Fundraising by Federica Invrea

This fundraiser was born out of a promise and a wish, made on my last birthday.

I was in Githurai 45, one of the poorest and most marginalized neighborhoods in Nairobi, a place from which not only tourists, but also the city's own residents keep a careful distance... in that place, I left a little piece of my heart...

Here, the unfavorable socioeconomic context, extreme poverty and lack of real opportunities weigh especially on the most vulnerable: in the streets, just a few steps away from homes and markets, there is a submerged universe made up of stories of violence, loneliness and abandonment. Here, every day, hundreds of women, aged 17 to 60, sell their bodies for as little as one euro in order to survive or to guarantee food, schooling and a better future for their children.

Since March 2023, thanks to the big hearts of people who have decided to donate years of their lives to these women, the"Amini" project, which in Swahili means "believe in it". It is a project built from their needs and requests, to create family with them on a daily basis, including through the shelter that now houses 7 mothers with their wonderful children.

Through dialogue and active listening, we try to get to know them and get to know each other in order to understand their dreams and aspirations, so that together we can build a path of rebirth suitable for them. They are offered health and psychological care (in Kenya, health care is fee-paying and treatment very expensive) and training courses in catering, pastry making, tailoring and aesthetics, in order to learn a new trade and be able to find a decent job.

I had the honor and opportunity to share a little piece of the road with them: last July together we opened a Kibanda, a small store where women can sell clothes, from donations, to self-finance and experiment in an activity that restores their dignity and self-confidence.

They are wonderful women, with big eyes that conceal deep sorrows, but with a light I have never encountered before. I was immediately struck by their resilience and how much they are willing to cope for the love of their children.

In a short time with them I shared so much... they taught me how to cook chapati and mandazi, how to carry a baby on my back, that you can always smile even when everything is falling apart, that - even if little - chai (tea) is always enough to share, that true strength lies in starting over from one's wounds... with them I felt welcomed, loved, complete... I always felt"enough," just as I am...

I will remember for the rest of my life the surprise party they gave me on my birthday, complete with a gavettonata (Kenyan style), handmade cake, singing, dancing and full joy... on that day I expressed my deepest wish: that these girls, women and mothers might have a chance at redemption for them and their children... and I made them a promise: that I would never forget them, and even from a distance I would find new ways to be there and continue to support them.

And here I am, honoring that promise....

Thank you with all my heart to anyone who will believe in a new possible way and help me realize this shared dream! Every donation, no matter how small, or sharing this message can change their destiny.

An African proverb says,"The wind does not break a tree that knows how to bend." As of this summer, I believe it...do you?