It’s 8:38pm and I’ve just finished watching a Friday night movie with Finlee (my 5 year old), Chloe (my 2 year) and my husband. We popped popcorn, had come candy, giggled and made memories. But more importantly, Finlee and Chloe felt safe. As I tucked them into bed, kissed them good night and sang to them twinkle twinkle little star I felt grateful, but sadden that there are many kids around the world that aren’t so lucky.
Yesterday, as I was scrolling through Facebook, a page I follow called Rafiki Mwema was in my news feed and what I read brought me to tears. Broke a piece of my heart I never knew could break and all because of this paragraph…
* Trigger Warning: Horrific Sexual Assault *
“One of the baby girls (5 years old) who has joined us this week has been sexually abused by a family member using sharp objects. She was petrified when she came to us. The two other girls have been raped so many times they can not sit up, they can only lay down or stand up. They have received surgery and they still have to undergo significant surgery to assist them in normal functions. They are 4 and 6 years old.”
So tonight, because of this sadness I made the decision to make a difference through child sponsorship.
Rafiki Mwema
In March 2015, is when I first came across Rafiki Mwema and I immediately felt connected with the work that the team not only in Australia was doing, but also in the UK and of course the hands on work in Kenya. Rafiki Mwema was started because of the need to provide support to very young girls who have been sexually abused in Kenya. Rafiki Mwema has seen first hand, so many young girls under the age of 12 who have experienced sexual abuse and in Kenya there are currently no specialised care for these very vulnerable children.
What is Rafiki Mwema
Rafiki Mwema is a therapeutic safe house, which helps these beautiful souls to make sense of the horrors that have happened to them. While at Rafiki Mwema, the staff will link the girls with any medical treatment they may need, support them through the court system, and where possible to work with their families for a safe return to the home.
Child Sponsorship
As I’m sure many of you are aware, that in order for Rafiki Mwema to stay up and running there are costs associated with this. There are costs for the house, for the staff, training, medical expenses, food, clothing and so much more. Rafiki Mwema relies solely on individual donations from individuals like you and I to assist in keeping Rafiki Mwema up and running.
One of things I love most about sponsorship through Rafiki Mwema is that, there are no overheads/administration costs, which in a nutshell means ALL sponsorship funds will go straight towards covering 100% of the child’s needs. The second thing I love, is that there are four different levels of child sponsorship that you can choose from when making your decision to sponsor Rafiki Mwema. I love this option because not all of us have a lot of money to sponsor a child, but through Rafiki Mwema as little as $50 a month will still assist these young girls in providing them a safe home to live in.
Child Sponsorship – How to Help the Young Girls from Rafiki Mwema
- Option 1: A One off Donation
- At the moment, Rafiki Mwema URGENTLY needs to raise $25,000 in order to set up a new house as there are to many young girls needing assistance. Rafiki Mwema set up a Gofund Campaign yesterday and in just over 24 hours they’ve raised $15,000 but still need $10,000 more. Please go to DONATE NOW to make a contribution of any amount.
- Option 2: Monthly Child Sponsorship
- Rafiki Mwema will always need people like you and I to sponsor the young girls, so please head to Rafiki Mwema Sponsorship to see how you can make a huge difference.
Every Bit Counts
I want there to be no war, but rather peace, love and happiness however, the reality is that this will never happen. I’ve had to accept that I might not end war, conquer the world hunger problem, find a cure for cancer, but what I can do is make a change to some. And tonight, I’ve made a change for some beautiful, courageous, deserving little girl in Kenya. Today I Sponsored a Child. Today I’ve Made a Difference.
