Christian Mission Aid

^“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

It is a warm Monday morning, and everything around the Olooloitikoshi Girls’ Rescue Center in Kajiado, Kenya, reflects this. The grass is green with glints of gold from the sun’s rays; while the well tended fruit trees around the compound sway peacefully in the morning breeze. The three blocks of buildings, two of them dormitories and one a dining cum study area, all look exquisite against the rustic plains.

The air is filled with the sweet aroma of cooking. Adorned in their best clothes and shoes, hair neatly combed and faces shinning with joy, the girls are hosting a team of 21 guests from Christ Community Church (CCC), Colorado, USA. Every once in a while, two or three of them pass by the spot where CMA directors, Larry and Debby Kitchel are chatting with Mark and Tina Haggen, representatives of CCC at the center, and other guests. The girls giggle shyly as they shake our hands confidently, a confidence many of us did not expect them to have so soon.

From forced early marriage to female genital mutilation, sexual abuse to neglect, being sold off to being denied an education, each of the 31 girls at the center was just recently rescued from a heartrending ordeal. Their only hope, though not certain yet, is what they will make of the opportunity the GRC has presented. CMA, with the support of Christ Community Church, built the center in 2008, mainly to rescue the many Maasai girls who face various forms of abuse. Out of a total number of 100 targeted at any one time, 31 girls have so far been admitted and enrolled in various primary and secondary schools. Activities at the center are majorly performed by members of an elected committee, in collaboration with schools, churches and administrative arms, particularly the District Children’s Department.

“It is nice to see bigger smiles on your faces,” CMA director, Larry Kitchel, tells the girls. We all agree they have made great leaps towards healing. “It is all about love,” adds Larry. “The love that has travelled from CMA Kenya to CCC in Colorado and other parts of USA and back to Kenya and into many parts of Kajiado. Let us keep this love traveling,” he encourages.

Stepping out of their sorrowful pasts and struggle to attain normalcy, the girls are courageous enough to stage a comical skit on the theme of forced early marriage. The skit depicts the daily struggles of many a Maasai girl. They are turned in to beasts of burden the moment they are able to walk and talk, discriminated against in favor of their brothers, when time to join school arrives, and forced into early marriage whenever the family wealth is threatened. Today the girls reveal their fondness for their new home and a determination to put the harsh past behind them, all in the skit.

Among the 31 girls are *Terry (16), Sarah (15), Cathy (11) and Marisa (10). All slender, dark and tall, their hair cropped short, and their eyes dark and thoughtful, if you met one of them at one corner of the compound and later met any of the other three, you would not tell the difference, for they have a striking semblance. They are sisters; all going by one surname, their father’s name. Sadly, it is because of their father that they are at the rescue center and not at home with their mother and five younger siblings.

Even as they share their story, they are all evidently confused and embarrassed about their predicament. According to the girls, their father, a man they love, trusted and respected started seducing and urging them to be free with him, as he did unprintable things to them. They innocently ignored his actions until he attempted to rape them. “We were shocked. He told us not to tell mother, but it was too late. Sarah and I escaped to a neighbor’s home,” recalls Terry. The neighbor took the two girls to CMA offices in the area and soon they were transferred to the GRC. On learning about what had happened, the girls’ mother left for another town, miles away, without her children. Her husband was not apprehended by authorities, for lack of evidence. That was April this year.

Soon the father of nine was at it again. This time he attempted to undress Cathy and Marisa. They had been expecting him to make that move for a while, and were able to escape unharmed. They too were brought to the GRC. “I’m happy to be with my sisters, but I’m worried about my mother and other siblings,” Terry says sadly. “We are always sad… We pray for our family,” she adds. All the girls want is to return to a life of normalcy, which means living at home with their parents, and younger siblings; three sisters and two brothers. “We have all learnt to forgive our father, because we have been made to understand that we are special,” concludes Terry.

While, like Cathy and Marisa, some of the girls at the rescue center may be too young to grasp the repercussions of the events they have experienced so far, one thread connects all of them: a past of pain. Most of them do not even know what a normal family life means, for they have witnessed the cycle of abuse far too many times.

Besides rescuing the girls, CMA also teaches them to forgive their parents. On the other hand their parents are encouraged to visit their children at the center, to improve relationships and family cohesion. Mark, who has been instrumental in the construction work at the center, recalls how hard it was to win the girls’ trust even after being rescued. “Most of them feared for their safety even while here, as they had fresh memories of their narrow escape…they thought it was only a matter of time before their assailants came calling. Now I see a lot of hope and confidence. I thank God for that,” he says. “The girls are assured of God’s love. This comes through during bible study, outings and games. We are all excited that the GRC is working,” adds Tina.

Clearly the girls face promises of a great future, with plans to expand facilities and establish a secondary school at the center, as well as to secure sponsorships for their secondary school, university and college education. CMA will only let them out of the center when they are self sufficient.

*Not their real names.