"Nala"

Nala has the magic touch when it comes to babies. As soon as she holds them, they stop crying. She finds joy in babysitting during her free time at the shelter. She took a break from early morning babysitting to tell us about her story and how far she has come.

Nala used to work as a house girl in a nice home and a wealthy family that treated her well. The "man of the house" was a church member and was well-liked in the community. One day, he came home early in the morning from the night before. The smell of alcohol exuded out of his pores as he asked Nala for a glass of water. He came into her room and asked for water. Nala attempted to get this for him, but he wasn't there for a water glass. He forced Nala to have sex with him. She repeatedly tried to tell him that this was not what she wanted, but he physically forced her into this act. After this unspeakable trauma, he told her to keep quiet. He even paid her for her silence. Nala still doesn't feel comfortable talking to the police about it, as she knows she will not be believed. Nala has a disability, and is not able to read and write, and she feels as though this will be used against her if she ever came forward. It would be the classic her word against his.

Nala told her mother about this experience, and she never returned to work for them again. Sometime later, Nala was asked to do a job for her mother's employers. In the evening, she was sent to town to deliver some milk. It got dark outside, and Nala was unsure where to go. A man pulled up in a car beside her and volunteered to take her home. Nala agreed. Instead of taking her home, he took her to a quarry and raped her after. He left her there without single regard. Nala lied there for what she says felt like hours. Finally, a woman passing by saw her and offered her somewhere to sleep.

When Nala woke up the next day, the same woman took her home, where her mother had been worrying. Nala explained what had happened, and she was taken to the hospital. Nala and her mother filed a police report, but no one followed up with her after this. She still does not know who did this to her or where he may be now.

At this time, she was still only a child. Her mother decided that Nala was not safe, and she went to the children's department, where she was referred to Agatha Amani House. She has now spent six years at the shelter. Nala discovered she was pregnant, and her son was born shortly after. Although she cannot remember her age, Nala thinks she was around 16 when she became pregnant.

Growing up, Nala felt discriminated against because of her learning disabilities, but she has made great strides while living at the shelter. Here, she discovered her love for babies, chickens, and the community. She hopes to get a job once she leaves the safe house to keep providing for her son and his education. She loves her baby very much, despite her experiences and traumas. She now understands the control and power exerted over her while she was working as a house girl. Her love for chickens has inspired her to start a chicken project when she does leave. Being around women who support and uplift her has been a big help in Nala's life. She wishes that the police and her mother had listened to her more after these instances. However, she now feels that with the skills and the empowerment she has gained here, she is ready to move forward and start a new life with her son.