Namazzi* was 17 when she was sexually assaulted by someone in her community.
Afraid and ashamed, she kept it a secret at first.
But when she realised she was pregnant, Namazzi had no choice but to tell her parents what had happened to her.
You’d hope that they might comfort her and support her. Family is where you’re meant to feel safe and feel like you belong.
Instead, they rejected her.
They didn’t believe her story and they cast her out from their home to avoid the shame that came with an unwed pregnancy.
“I was hurt that they didn’t believe me, that no-one would believe me. It tore my life apart.”
Namazzi was alone, pregnant, and out on the street.
After some time, a woman in Namazzi’s village showed mercy and took her to the Wakisa Centre.
At Wakisa, Namazzi found shelter, people who cared for her and a place where she felt that she belonged.
“It was like I had found a new family, one that loved me when my own family couldn’t.”
During her stay, Namazzi came to realise that the love and support she was getting from her Wakisa ‘family’ was a reflection of a loving heavenly father, and in time, she accepted God into her life.
And it wasn’t long before Namazzi welcomed another new family member into her life, when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.
What’s more, the counsellors at Wakisa had also been helping her to reconcile with her own family. A process that began with Namazzi forgiving them for rejecting her and ended with her family eagerly awaiting Namazzi’s return home with her daughter.
“When it eventually came time for me and my daughter to leave the centre, my life had been completely transformed.”
While at the centre Namazzi had taken part in many of their vocational classes and had found that she enjoyed and excelled at tailoring.
Today, Namazzi is able to support herself and her daughter by working in a dressmaking shop.
“I thank God for Wakisa Ministries. I thank everyone at Wakisa for loving me and taking care of me… Thank you for teaching me skills that mean I can support myself and my daughter. It has restored my self-esteem and given me hope again for the future.”
*Names have been changed to protect those we serve.