Freely in Hope
2025 Annual Report
Anniversary
Edition
Explore the Report
Who We Are
The Problem
More than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of victims, with 79 million girls and women affected – UNICEF
Our Solution
Freely in Hope equips survivors to lead in ending the cycle of sexual violence so that we can see a world free of sexual violence. We empower girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa to lead with their lived experiences as they work to care for survivors and prevent sexual abuse worldwide.
Our Strategic Priorities
Survivor Leadership
Develop and platform survivor-leaders that transform systems across global communities
Thought Leadership
Be known for proven best practices in anti-sexual violence initiatives designed by survivors of sexual violence
Sustainability
Transition to sustainable Afrocentric survivor-leadership model
Letter to Our Community
Dear friends,
Fifteen years ago, I started Freely in Hope from a little spark of hope that our mission could somehow support survivors to find their own sense of hope after facing unspeakable violence. I knew that our mission of ending sexual violence would not happen overnight—still, my dream was to make healing, liberation, and opportunity possible for one survivor at a time.
15 Years
At A Glance: Then vs. Now!
Fifteen years ago, our work began with a commitment to walk alongside two survivors with belief in her potential. Over time, we listened, we learned, and we strengthened our practices that center survivor-leadership.
Today, our work reflects not only where we began but what we have learned through consistent presence and allowing the experiences, wisdom, and voices of survivors in our communities to shape our mission.
2 scholars provided with access to education.
50 girls provided with holistic education, health care, counseling, leadership development, and career pathways.
2 survivors supported
96 survivors holistically supported
1 program launched: The Arise Scholarship Program
13 global programs launched and led by alumni serving survivors, children, parents, educators, and organizational leaders
2 regions reached across Kenya & Zambia
17 regions reached across Kenya and Zambia
0 communities impacted
50,000+ community members impacted through outreach programs
Fifteen years in, our work remains rooted in the same truth: that survivors do not just rebuild their own lives, they lead communities that create safe spaces for all.
Our Impact in 2025
In 2025, your partnership enabled us to reach 7,074 people as we deepened our work across four core program areas:
Holistic Education
We believe education prevents sexual abuse and reabuse, and must go beyond access; it must equip survivors to lead. The Arise Scholarship Program provides holistic academic high school and university scholarships to survivors of sexual abuse.
Your investment this year helped us support 14 scholars with academic tuition, counseling, safe housing, upkeep, health care, and leadership development, equipping them to be leaders in their communities.
2025 Arise Scholarship Highlights
100% retention rates at both high school and University. No scholar dropped out of school.
100% transition rate from high school to university. All the 3 high school graduates successfully transitioned to university.
1 scholar graduated with a diploma in beauty therapy!
4 scholars were co-facilitators in our Girls & Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection programs as part of their leadership development journeys.
What Changed this Year?
With over 30 counseling sessions & structured check-in sessions, 23 scholars and alumni demonstrated increased confidence in communication, boundary-setting, and leadership capacity due to the consistent support they received from social workers and the leadership development training.
Alumni engagement grew!
660 community members were impacted by 9 alumni signaling readiness for structured alumni pathways.
Being a Freely in Hope Fellow has been a blessing; I have been able to facilitate sessions on child protection and sexual abuse prevention with professionals and caregivers.”
Arise Scholar
Velma, an Arise Scholar pursuing a BA in Education, is a third-year university student in Kenya, specializing in Maths and Physics. In her second year, she desired to do more in her community and applied to be a fellow at Freely in Hope. Fellows are scholars who want to study part-time while working part-time to create an impact in the communities that we serve. She joined our child protection program, where she is being mentored in real time on creating safe spaces for children in schools. As a key trainer for educators, Velma is strengthening our child protection program!
This was one of my happiest moments—I performed my first lumbar puncture as a medical student!”
Scholar
Theresa, our medical student in Zambia, shared with us her first experience of withdrawing cerebrospinal fluid from a patient. She was nervous, and her hands trembled, but she did it successfully! When it was done, her supervisors clapped making her feel a wave of relief, pride, and even a little emotion. It was a moment that reminded her why she chose medicine. Moments like this encourage Theresa to keep going and to dream about the day she will graduate as a doctor. Thank you for journeying with Theresa as she is growing, learning, and stepping into her future.
