Last evening, my friend Mark told me to go and talk to a friend he met recently. Mark values me a lot as he believes i have a lot to offer to young girls. He has always felt the passion i have when i talk about girl life. But more often than not i find myself sympathizing with the situations of young girls especially when i remember what i went through myself to be where i am today.
When Jane saw us approaching, she became so emotional. We had some tea together which helped calm her a bit to be able to narrate her story.
Jane is now 19 years old, but one look at her could give you an impression that she is older. Life was normal until her mother died while she was six years old. The journey of orphan-hood began with her being taken from one relative to another. She would be mistreated and keep moving out only to find that there is no difference. However she finally settled with a distant aunt in a village near the city of Nairobi.
At 16 while in Form 2, Jane got into a sexual relationship with a lab technician at school. Within no time, she was pregnant. On attending her first antenatal visit, a HIV test was done and guess what, the young girl tested positive.
Jane had to drop out of school and the situation with her aunt got worse when she disclosed she was pregnant. Due to the problems at home, she wished she could find a man to marry her. Her wishes came true when a young man befriended her and they became steady. In a short time, she was pregnant again. They were in a come we stay arrangement and she did not mind. However, her happiness was short lived as the young man walked out on her one day. In her situation she discovered she was pregnant for the third time. Her life with two children was already too much and this time, she opted for an abortion. She solicited for money and the only amount she could get was Ksh 2000. All the same, a friend who had introduced her to a doctor friend at a close health centre told her she could help her bargain. Finally she did abort.
The reason why Jane wanted to see me was that since she dropped out of school, living with her aunt has become a nightmare. Her aunt no longer works and she is expected to provide for the whole family. She washes clothes in the nearby suburb and the little she gets is not enough for the family. To add salt to all this, she has been experiencing lower belly aches that are worsening by the day.
Mark and i promised to help her find a good doctor who would check on her stomach. We also gave her hope that its possible that just like my life changed, hers too would. How i wish Jane would go back to school.
Jane is just one out of many HIV positive young mothers struggling to earn a living in the informal settlements of Nairobi. What lays ahead for these girls? My heart goes out to them that some well wisher would rescue them from these harsh conditions.
Jane says she does not want to see any man close to her anymore.
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