Kira helped me to love work and understand that God is there to protect me whatever happens. I’m loving working hard and seeing the success it brings. I no longer have any fear about the future.

“Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. I adored my father – he was hard working and loving and worked hard to pay school fees for all six of his children. My siblings and I always thought we could follow our dreams as we knew our dad would support us. When Dad was killed, our dreams were snatched away from us.

“My dad was poisoned by workmates who were jealous because he was promoted over them. Mum only had enough money to pay for the school year we were all in, and from that time onwards we struggled to scrape together enough money to go to class. To make things worse, our father’s relatives seized all of dad’s land, leaving us with only our unfinished house and two acres of land. They argued that my brother didn’t deserve to inherit the fruits of our dad’s labour, and that we five girls would be married off soon, and our mother could get married to another man whenever she liked. We didn’t have any rights because mum and dad weren’t legally married with all the documentation, so there was nothing we could do.

"Our father’s death and the way we were treated by his brothers was a huge shock to us all. To see everything he worked so hard for stripped from us was devastating. It sent a message to us all that hard work doesn’t yield fruit. To make matters worse, our brother sold the last two acres of dad’s land without us knowing about it. Mum tried going to the police, but this just made things worse. We received death threats from our uncles and extended family killed our animals. We were terrified for our lives and afraid for what the future may bring; we had no option but to move to a new area.

A blessing in disguise

"These were dark times. To survive, mum and us five daughters would dig people’s land to earn money. Over time we had enough to buy a small piece of land and build a little mud hut. In many ways, having to move was a blessing in disguise, because it was in our new location that we heard about Amigos. I waited in anticipation as the day of the interview grew closer. Could going to Kira Farm be the answer to our prayers? I felt confident the interview went well, but I was devastated to learn that I didn’t get a place.

A glimmer of hope
"To my surprise, a month after the rest of the trainees started at Kira Farm, I received a call from Joshua (Kira Farm Manager) saying there was a place waiting for me after all – I think someone had dropped out and I was first on the waiting list. Initially, I thought Joshua was playing a joke, but when it sunk in, I can’t tell you of the joy and hope I felt. the first time I set eyes on Kira Farm was amazing. Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope for my future; to be given a bed to sleep in, to never worry about where my next meal was coming from, and to hear about the training that was on offer was beyond my wildest dreams.

"I had the most wonderful year at Kira, not only was I trained in hairdressing, tailoring and business skills, but more importantly I got to know my life still had value. And I could become the woman that my father had wanted me to be.

A bright future
"I can’t believe how much I’ve changed since I left Kira. The first thing I did was join a church. Church was never a big part of my life, but now I’m growing more in the knowledge of God, and I’m mentoring others. Thanks to the skills I learnt at Kira Farm, I have two jobs as a hairstylist and a tailor and I earn about £90 per month. I’m teaching my sisters what I learnt at Kira, too, and I soon we can double my monthly income, which will help support the whole family.

"I used to think that hard work didn’t pay, and that getting married was the only way I was going to get out of the plight I found myself in. If I hadn’t had joined Kira, for sure I would be married by now. Maybe I will get married one day, but that will be my choice. Kira Farm taught me not to be afraid, to have faith in myself, and to work hard.

"I thank God that our family has become a huge encouragement and a beacon of hope to the many broken families around us that are in the same position we were in."

Sponsoring a Kira trainee changes lives - if you would like to sponsor a trainee next year, please get in touch.