When youth understand who they are, they dream big and work hard to make their dreams come true. This is why I love teaching the youth in my church and my younger sisters in the Arise Scholarship Program.”
Scholar
Esther, a scholar in Zambia, completed her high school education last year. While awaiting university admission, she used her leadership skills to positively impact two high school scholars through one-on-one mentorship, helping them build confidence and achieve their academic and personal growth goals. She is passionate about teaching the youth the importance of knowing their identity, strengths, and dreams for their future career! Esther is one among many of our survivor leaders practicing their leadership in Zambia.
Girls & Women’s Empowerment
Malkia
The Malkia Program is an entrepreneurship training program that supports women transitioning from forced prostitution. Malkia, meaning “Queen” in Kiswahili, empowers women with business skills, psychosocial care, life skills training, entrepreneurship support, business grants, and pathways to sustainable livelihoods.
Since 2017, we have provided 4 cohorts empowering 46 women.
When a woman starts seeing herself as capable, everything changes.”
Mercy
Malkia Alumni & Peer Educator (Cohort 3)
No woman was born to be a prostitute. Poverty and other difficult circumstances lead women down this path.
Walking with these women means holding hope and reality together. Progress may be slow, but it is deeply transformative when women feel seen and supported.”
Sarafina
Malkia Alumni and Program Lead (Cohort 1)
In 2025, the Malkia women reminded us that dignified exits from prostitution require time, trust, and patient capital. Your support allowed us to keep showing up, and the transformation was evident.
2025 Malkia Highlights
10/10 women graduated from Cohort 4
100% launched and are sustaining income-generating businesses
100% transitioned out of prostitution
97% attendance in training sessions
What Changed this Year?
Malkia women experienced increased confidence and agency by learning to be entrepreneurs,
Business incomes doubled within two months of launching their businesses
All 10 women gained economic independence and stability as a result of the Malkia program.
My journey is a powerful testament to transformation and resilience. I grew from the hardships of living in the streets and working in prostitution from when I was 13 years old to becoming a proud and stable entrepreneur, a change made possible through the support of the Malkia Program. Today, I own a thriving small business selling socks and rearing chickens, ventures that have brought me dignity and financial stability. I can provide for my daughter without selling my body. In my quiet moments, I find joy in feeding my chickens, a simple act that gives me so much peace. I am grateful for the Malkia Program and the opportunities and empowerment that it presented, allowing me to build this new life. My dream is to expand my business to eventually supply bales of socks. As I grow my business, I hope to reach and inspire other women facing similar challenges, showing them that a different future is possible.”
Alumni (Cohort 4).
Mercy’s snack business is her pride and joy, a venture she has nurtured with consistency and hard work. The business is doing so well that she has hired an assistant to help with daily operations, a milestone that reflects both her success and her expanding impact. Seeing her confidence, her commitment, and the livelihood she has built is deeply encouraging, a powerful reminder of how opportunity can transform a woman’s life.
Ruth started her clothes business through the Malkia Program. She had a deep desire to provide her family with a better life with dignity. Ruth transitioned out of prostitution and is now earning a steady income, caring for her family with confidence, and dreaming even bigger for the future. Ruth’s story is a beautiful reminder that when women are empowered, families and communities rise with them.
What began as a small poultry project has grown into a thriving agribusiness that supplies eggs and meat to Faith’s community. Alongside this, she earns a steady income from selling milk from a treasured cow gifted by her late grandfather, a responsibility she carries with pride and consistency. Through the Malkia Program, Faith’s mindset has transformed; she has gained business skills, financial literacy, and the confidence to rely on her own abilities. She now looks ahead with ambition, eager to expand her poultry business and create even more opportunities within her community.
Reclaim
Launched in 2024, Reclaim is a support group for survivors of sexual harm. Each session is carefully designed to guide survivors through their healing journey.
The curriculum includes themes on radical acceptance, shifting blame, reconnecting with the body, and anchoring into their inherent worth.
