Unbroken: Miriam’s* Story

Miriam* speaks with passion and eloquence, in English as well as several local languages, and when she laughs it’s hard to remember that she is a survivor of a deep trauma that has changed the trajectory of her life.

Miriam grew up in a small rural village. Her family was often hungry and couldn’t afford essentials like clothing, much less school supplies, but Miriam loved school and did all she could to go. 

When she was 12 years old, her mother got sick and had to go to hospital, and Miriam and her siblings had to stay with their uncle. He saw them as a burden and beat them when he was angry. And then, one day when Miriam was alone in the house, he raped her. 

Miriam told her mother and father. Devastated, her mother believed her and demanded justice – but her father didn’t and was furious when her mother went to the chief. The chief also sided with the uncle, who said that Miriam had made the story up. So Miriam and her mother went to the authorities and finally were able to report what had happened. 

“When this man defiled me, I called my mum who called the chief. The chief, he doesn’t do anything. He doesn’t help us as girls.
He wasn’t concerned, he told me, ‘you are pretending, nothing happened there.’

So when we speak no one will hear us, so we have to stay with our problems, we feel like no one is concerned, no one loves us, we feel we are nothing.”

Miriam’s father threw her and her mother out of the home, and their relatives turned their back on them. With no way to support themselves, they had to beg somewhere to stay and food to eat. Seeing the situation, the local government child officer helped Miriam find a place in a rescue centre, which provides a home for children who cannot stay with their families, next to the local school. The rescue centre is run by the government, but World Vision sponsorship provides psychosocial and trauma recovery support to the sponsored and other children there, and helps them learn about their rights.

“Sponsorship has helped me so much. Because here we can get clothes. Here we can get uniforms. Here we feel so good because here it feels safe.”

Today, Miriam still lives in the rescue centre but also returns home to see her mother, and sometimes her father. The case against her uncle is still proceeding through the courts. But through the horrendous experience, Miriam has become a strong advocate for girls and their rights. She supports other girls to stand up for their rights and dreams of one day starting her own human rights advocacy organisation.

The situation in Osiligi

Osiligi, Kenya, is an area of the Masaai people, who are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, relying on their cattle and goats as their primary source of food and income and herding them across an area that also crosses the borders of Uganda and Tanzania to follow the rain and pastures. 

The Masaai are fiercely proud of their well-preserved culture. However, some of the traditional ways are harmful for children, especially girls – FGM, child marriage and teenage pregnancy have lifelong health implications and often trigger the end of a girl’s education, stifling her future opportunities and leaving her more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Like in many Kenyan ethnic groups, polygamy and very large families are common and women are socially and economically reliant on their husbands. Education is not seen as valuable in many traditional communities, which has the effect of locking children in to follow in their parents’ pastoralist footsteps. Many boys also leaving school early because once they are considered a man, gender norms dictate that they should not take instruction from women teachers. 

The community’s reliance on their livestock means the drought of the last three years that has seen the last six rainfalls fail has hit the community hard. Without grass, livestock has been lost and breeding has slowed, and fewer animals means less food and less income. Children are the most vulnerable. In Osiligi, malnutrition is rising and so is the threat of child marriage, teen pregnancy and child labour. As families move around to look for better pasture for their livestock, child protection is weakened because children are taken away from the teachers, community leaders, and neighbours who know them.

The impact of sponsorship

World Vision sponsorship has been working in Osiligi since 2006 and there are approximately 3000 children sponsored. Initially focused on strengthening education, much progress has been made in changing community attitudes and raising awareness about the importance of education and children’s, particularly girls’, rights. Across the region, there are now many advocates who have seen the improvements in children’s lives and are speaking up for change. World Vision also partners with the Kenyan government to strengthen child protection, including supporting government-run rescue centres with psychosocial and trauma recovery support.

Right now, 1000 girls like Miriam are taking a stand against the threats and barriers they face, just because they are girls. Will you stand with them?

With your sponsorship gift of $45 a month, you can help a girl and her community build a future where every child lives free from fear.

Sponsor a girl today!