Helen

 Helen never knew her father, her mother was an alcoholic and would leave her with neighbors sometimes even a month without coming back. She went to school until standard four and quit school because no one was there to provide for her.  At 16 a friend found a job for her in Arusha and she came to work as a house keeper. Later she met a man who promised her marriage and she became pregnant.  When she told the man he said he was not ready to be a father. He left her and she doesn’t know where he is.  At 4 months pregnant her boss told her she could no longer work as their housegirl.  She went around trying to find a job and met a lady who took her in and helped her. A week after she delivered her baby, the husband of the lady told them she had to leave because he could not take care of her and her baby and his own family.   He told his wife if you insist on keeping her then you will both leave the house. The lady took Helen to an orphanage to see if she could leave the baby there, they told them they could not accept the baby unless they have permission from social welfare offices.  A Social worker contacted Angel {our social worker} to see if Neema could take Helen and her baby both in.  (Neema always works to keep mom and baby together.)

Helen came to Neema last September when her son Junior was almost 2 weeks old. She is living in the MAP apartments and doing well, going to sewing class and learning English.  She would like to run a small shop selling food and other house supplies, like soaps, salt, sugar etc.  Helen is 18 years old and has a baby named Junior.  

When you lift a woman in Africa, you not only change her world, you change ours!