Operating as a safe space for collective care, Reclaim equips survivors with sustainable healing tools, spiritual practices, and rhythms for emotional regulation. Reclaim serves as a direct extension of the inner healing begun in the support group, and opens up redemptive, safe spaces within churches—inviting the broader faith community into a culture of radical solidarity, advocacy, and survivor-centered care.
2025 Reclaim Highlights
27 survivors impacted
32 sessions held
I have lived my whole life in shame and blamed myself for being in a freeze trauma response.
Now I realize my body was protecting me the best way it knew how.”
Reclaim Participant
What Changed this Year?
Reclaiming the Narrative: Survivors actively replaced harmful narratives like "I am dirty" or "broken" with positive truths of being cherished, lovable, and wanted. Survivors intentionally shed these labels, beginning to fully embrace and embody their inherent worth.
Healing Through Spiritual Practices: We incorporated spiritual practices that resonated with survivors to create a sacred space for emotional expression beyond what words alone could convey.
Celebrating Redemption: We celebrate the release of shame as survivors grow to understand they are still deeply loved and cared for. Participants are beautifully reclaiming their faith, trusting in a redemptive God who rewrites their stories.
Child Protection
In 2025, our Child Protection work was centered on children learning to report any form of child abuse, caregivers learning to listen, and leaders learning to confront deeply held beliefs. Based on our children’s book written by alumni and Program Director, Lydia Matioli, our Pendo’s Power Child Protection workshops provide communities with the tools, skills, resources, and confidence to shift norms that perpetrate child sexual abuse.
This year has affirmed that prevention is possible when communities are equipped with the truth, the right tools, and trust. Prevention works when communities lead. When faith leaders, parents, caregivers, and children become protectors, not bystanders.
Seeing senior pastors shift their beliefs and influence others was life-giving. This is how generational change begins.”
Magdalene Chikanya
Child Protection Lead, Zambia
When caregivers understand their role, children become safer. We saw real shifts in confidence and responsibility.”
Maryanne Koki
Child Protection Lead, Kenya
2025 Highlights Include
425 children empowered through Pendo’s Power workshops
5,090 adults equipped through body safety trainings
17 disclosures safely supported
What Changed this Year?
Our Pendo’s Power Child Protection workshops have proven to strengthen prevention, disclosure, and response systems in the communities that we serve across Kenya, Zambia, and beyond!
Freely in Hope’s Pendo’s Power Child Protection training has increased my knowledge and confidence, helping me realize that my voice is powerful and that speaking up can help protect me and others from continued harm. I want the person who has been abusing us to be held accountable.”
Children’s Home in Makueni County, Kenya
We held Pendo’s Power workshops for a partner children’s home in Makueni County, where the goal was to equip the children of the home to be able to recognize and disclose abuse, and for the caregivers at the home to know how to provide a trauma-informed care, advocacy, and justice.
After our session with the high school students, three boys reported ongoing sexual abuse by a male staff member in the dormitory at night. They explained that the abuse had been happening repeatedly, causing fear, emotional distress, and feelings of helplessness.The boys shared that they had been living in fear of reporting the abuse, which contributed to a continued cycle of harm and silence. Before the workshop, they did not fully understand that what was happening to them was abuse or that they had a right to speak up and seek help. In the session, their eyes were opened and they chose not to suffer in silence anymore by reporting to Freely in Hope. By advocating with the survivors, we worked with the children’s home to ensure the perpetrator was held accountable, and we co-created policies to ensure protection. Read More…
When I was sexually abused, I did not know how to support myself and my sister. The Pendo’s Power Child Protection training has provided me with insights into how I can help myself and other survivors of sexual violence within my church and community.”
Zambia
Before the Pendo’s Power Child Protection training, I didn’t know how to respond when a child reported abuse. Now, I understand my role in protecting children, not just spiritually, but physically and emotionally. I will implement this knowledge in my church to ensure no child suffers in silence.”
Spiritual Church of Zambia
Trauma-Informed Education
We provided programs, trainings, and workshops with community leaders worldwide to strengthen leadership capacity, prevent sexual abuse, and lead with trauma-informed practices for community care, advocacy, and justice.
