compound , wash their clothes , cook lunch, pick the child up from school, go to the market to buy groceries , prepare super , wash the kid , serve the dinner and finally was the dishes in that sequence, by the time I finish it would be late at night. As a child I was not even having time to pray like other children neither was I able to get sufficient sleep.

I could not understand why I was not going to school and I would see children of my age were going to school, one day I asked her why and she told me I have not reached the age of going to school. She would tell me that I have to concentrate with house help so that she would save money meant employ a house girl. I took this with a very innocent heart and looked forward for that day I would join school like other children.

By the time I was eight years I was doing all the housework while they relaxed in living room enjoying their favourite TV programmes. I was not supposed to join the at any cost. I started realizing that I was not treated the same with my sister (their small kids). Everything started going from bad to worse, I developed unbearable back pain which restricted me from finishing all the duties assigned. A time when I was not able to cook food due to ill health that night I would sleep empty stomach. When the problem persisted, I was denied all basic need, she took the beddings and I was forced to sleep on the floor with only a blanket to cover myself. this culminated to another problem to me, I developed breathing problem and pain in my chest. When the situation became worse she took me to a government hospital where I was diagnosed with acute pneumonia.

I was hospitalised for one month and the worse thing was that she never visited me in the hospital. Time came when I was to be discharged from the hospital but there was a problem. No one was there to settle my bills. I was kept hostage in the hospital for 3 months until a good Samaritan cleared my bill. I was at this time I realised that she did not leave any contact in the hospital and worse she had given a wrong name.

I was official set free and since I was a big girl I could remember where we were staying. I went by foot to the house which took me 1 hour or so and upon my arrival I was surprised that my ”mother” had relocated to unknown place. I was left in total darkness. I requested my neighbour to host me as I try to located my mother but she declined clamming that my mother was very hostile to other tenant and therefore she was afraid in case she get to know I was staying in her house. At that moment I realised that I had no place called home.

In Maua Meru, a girl child have no values according to the traditions and culture. The economic activities in Maua is purely growing khat (miraa or Qat) which is consumed locally and some exported to Somali land, and other county. It is tree that grows naturally up to seven meters with a vertical growth of like 6 meters. Due to this plan most of the people are uneducated. boys are used to climb up the tree to harvest new shoot and are paid 500ksh a day this make them to prefer doing this kind of job rather than going to school. For mothers and girls are exposed to most challenging situation since after the father make sales he would move to town and only came back when the next harvest is due or when he has exhausted the cash. While all this is happening the rest of the family is left with no cash to cater for their daily meals and other essential basic need. Due to this economic hardship for girl child, most are forced by circumstances to move to Maua town for prostitution. The vicious circle continues as it gives reason why men flock Maua town after the sale.

In my case I had a difficult time ahead because I was only 8 years old. That night I slept in the compound that used to be our home. The empty stomach could not let me in peace I decided to move to street and beg for food since there was no one ready to host me. May people would ignore my plea for some money to buy food by assumption that I had left home for street life. Time passed and I could beg and get nothing, my only rescue was dust bin which are numerous in Maua due to thriving business of hotels and clubs .I would sleep in the street, life in street is horrible and dangerous with all kind of harassments. Which may include being sexually molested beaten by older boys in the street or by drunkards. Due to hard life I resulted in using hard drugs to cop up with the challenges in the streets this made my health deteriorated with many infections which went untreated. Some of this illness went untreated would disappeared and reoccur again but did not bother me may be it was because I was not aware of the danger it posed to me. My face was disfigured with scares and wounds but I had resigned to the fate as street was my new home and I had to withstand the entire shortcoming associated with it.
On March which is the most cold and rainy season we would scrabble for shelter but in most case only the strongest would be able to secure a safe place, for me it was a new situation in the street when it was raining. I fell sick and I could not wake up where I was asleep in a sack I was sweating and my body was aching all over. My fellow street family took me to hospital and reported to police that one of theirs have died. The police make a follow up and they realised I was not dead as they claimed but I had several diseases which had sent me in a coma. I came to realise later after three month that I had pneumonia, malaria, typhoid and several skin diseases. The police used to visit me in hospital in several occasions, buy me food and even paid my hospital bill on discharge.

During my hospital stay a policewoman used to visit and encourage me not to give up in life as I was still a small girl with bright future. Her gestures were true from her heart as she took me to her house and treated me in a very humble way. But addiction was still hanging on my neck and I could not help it. while the policewoman was on duty and I was left in the house I would steal some honey go to street and buy some glue and other unnamed pills. This made more addictive since I was able to have enough food and sleep well, the only problem I was having I had water phobia.

My stay was very good and I really enjoyed it, little did I know the lady had realised her money were missing and laid a trap. She left some money on top of the table; as usual I took the money for my drugs. When she arrived after work she questioned me of whereabouts of the money. I didn’t have the gut to lie but I narrated her whole story up to the point of being addicted to drugs. She was very apologetic and promised to help me out of the hook. She was kind enough I can’t explain how she obtained money and took me to a rehabilitation were I stayed for three month, by the time I left the rehab I was fully reformed. On returning back she did not take me to her house instead she took me to a children officer in Maua. All these time I was not aware what was awaiting me ahead.

I was taken to a church where I met three girls who were rescued when their parent wanted to marry them off before they could attain their education. I was enrolled in primary school but due to my age I did not start from class one but rather I was taken to class three. Lives became very hard as I was laughing stock to other children since I could not read or write. the disappointment become a motivation to me and in less than one term I was able to read and write thank to my sisters that we were staying together in the church house because they helped me overcome the challenges.

Life was not easy in church house because they could not raise enough money to pay for our school fee food cloths and other basic need. For me I did not mind much since I had experienced more hard life than I can even remember. We could have one meal in a day only and a black tea in the morning. Most of the clothes that we were wearing were donated by well-wishers in the church.

We had one care taker who used to cook for us, there was no change of meals for balanced diet other girl took it as a big deal but for me it was pretty fine. It came to a point that I started being emaciated and with frequent opportunist diseases. It was at this moment when the children officer visited us and recommended that we be transferred to other established orphanage within Maua.

I was taken to Nyambene children home were I met a jovial family. It was a wonderful place to be. NLN is well established home, it is the best place I have ever called home. The home is very close to the school I was enrolled and it became an advantage to me, we could go to school all together as a group as we discussed either our activities in school or at home. It was on this moment at eager of ten years when I was bought my first shoe.