Stories of Real Women with Real Lives

Science tells us that our bodies are uniquely wired to perceive and respond to threats and stressful situations. We either fight, freeze or run/flight. Alice has been fighting most of her life. She first went into fight mode when she lost her parents at a young age; when she fell pregnant by an abusive partner whose scars of his torment she bears on her forehead to this day; she also fought to raise her beautiful daughter alone after leaving her abuser. She fought for four years to stay alive in remand prison after being locked up and having no one to bail her out.

 

In December 2020, I responded to a distressing call from a badly beaten up, homeless Alice. After being picked up by a client, Alice was taken to an unknown location in Nairobi where she continued to offer her services to the client however, the situation turned ugly when the client demanded sex without a condom. She fought for her right to safe sex but it ended up badly for her as the client proceeded to punch her face repeatedly and throw her out of a moving vehicle. When I first saw her, her face was unrecognisable. Heavily swollen and badly bruised. 

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When we first met Alice in early 2020 during our street Outreach, she walked into the room tall and confident just like an African lioness would and showed no signs of defeat. She spoke confidently and laughed with contentment. We knew very little then, just how much fight she has had to do to stay alive and stand tall and that her confidence and laughter she uses to mask just how much pain she has endured. Over the months of getting to know Alice, she has allowed us to see just how broken, vulnerable and chaotic her life can be. After all that fighting, even the strongest of persons will have enough of their share of defeat. In August 2021, Alice found herself fighting to save her life from the hands of another client who started thrashing her with a 'Nyaunyo' (a rubber whip that is commonly used by the police) also for refusing his sexual proposals. 

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In March 2021, Alice was among the first women Rejsha helped start a second-hand clothing business. She started off selling second-hand clothes and quickly realised that the business was not doing well mostly because the people in her neighbourhood could not afford to pay Ksh. 300 ($3) for a top or Ksh. 700 ($7) for a good pair of shoes. In May 2021, she used her resourcefulness and problem-solving skills to upgrade her business by adding an egg and smokies (sausages) cart. By July 2021, Alice used some of the savings from her business to send her then 14-year daughter to a good high school upcountry.

 

During one of my visits, Alice said to me;

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“Since I moved to this neighbourhood, this is the first time my neighbours have seen me sober and jovial. Usually, I came home in the early hours of the morning drunk and high and I would be very mean and say really bad things to anyone who dared to even look at me. Now, I feel like I am gaining a new kind of respect from my neighbours and even my family. My daughter is so proud of me, she usually asks how my business is doing and she wants to come and see it. My family has never known what I do in Nairobi. I tell them that I work in bars and clubs and that is why I have to work at night. Now, they are happy to see pictures of my business.” 

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Alice will always be a fighter! That is her God-given gift to staying alive in such a dark and dangerous industry. We know that Alice and many women like her, their lives are chaotic, unpredictable and vulnerable to the life they have known for many years. Like any addiction, it will take time for Alice to shed the layers of trauma and addiction to life on the streets. 

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With your support, we can help many more women like Alice!