In Kenya, we partnered with Tiko and the Ministry of Health to build a stronger ecosystem of care for survivors of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) across four counties. The training objective was to improve timely case reporting to authorities, strengthen collaboration among referral partners within the Tiko ecosystems of care, and ensure that all stakeholders have trauma-informed, survivor-centered skills needed to support survivors in Kenya.
Training frontline responders, in partnership with Tiko, was both humbling and deeply inspiring.
We witnessed practitioners commit themselves to creating safer, more trauma-informed responses for survivors in their communities. Beyond building technical capacity, the experience reminded us of the power of collective action and the urgency of investing in people who stand at the forefront of prevention and response.”
Lydia Matioli
Program & Partnerships Director
Seeing frontline responders grow in confidence, deepen their understanding of survivor-centered care, and actively reflect on how to strengthen their practice was incredibly meaningful.
The experience reinforced the importance of equipping responders with practical tools that promote empathy, healing, and justice.”
Joan Ngaruiya
Program & Impact Manager, Kenya
2025 Highlights Include
875 frontline responders trained across 4 counties: Nairobi, Kisumu, Homabay, and Kilifi
5 Freely in Hope scholars and alumni facilitated trainings, modeling survivor-leadership—platforming learnings through the lens of lived experience
The trainings saw officers, healthcare workers, and social workers transformed into allies who guide survivors through the justice system in Kenya
What Changed this Year?
At the end of our training, the frontline responders committed to no longer working in silos, but to work collectively to ensure no survivor falls through the cracks. When we empower, educate, and equip community leaders, there is a ripple effect of change for survivors!
I used to be afraid of handling survivors, but now I feel equipped."
Police Officer,
Nairobi
I learned that it's not the survivor's fault. We should give them space to express themselves."
Community Health Worker
Kisumu
Survivors need protection, reassurance, and support to reintegrate into society."
Organizational Leader
Kilifi
Coming Full Circle:
Survivor Leadership in Action
At the heart of Freely in Hope is a vision that has guided us for the past 15 years: that survivors are not only capable of rebuilding their lives, but of leading change within their communities. For 15 years, we witnessed this vision come full circle. Across our programs, young women who once entered our spaces seeking support are now stepping forward as mentors, facilitators, and leaders, shaping the very programs that once supported them. This is what sustained impact looks like: not just transformation at an individual level, but leadership that multiplies, influences, and creates new pathways for others.
In this section, we invite you to see the power of accompaniment over time, and what becomes possible when survivors are trusted, invested in, and given space to lead.
Then
Now
In 2010, Eunice became our first scholar in Kenya and was awarded the first scholarship from Freely in Hope—achieving a bachelors degree in Counseling Psychology.
After working with Freely in Hope as our first social worker, Eunice founded Wounded Healers International, an organization empowering survivors of all forms of sexual violence through skills training, safe housing for child survivors, and community engagement in Kenya. She is a Kenyan counseling psychologist, cultural strategist, mindfulness practitioner, empowerment educator, and advocate for justice—bringing lived experience, deep presence, and genuine warmth into every room she enters.
In 2010, Jean became our first scholar in Zambia. Through a scholarship with Freely in Hope, she graduated high school and university with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Since graduating, Jean has worked with global organizations empowering girls and survivors of trafficking in New York, Connecticuit, Barcelona, and South Africa, before working with Freely in Hope. She launched Reclaim, a survivor support group that guides survivors through a structured yet flexible healing journey. She has also designed trauma-informed education curricula and video courses providing survivor-centered, trauma-informed care education to organizational leaders.
Maryclare became the second scholar in Kenya to graduate with a degree in Communications and a vision to share stories of hope, healing, and justice with the world.
After graduation, Maryclare joined Freely in Hope staff in 2016 and designed the Malkia program, born from the desire to create a safe space for women working in forced prostitution by providing vocational and entrepreneurship skills. In 2017, she led the first cohort of 16 women, and since then, Malkia has equipped 46 women transitioning out of prostitution and into sustainable businesses. As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Maryclare blends various psychological methods with expressive arts to provide deeply affirming care for survivors of sexual assault.
While in her second year of university, Lydia became Freely in Hope’s first Arise Fellow, balancing part-time studies with designing survivor-centered solutions to prevent and respond to sexual violence. As a fellow, she launched Eneza, a program that equipped over 3,000 high school students across 11 schools with education on consent, mutual respect, and sexual violence prevention.
