Lavenda Achieng

Birthday

History

Lavenda was made an orphan at age 2. After the death of her parents (the father died in 1999 - the mother one year later), the brother of her mother accommodated her. There she was tolerated only and not loved. The aunt and two older cousins hassled and abused her for years. She was brutally beaten by her aunt - a big scar in her face testifies to the brutality at home aggressions (even with a knife). After she came to school more often with a swollen face, bruises and wounds, the teachers realized the abuse and informed the Youth Welfare Office in Mombasa.

The Youth Welfare Office contacted the Nice-View-Children's-Village with the request to accommodate Lavenda. On a Sunday afternoon (4.5.08) Lavenda came to us with a small bag. We will never forget her shining and surprised eyes when we were showing her the room and her bed. Later Lavenda told us more about her life with the family of her uncle and we were deeply shaken. She was for example the only one that had to sleep on the ground, and she was also not allowed to eat together with the other family members. She had to prepare her meals herself and often there was only a piece of dry bread for her. With us in Nice View she will certainly forget her suffering's journey soon. With lovingly care and the warm friendship of our other children, she will settle down fast and will certainly be as happy as the other children soon.

Career

July 2008: Lavenda has settled down fast and already on the 2nd day she was cheerfully playing with a doll (was it her first?). We hope she will forget her past very fast; it was definitely ways worse than we can imagine.

July 2009: Lavenda is very good in school, will be in class 5 after the summer holidays, and participates in almost all working groups. She also helps us a lot taking care of the kindergartners in Nice View II. She sleeps with the smaller girls in one room and the mothers can always rely on her. She is now very lively and enjoys singing and dancing.

November 2010: Lavenda is very good in languages, now in class 6 and prefect. She is a Taekwondo blue belt wearer what means that she, Leah and Pascal are the first ones in Nice View with a blue belt. Lavenda is very helpful and tidy. As a number our children she has participated in this year’s music festival.