My heart beats for the children

“My name is Beatrice Malika. I am in my late 30s and I am a mother of two girls aged 10 and 14. I am also a guardian of 270 children in Njathaini and Kiamumbi in Nairobi where I run a school, a rescue centre and a children’ home called Glory Christian Education and Rescue Home. “I started it in 2017 in two muddy rooms with seven children.

Being a Sunday school teacher at church, I felt that many children in the slums did not get to attend Sunday school or learn Bible stories. As a result, in 2012, I rented a room in Ngomongo slums, Njathaini and began to host a Bible club for kids on Saturday afternoons. With a growing number of kids attending, I decided to start a free school in 2014 for lower primary children. In 2017, things changed.

“That was the year I heard the heartbreaking case of two sisters and one brother. The two girls were aged nine and eight, while the brother was six years old. They hardly spoke. Their faces were often sad and emotionless. One afternoon, as I prepared to go home, they shyly approached me and said that they were hungry and wondered if I could buy them food. They asked if there was a way they could start living at the school instead of going home. ‘We don’t want to go back home!’ they said! That shook me.

“At first, I couldn’t tell why they were afraid to go back home. I asked them why but they were hesitant to say. The following day, they did not attend school. I saw them two days later walking wearily in the slums. I noticed that the walking style of the boy had changed while his two sisters had marks of battery on their faces.

“I called them and asked if they were okay. They started crying. I took them to my office and bought them lunch. ‘I want to visit the latrine but I am afraid of the pain!’ the boy said. Sitting down was also a problem. I asked them what was wrong with him, and they explained that he had been sexually abused. They told me that they were afraid to go back home because their mother would bring men over to sexually molest them.

“Shocked, I headed out to their home. Their mother was drunk and abusive. I talked to their neighours who revealed that the three children had been turned into sex slaves by their mother so she could raise money for alcohol. This broke my heart. I took them to St. Mark Hospital in Njathaini for treatment and later to a government hospital in Marurui along the northern bypass. I also reported the matter to the authorities and their case has since been with the police.

RESCUE CENTRE

“That was when I decided to acquire a license and turn the school into a rescue centre. Since the available space in Ngomongo was too small, I rented more space in Kiamumbi, Kiambu County.

“Initially, when I brought the three sexually abused children from the hospital to the rescue home, I faced difficulties in counselling and rehabilitating them. They were too broken. The boy was too hostile for other children to interact with. The three were also afraid of associating with men and older boys, and used foul language. At the time, I was juggling the administration of the centres with my job as a secretary at Kenyatta University. I would hive off half of my salary to ensure that the kids at the home were well catered for.

“I also called out for help with clothes, shoes, cereals and books from friends and well-wishers. This was not easy. There were people who felt that I was encouraging parents to be lazy by taking over their responsibilities. Some of my friends started to avoid me. They feared that I would become a leech for donations. I also remember when I revealed to my husband that I had branched out a rescue and children’ home. He was very skeptical. He asked me ‘Beatrice, do you think starting a school is like buying bread in a shop?’ He feared that I would die poor because I was channelling large amounts of my savings and salary to the centres. But this did not deter me. “Things got a bit worse when I decided to quit my job at Kenyatta University and commit fully to running the children’s home. But I do not have any regrets. I believe that it takes the village to raise children. I am also glad that my determination has since won my husband over. Also, the number of children has grown, and so has the space where we accommodate them.

The rescue and children home has 20 children while the school has 250 children. I have also been able to bring on volunteers who help take care of the children. I will forever be grateful to Luvway Minsitries who came in to support the children when the home opened.

“It has now been eight months and I thank God that the recovery of the three children has been steady. Unfortunately, their experience was not isolated. I have since met more children who have suffered sexual and physical abuse. And it bleeds my heart that there are people who are so cold that they can perpetrate such barbaric acts on innocent children. My prayer to God is that these children will overcome the emotional and physical injuries they have suffered and that one day they may get to live a normal life and realise the dreams they share with me.”