Lydia started at Freely in Hope as a scholar, and today, she is our Senior Director of Program Strategy! Recognizing the urgent need for child protection education, she later authored Pendo’s Power, a children’s book and training resource that has since impacted more than 20,000 children, caregivers, educators, and faith leaders through child sexual abuse prevention and response training around the world! Lydia is also an Opportunity Collaboration Fellow Alumni and a member of the Brave Movement Global Survivor Council. She was voted Most Inspirational Young Woman in Kibra Championing Women, Girls & Children’s Rights by the Red Cross.
Maryanne joined Freely in Hope as a scholar in 2015 while actively fighting to see her perpetrator, a pastor and close family friend, convicted of rape.
After graduating with a degree in social work in 2022, Maryanne joined Freely in Hope as staff and is now leading all of our child protection initiatives in Kenya. Her leadership is expanding our reach and creating safer futures for over 20,000 children and families. After 12 years of fighting in court, Maryanne finally obtained justice with the help of our partners, International Justice Mission. Her abuser was sentenced to 12 years in prison. See her story!
Magdalene became the second Zambian scholar. While studying in Community Development, she became the first Arise Fellow in Zambia and founded Super Gils Revolution, a program that has equipped 250 vulnerable girls with life and leadership skills to prevent child marriage, human trafficking, and sexual violence.
Magdalene has tirelessly empowered girls to fight against poverty, forced prostitution, and child marriage for local and international organizations. Today, Magdalene is our Program Manager in Zambia—leading all program initiatives including the Arise Scholarship Program, Girls Empowerment Programs, and Child Protection Programs in the country. She is an alumni of the Girl Child Long Walk Fellowship for faith-inspired change agents working at the nexus of faith, gender, and social change.
Sarafina was a member of our very first Malkia cohort in 2017. She not only learned how to bake, but she also learned leadership skills that helped her establish her business.
Today, Sarafina is the Malkia Program Coordinator and is a living example of the program’s impact. Having experienced the realities of working on the streets, she creates a space for women to process their trauma, and through sharing her own journey, she encourages and inspires them to find the courage to choose themselves and to choose a different path. Sarafina has since led three consecutive cohorts of the Malkia program, using her own journey of transformation to inspire the other women to begin theirs.
See her story!
In 2015, Stella became an Arise Scholar and graduated with a degree in Human Resources.
Stella worked in a legal firm with a desire to ensure safe spaces for women to thrive in the workplace, free from sexual exploitation and manipulation. In 2015, she joined Freely in Hope as a community educator and storytelling coordinator. She amplifies the voices of survivors in all of our storytelling mediums and in trauma-informed trainings for organizational leaders and practitioners.
In 2015, Faith joined the Arise Scholarship Program as a student in High School. She graduated high school and went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in Counseling Psychology.
Faith has served as a counselor at a local youth organization, leading its skills-training program for vulnerable women from underserved communities. As an alumni she mentors current Freely in Hope scholars, and also engages as a community educator, enriching our trauma-informed care trainings with best practices form her own experiences as a survivor. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Forensic Psychology in the UK!
As we reflect on these full-circle moments, we are reminded that the true measure of impact is not only in what is received, but in what is carried forward. When survivors step into leadership, the work extends far beyond our programs, into communities, systems, and future generations. This is the kind of change that lasts. And it is made possible through consistent investment, trust, and the belief that those closest to the work are best positioned to lead it.
Voices From Our Team
15 years of impact through those who carry Freely in Hope’s vision.
Behind every program, every milestone, and every story of transformation is a team deeply committed to walking alongside survivors with care, consistency, and belief in what is possible. As we mark 15 years of Freely in Hope, we pause to reflect not only on the impact of our work but on our team who carry it forward each day.
What has 15 years of Freely in
Hope taught you?
Lasting impact is not just about creating programs, it is about building pathways where survivors are supported, empowered, and trusted to become leaders within their own communities.”
Lydia Matioli
Programs & Partnerships Director
Leadership is a constant dance of balancing tensions between strength and vulnerability, accountability and compassion. Healing, growth, and resilience are nurtured collectively through humility, trust, and shared community.”
