Class: Grade 7

Age: 13 years old

Date of Admission: January 18, 2024

Sylvia is the youngest in her family of nine siblings. Her father is very violent and brutal man. After he lost all his cattle to the drought last year, her father made it very clear to Sylvia that he planned to give her out for marriage. In the Maasai community, females are perceived as a source of wealth so that they are married off for the families to gain wealth through a dowry. In this case, Sylvia’s father, after losing cattle, wanted to give Sylvia out for child marriage. Sylvia’s mother was not in favor of his plan and wanted Sylvia to continue with her education.

Sylvia’s brother reached out to a young man who was an advocate for rescuing girls in their community, and informed him of his father's marriage plans for Sylvia. The young man contacted their area chief, who then rescued Sylvia. Thankfully, Sylvia was hosted by the young man’s  family weeks before she actually was rescued because of her high risk of Forced Early Marriage (FEM). Her case was brought to the attention of Catherine Wangari by a children officer and now is rescued at the Ewuaso Osiligi Center.

Pauline was a normal high school girl in Kenya... until she wasn't. Being the last born of three children, her school fees were beginning to become a challenge. She was sent home from school, due to the lack of school fees, more often than not. As time progressed, gaps in her classroom attendance continued and she struggled to maintain her education.

Fed up with the situation, her stepbrothers decided that child marriage was the best option as the family was struggling to make ends meet. Pauline pleaded to the area chief who refused his help and she was quietly married off. 

In the first year of her marriage, she worked jobs in hopes to be able to pay for and finish her own education. She was unable to complete her schooling because she became pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in December 2021. 

After many twists and turns, including running away and being forced to return to her husband, a medical team intervened on her behalf and began the rescue process. Her daughter remained in her older sister's care.

Pauline is thriving in school. Although she has had to miss some classes for medical treatment, her teachers are so impressed by her hard work and her performance! Over the last school break, Pauline was able to be reunited with her daughter and to remind herself what she is working toward... a better future for her and her daughter. 

October 2023

Sarah was rescued and brought to the rescue center in 2019 after running away from forced child marriage. She started her education again at the Ewuaso Osiligi School after being rescued and finished her junior secondary learning (8th grade) and prepared to go to high school.

However, after entering high school, she realized that traditional education was not a great fit for her. Her grades were dropping, and she realized her heart was not in it. Instead, she wanted to pursue a vocational school to become a dressmaker and tailor. This made a lot of sense to everyone in Kenya, as she was always helping the school tailor and other girls with minor adjustments to their own clothes. 

Sarah felt called in a different direction and this year, that became a reality! She began vocational college in May and was happy to report with some of her creations after her first term.

Because of your help, girls like Sarah are now pursuing a passion that can help establish their futures! Thanks be to God for her progress and for your support.

August 2023

Hannah is 15 years old and in 7th grade. She was rescued in 2019 and has lived at the Ewuaso Osiligi Rescue Center ever since. She comes from a community a few hours away from the center. 

When her mother passed away during childbirth, she was forced to drop out of school in order to take care of her six siblings. She helped raise her siblings for three years and then desired to return to school. However, her father refused. She had grown older and in the Maasai tribe, was considered close to becoming a woman. He instead wanted her to undergo FGM and be married off at 11 years old, which was encouraged by her step mother. 

It was another woman in the family, another wife of her father, that raised the alarm when the plans became known amongst the adults. She sought help from the area chief, who rescued Hannah. 

Hannah is bubbly, outgoing and full of hope for the future. She has grown in confidence, in faith, and physically since arriving four years ago. “I came to the center when I was 11 years old but I was unable to join fourth grade because I couldn’t read or write. Now, I can read and write in Swahili and English. I can express myself!” 

Hannah is passionate about being a truth-teller and showing compassion to others. She dreams of one day becoming an accountant.