I am on a 5 hour ride with the famous Kenya SGR train going back to Nairobi from the coastal regions of Kenya, lately I have been using such moments to reflect the work we do empowering survivors and what legacy I am intentionally creating to leave behind.
2026 has been a shift for the women shelter I founded at the age of 23, 7 years later, somewhere deep with I am still the 23 year old that once opened her own house to be a women shelter, but now with more intentional work done to raise the next generation of survivors and young women that can develop resilience and agency in their empowerment journey.
This is not definitely what I was reflecting on in the train…..
Few days ago, while I was deep within the coastal communities supporting women, I received a call from back home, and home for me is the women shelter, the call was coming from a landlord from a gym that’s operated within the community our shelter is located.
On the other side of the call ,this were his words “Why have you brought street people in my space?”
And for a moment, I was shocked, I am miles away, who are these people and why exactly are we profiling them as “street children”?
So I gathered all the strength I got, breathed in and out and asked him to clarify
His next words pierced my soul, but not in a way that makes me angry, in a way that made me and still makes me curious
“I have been told you are the one who picks girls in the streets and live with them, they are here in the gym and their children are crying all over the place”
For context the gym has an outside space where someone can sit and wait, and the girls in question were the girls and young women from our women shelter who we recently enrolled in a fitness program to support their wellness journey.
I didn’t react to him, I disconnected the call, called the gym and asked them to send the girls and children home.
But after that call,I kept thinking about the perception our communities have for survivors and the vulnerable in the communities.
So what if they were street children? Who is the gatekeeper of their rights? Don’t they deserve to take care of themselves too.
My reflection took me to a time I attended a conference where they claimed we are putting young women at the center of decision making when clearly the program was designed for a young woman to just sit still and not be seen!
I have thought to myself and the legacy that I wish to create and we have so much work to do!
We have work to do in shaping the perceptions and shifting mindsets and it starts with me and you
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Photo credit: Image provided by the storyteller.