Wendy Akumu
Finance & Operations Director
I have experienced what it means to be supported holistically. That kind of care creates space for real healing and growth. Somewhere along that journey. I found my voice and stepped into leadership. Today, I have the privilege of walking alongside others in the same way I was once supported.”
Stella Wairimu
Coordinator, Kenya
When we educate survivors of sexual violence, we break the twin cycle of abuse and generational poverty, and place powerful leaders in the boardroom, rewriting the future of our communities.”
Magdalene Chikanya
Program Manager, Zambia
Leadership is the courage to own your voice and stand firm in your purpose. I lead with intention, create space for others to rise, and refuse to shrink in any room I enter.”
Sarafina Njoki
Malkia Program Coordinator, Kenya
Change is not just about what we do, it is also how consistently and thoughtfully we hold space for it, both in people and in the systems we build.”
Joan Ngaruiya
Programs & Impact Manager, Kenya
Leadership is not about being perfect, but about being present and creating safety for others.”
Mercy Mueni
Malkia Peer Educator, Kenya
Compassion and accountability can co-exist to create systems where survivors feel safe, supported, and believed.”
Precious Musee
Finance & Operations Manager, Kenya
It has taught me that real progress requires constant adaptability and the best solutions always come from the team around you.”
Pauline Wanja
Social Woker, Kenya.
Small intentional actions can create lasting change in people’s lives.”
Chilala Mugala
Social Worker, Zambia.
I have learned the power of community and how it can be a tool for healing, hope, and change.”
Maryanne Koki
Child Protection Coordinator, Kenya
With the right support, I can turn life’s lemons into lemonade; transforming pain into healing and resilience.”
Velma Okinyi
Arise Scholar & Fellow, Kenya
Our Financials
*Income figure varies from out filed 990 to reflect income received in Africa
**Asset figure includes ending bank balance in the US and Kenya
Donor Reflection:
Why I partner with FIH
For the past 15 years, we’ve supported Freely in Hope—this ministry has been close to my heart since its beginning. On a recent trip to Kenya, I witnessed the fruit of this work firsthand. I met scholars who were once survivors—now thriving as confident, compassionate leaders. They are boldly using their voices and platforms to prevent sexual abuse and bring healing to thousands of women, children, and families in their communities.
THE TRANSFORMATION IS NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACULOUS. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO PLAY A SMALL PART IN SEEING THE DREAMS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS BECOME A REALITY!”
Kim and John
San Fransisco. California
Our Future
Building the Next 15 years
As we step into a new chapter under Afrocentric survivor leadership, we move forward grounded in what we have achieved and learned, and open and hopeful to what is next. We invite you, our community of donors, partners, mentors, educators, advocates, and friends, to help shape what comes next.
Holistic Education
We envision the Arise Scholarship Program continuing to grow into a leadership pipeline that supports scholars holistically as emerging leaders in their communities.
How You Can Partner with us:
Become a Hope Circle member. Support the intake of 10 new scholars in Kenya.
Mentor a scholar or an alumnus
Provide internship or job opportunities for our graduate scholars.
Girls & Women’s Empowerment
We envision Malkia becoming a sustainable economic empowerment model, where vulnerable women build stable livelihoods.
How You Can Partner with us:
Mentor women entrepreneurs
Support women-owned businesses through market opportunities
Partner with us to offer vocational training and financial literacy training
Child Protection
We envision Pendo’s Power expanding into more schools, faith communities, and systems, equipping children and adults with the tools to prevent and respond to abuse long after our direct engagement ends.
How You Can Partner with us:
Donate and help us double our impact
Connect us to schools, churches, and community spaces that will benefit from our Child Protection consultancy workshops for children, educators, caregivers, and faith leaders
Buy Pendo’s Power at pendospower.com
The work ahead is both urgent and deeply hopeful. As we build on 15 years of impact, we remain committed to walking alongside survivors with dignity, consistency, and belief in what is possible. Whether through partnership, mentorship, advocacy, or financial support, there is a place for you in this story.
Thank You!
Asante Sana!
Zikomo Kwambiri!
