WHY WE EXIST
It is estimated that there are up to 40,000 sex workers in Nairobi. 98% are women and girls.
Prostitution preys upon the most marginalised and vulnerable in our society. 9 out of 10 women that Rejesha has met are single mothers driven by poverty and joblessness.
Rather than become completely paralysed by the magnitude of the problem, Rejesha Project is doing something to help break the cycle of prostitution.
The vicious cycle of Prostitution
Childhood trauma - abusive parents, sexual abuse, neglect.
Poverty - urban poor and living in Nairobi's most underprivileged communities.
Constant arrests - each time you have to pay to get out meaning that you have to keep working to stay afloat. Most women have a constant cycle of debt.
Low self-esteem and self-confidence - the prostitution industry is designed to erode ones sense of dignity and worth.
Insufficient education - most women in prostitution do not have a secondary school education.
Early pregnancies - most women in prostitution were teenage mothers.
No Job skills to compete in the job market - prostitution becomes the ONLY choice.
Single Parents - 9 out 10 women that we have met are single mothers and sole breadwinners.
9 OUT OF10
women that Rejesha Project has met are single mothers.
30X
UP TO 75%
that's how many times more female sex workers are likely to contract HIV than the general female population.
of adult female sex workers are assaulted or abused at least once in their lifetime.
We exist to break the cycle of prostitution in Nairobi.
In Kenya, sex work is not criminalised however, it is a felony to live wholly or partly on the earnings of sex work and soliciting or aiding in prostitution. Local authorities often employ other laws such as loitering for the purpose of prostitution, importuning, and indecent exposure to harass, arrest and incriminate sex workers.
Rejesha believes that prostitution is NOT A CHOICE. Prostitution preys upon the most marginalised and vulnerable in our society. 9 out of 10 women Rejesha has met are single mothers driven by poverty and joblessness. Many women that we see have experienced abuse in their life whether sexual abuse as a minor, emotional or domestic abuse from family members or a previous romantic partner.
Without alternative means to earn a decent income, women who are already living in Nairobi's extremely poor and underserved communities will have no other choice but sell their bodies to feed their families and to keep a roof over their heads.
We exist to bring dignity and hope to women in prostitution by creating affordable, sustainable means of earning an income. By doing so, we are breaking the cycle of prostitution.