Mwanahalima

Birthday

History

Mwanahalima and Fatuma lived with their very poor grandmother after the death of their mother (they never knew the father). Since she could not take care of two children, the children got separated and Fatuma came to an aunt. Both had no possibility to go to school. Mwanahalima goes now since 2001 to a private school. She has some difficulties to learn but we give her extra lessons to improve her grades. She likes to assist in baking cakes and takes lovingly care of the little ones.

Mwanahalima has become a little Mama. She still takes lovingly care of our small ones and we could imagine that the will work for Nice View as a mother later on. She would like to learn how to sew and already practices making clothes for her dolls. Also she likes to help in the kitchen. In her free time she enjoys to sing, to dance and to do handicrafts; as all of our girls. Together with her half-sister Fatuma, she visits their grandmother from time to time.

Career

July 2008: Mwanahalima is since the beginning of the year in form 6. Within the change of schools (we had decided to let all of our children change the school since the situation at the previous one was intolerable) she was downgraded (from form 7 to form 5). Nevertheless, we are confident that she can improve her performance at the new school. She is still a loving mother or older sister, and takes tenderly care of Sarah and Jolene. They share a room since a few months.

July 2009: In the school in Diani only good pupils are moved up since end of last school year. This means only pupils with at least 350 points out of 500. Since from our children only Francis would have been moved up we were forced to find another school for our older children. Therefore, Mwanahalima attends now again a Primary School in our village Msambweni. This school is supported by a Dutch foundation and has a higher standard compared to other schools in the closer surroundings. Another advantage is that the children do not have to leave home that early and that they are back at home earlier. In addition, they can take lunch in Nice View II. We hope Mwanahalima will finish Primary School with success end of the year. However, we are prepared that her marks might not be good enough to be taken in by a Secondary School. But perhaps she is going to surprise us!

February 2010: Mwanahalima has finished Primary School in the meantime and has started a half-year education as hairstylist in Nairobi already several weeks ago. She shares with another apprentice a double bedroom in a good guarded hostel where they also cook for the young girls daily. Mwanahalima who was always font of plaiting the hairs of the little girls enjoys the education. It is also remarkable how self-confident and independent she became in the last weeks. She is a little homesick what we try to soften by having regular phone contacts. The vocational collage has a very good reputation, and Mwahahalima can if she performs well continue with other half-year educations (manicure and/or massage). 

November 2010: In the meantime Mwanahalima has successfully completed the education as hairstylist, and she continues now with the education as nail stylist and masseuse. We are very proud of her and always happy when she comes home during holidays.

December 2010: When Mwanahalima (19) came home in the course of the holidays, we had to realize that she is pregnant.

Begin 2011: Mwanahalima decided to leave Nice View and to try her luck in independency.

February 2011: Mwanahalima was not successful and had to give up her job. Since her health status had significantly worsened, we admitted her temporarily again in Nice View.

May 2011: We were lucky and Mwanahalima was admitted in the "YOUNG MOTHERS KENYA" project on May 7th.  Once a month is visiting day, and we will visit her regularly.

It was not easy to say goodbye, and we wish Mwahahalima all the best on her future road of life!

01 June 2011:

On the night of 1st June 2011, Mwanahalima was brought with childbirth pains to the hospital and delivered a healthy and 3100 gram heavy child. It is a boy, and she named him Amaton.

Already on the same day, both could leave the hospital, and Gudrun visited them the day after. She brought Mwanahalima baby food and clothes.