August 17, 2022
Her name is Queenie and she certainly looked like a Queen to us. Regal and in charge and looking out for her people, Queenie was impressive when we took a group of volunteers out to her Maasai village this year.
I have been waiting to write her story. She had promised to come in to town and learn to sew and this summer Queenie arrived.
We had gone out to her Maasai village for a cultural exchange in January and some of the Aggies For Christ students got to take part in the fun and sometimes shocking questions and answers.
The girls got pretty involved in the women's dances and learned to bounce those huge necklaces up and down.
We learned that Queenie's husband had left her but she was trying to support several young teenage girls who had run from early marriage and female circumcision or FGM.
We were excited this month when Queenie came in to learn to sew. Our "Save The Mothers" birthing seminar was going on and she was able to join that group and learn how to safely birth babies as well. Kelle Samsill taught some of the early morning bible classes to that group of TBAs (Traditional Birthing Attendants)
Queenie will be setting up a co-op of young girls sewing school uniforms to sell. All students in Tanzania wear uniforms to school. She made the two uniforms above for secondary school in her village area.
So, last week a group of volunteers delivered five sewing machines, chairs, a cupboard, water barrel, and sewing notions out to the village.
Keary and Ian Miller from Goshen, Kentucky, helped put the machines together. Below, Baraka had made a closet so Queenie could lock up the sewing items like scissors, thread and fabrics. Neema will help with the rent of the shop until the business can take over.
Below are some of the stories of the girls in the sewing co-op told to Anna, the Neema MAP (Mothers Against Poverty) Director and designed by Mercy, the Safe Birthing Director.
Above is Toringe, she is 14 years old and ran away to escape early marriage. Unfortunately she had already been cut.
Nembris is also 14 and ran away from home. She had been cut at an early age. Some of these young girls are cut as early as age three.
Nawasa ran away from home to escape marrying an old man. Most of these girls run at night on dark paths where hyenas still lurk in the shadows. One young girl we know walked seven hours into town from her village. Sadly sometimes they are caught and taken back home.
All of these young girls found safety when they heard there was a kind woman named Queenie in a village who would help them. We are humbled and honored to get to be a small part of Queenie's program to save these young women.
When you donate to the MAP program at Neema Village you can also be a part of helping these young women and others just like them.
When you lift a woman in Africa you not only change her world you change ours.
I think Jesus had a special place in his heart for helping women and I believe he would be right here too, don't you?