My life is a redeemed story. I have been through thick and thin, but I still have had joy, laughter, sadness, and, most of all, hope. I hope for a brand new day when all dreams are reached.
I grew up in Lusaka, Zambia, in a small community called Kalingalinga. Growing up as a child in Zambia, I tried my best to succeed in school. When I got to high school, my life at home became really difficult because there was not enough money for school. I was emotionally and psychologically traumatized because I had been sexually abused. I was not able to finish high school because of poverty, trauma, and abuse.
Why is education important to you?
But in 2014, things began to change. I went back to school and found the courage to retake courses for Grade 12. I failed due to the trauma I was experiencing—I could not attend classes regularly. In 2015, I worked with a nonprofit organization in Livingstone, Zambia, where I was the program coordinator for a ministry that I co-founded, which brought light, healing, and hope to survivors. Many of these girls were survivors of sexual violence, prostitution, and poverty, and my passion was to see them grow in God. As I was working with this organization, I was able to grow in my own strengths as a leader. I wanted to go to university to expand my skills to continue in my dreams. I applied to a university in Kabwe, Zambia, and was accepted into the Development Studies program.
What is your future vision for yourself?
My dream has always been to go to university and study Development Studies so that I can serve God’s people. I know God wants more for me far beyond what I can fathom. I joined Freely in Hope as a Freely in Hope fellow to pursue my educational dreams and to also launch Super Girls Revolution in Lusaka. My ultimate dream is to open a safe home for girls who have been rescued from prostitution, are at risk of being sexually abused, and have no one to fight for them. This home will be filled with hope, faith, and love for dreams to be restored so that they are able to go to school, just as I have.
1 in 3 women have experienced sexual assault, many before they turn 18. Access to safe, secure education helps survivors heal, grow, and thrive! When you join Hope Circle, our community of monthly donors, you are helping survivors thrive as leaders in the community!
