Valentine’s Day DREAMS from Kenya

We are pleased to share with you some very special Valentine’s Day messages from the adolescent girls and young women from our DREAMS project in Kenya. DREAMS stands for: Determined Resilient Empowered AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe Women. It is a partnership with JSI and PEPFAR that aims to reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries. The project supports girls from impoverished communities to stay in school at key dropout points by making schools more girl-friendly and gender-equitable and by advocating to the private sector to expand scholarships for project participants.

Love is one of CMMB’s four core values. Love truly has the power to bring about profound change. The stories we share here today are a testament to the power of love. They are stories about finding hope in darkness.

Meet Nancy from Kenya

Nancy is 12 years old and is in grade seven at school. Life is difficult for Nancy and her family. They live in one of the poorest communities in Kenya and every day is a challenge. Nancy often goes to school hungry and lunch, she says, “is no longer on my mind” as she has learned to cope without it.

What Nancy lacks in resources, she makes up in spirit. She believes that through the DREAMS project interventions she will achieve her very own dream of becoming a doctor.

Meet Rosemary

Rosemary is 18 years old and was the first born in her family. She struggles to smile because life is very difficult for her. Rosemary lives with her single mum in a very poor and challenging part of Kenya. Getting school fees is always a challenge not to mention textbooks and writing materials which are often missing from her school bag as she reports each new term.

She faces difficulties studying back home due to endless noise but she is determined to realize her dream of becoming a nurse. Rosemary is grateful to CMMB for bringing the DREAMS project to her community. She has learned so much about living healthy and the program has inspired so many positive behavior changes. She is now an ambassador of the program, mentoring other girls in her school on living healthier, happier, and more beautiful lives.

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

Meet Maureen

Maureen is 13 years old and is in grade eight. She is the only child and lives alone with her mom. Maureen’s dad is not part of her life. Together they live in one of the poorest and most challenging communities in Nairobi. Living in extreme poverty, Maureen says that she sees how much her mother struggles to earn enough to keep her in school. Life here is difficult every day. “My mom says my education is her priority.”

Maureen says that through the interventions of the DREAMS “Tusaidie Wasichana Waelimike’ project she feels empowered. She says that she no longer misses classes when on her periods because she now has AFRIpads which she received through DREAMS. Maureen, is working hard. She plans to get at least 420 marks (out of a possible 500) on her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. Her dream? To become a lawyer and try to change things for the better.

Any adolescent girls and young women lack a full range of opportunities and are too often devalued because of gender bias, leading them to be seen as unworthy of investment or protection. Social isolation, economic disadvantage, discriminatory cultural norms, orphanhood, gender-based violence, and school drop-out all contribute to girls’ vulnerability to HIV. DREAMS has the potential change how we work together to ensure an AIDS-free future for adolescent girls and young women. – PEFAR

Meet Fiona

Fiona is 13 years old and is in grade eight. She lives with her parents in one of the poorest and challenging areas of Kenya. Fiona dreams of becoming a major fashion designer and prove that slums too can produce globally acclaimed clothing! She says that this dream would not be possible had it not been for the mentorship classes that have boosted her confidence and self-esteem. Fiona thanks DREAMS for helping her to dream.

Meet Esther

Esther Kathesya is 17 years old. She is a bubbly girl in form 3 at a secondary school in one of the most impoverished areas of Nairobi. She says life in the slum is difficult. She explains that many of her friends have been impacted by sexual and gender based violence – and many have children of their own.

Despite facing the many challenges that come with extreme poverty, Esther believes she has learned a lot from the University of Nairobi mentors who lead her DREAMS sessions. She believes their love, support, and guidance will help her become a lawyer and fight for the rights of young girls facing sexual and gender based violence in her community.

Meet Nelly

Nelly is 17 years old and is attending one of the local secondary schools in her community. She is a shy girl. The first born in a family of five, Nelly lives with and is cared for by an aunt. Both her parents live far away where they work to earn whatever money they can to support their children.

Nelly says her dream of becoming a lawyer was fading but then she found DREAMS. She said that the mentorship programme helped boost her self-confidence and remind her that dreams can come true. Nelly admits that if we had asked her to be part of this Valentine’s Day project a few months back she would not have been able to have a chat with us or even pose for a photo. But today, she is now able to appreciate herself as she is. While poverty and its challenges continue to be part of her life, she is able to imagine her way out of it.

Nelly says that the DREAMS project has enabled her to see life with a new perspective where love, respect, and dignity is possible for all.