Neema (Mama Ethan)

Thank God this story has a happy ending.  Neema is 38 years old with two kids and a successful beauty salon.  In 2017 she moved to Arusha and set up her business.  She was doing well.  One day she decided to go to a bar and watch a football game.  Her team won but a man from the other team got angry and she had to move to another table.  He later came over to apologize and asked her to go for a drink with him.  Two other men got in the car and they took her off, drugged her and she woke up the next morning in bed with a stranger.  Later she learned she was pregnant and had HIV.  For 5 months she was in the hospital while one of her clients paid her hospital bill.  When she got out of the hospital after having the baby she went home but could not pay the overdue rent for her business and her home.  She had to sell her salon equipment to pay her back rent.  Now she had no money to re-open her business or buy food.  She took the father of the baby to court, had the DNA test done which proved he was the father and tried to get him to support the baby.  He has refused.  He is married to an American women and tried to hide the story.  Mariamu contacted Social Welfare who referred her to Neema Village.  In August with help from Neema Village she was able to re-establish her hair salon business through the MAP program.  Her business is doing well.