There is an inspiring story about an African Congolese girl named Marine. In 2013, a militia invaded Marine’s village in the Congo. Because of a disability, her friends and family left her behind, and the rebels took her as a slave for two years. She became pregnant but fortunately managed to escape, finding her way to Nairobi, Kenya. In Nairobi, Marine was referred to an organization that could help her. There, she was fitted with a prosthetic leg so she could carry her baby properly and enrolled in a safe shelter. Later, she joined a girls empowerment program, where she learned to read and write. When Marine first arrived in Nairobi she was so traumatized that she didn’t speak. She was totally despondent and very depressed. But after a couple months, that changed. Because through the organization she was able to completely blossom. She now was smiling a wide, beautiful smile.
This is just one story that Alisa Roadcup, Executive Director of Heshima Kenya, tells about girls like Marine. She is just one of many women and girls who have been helped by Heshima Kenya. Co-founders, Anne Sweeney and Talyn Good, have extensive backgrounds working with refugees in East Africa and recognized that there was a crucial need for focused care for young refugee women falling through the cracks of major aid organizations. So, they created Heshima Kenya in 2008 to provide specialized care for this invisible population. Since then they have provided shelter, education, vocational training, case management support, and advocacy to over 850 refugee girls and their children throughout East Africa.
Alisa Roadcup first joined Heshima Kenya’s team overseeing US operations in 2012. Over the last 4 years she’s had the privilege of working alongside amazing teams in Chicago and Kenya, and in June 2013 stepped into the role of Executive Director. “As a young girl, I longed to experience a world where women and girls were empowered to reach their full potential,” Roadcup said. In graduate school she interned with Amnesty International, the world’s largest grassroots human rights organization. That internship turned into 15 years of work for women and girls in many different capacities. “I feel so indebted to Amnesty International for informing my perspective on human rights, and for molding me into the women’s rights activist I am today,” she added.
Heshima Kenya seeks to meet every girls’ unique needs. 75% of the young women and girls in the organization have experienced some sort of sexual or gender based violence. Many arrive either pregnant or with young children. These girls don’t often have a safe place to live, the chance to receive an education, or any way to make money. Heshima Kenya’s safe shelter provides a loving community and around-the-clock care. Staff accompany girls to medical appointments, provide counseling, advise on legal matters, support with childcare, and work with each individual girl to understand her distinct needs. Through their Girls’ Empowerment Program girls receive childcare, education, vocational training, life skills, and the chance to earn an income through their successful scarf making social enterprise. Heshima Kenya truly provides a full spectrum of care for the most vulnerable of the world’s refugees and is the only organization dedicated to serving this population in Kenya.