Warning: Readers are advised that this story contains information about sexual abuse and domestic violence.
A baby in Australia was the rock that a charity in Kenya was built on 13 years ago – a charity that supports dozens upon dozens of child rape victims.
Rafiki Mwema founder, Sarah Rosborg, says that the birth of her child prompted her to remember the babies she had met in Kenya.
‘Thirteen years ago, it started as an Australian charity. I had worked in Nakuru, Kenya, at an orphanage, and supported that orphanage for many years before I had my daughter. So I knew a lot of people in that town and stayed in touch with them’.
Through contact with other people in the area, Rosborg saw the need to support girls who had been raped.
Nowhere to go
‘From babies to teenagers, from the moment they’re raped, they go to the “children’s department” or the police station, from that moment until they go to court – there was nowhere for these young girls to go, especially if the rape happened at home – they can’t return there’, she said.
‘They needed a safe house before they went to court, but none of the children’s homes would take them because there’s a real stigma around sexual abuse.
‘They just don’t want to touch it. So they were putting these kids in remand, which is like a jail for kids.
‘Imagine a three-year-old gets raped, is terrified, then is forced to leave their home…’
Rosborg said that there was a need for the victims to have a safe place to live until the children could go to court to testify.
‘On Kenyan time, that could be two or three months.’
Rafiki (friend) Mwema (loyal) began in a rented house, but within two weeks the house was full. There were 24 girls.
Since then, Rosborg has created a space that includes 46 staff on a 14-acre farm, two boys’ houses, two girls’ houses, a special needs house, a school, a sustainable farm with crops, cows, and chickens.
Guards, dogs and electric fences
‘We have Maasai guards that protect our children, because people try to get rid of “evidence” – that is: the girls. We have seven German Shepherd dogs protecting them, as well as an electric fence all the way around.
‘We also have a feeding program in town.
‘It’s called Rafiki Matani, which translates to “a friend on the street”. And we feed 100 children every single day, seven days a week.’
Rosborg says it grew a lot faster than she had planned. ‘I was a full-time mum with a full-time business and other personal issues, so I didn’t have the energy to take Rafiki on – but I had to’.
Financial cost
Apart from the personal cost, there is of course the financial cost – apart from managing Rafiki, Rosborg has to raise funds.
When The Echo asked Rosborg how much it costs a year to run Rafiki, she said that she can’t think about it.
‘To be honest, I go on a monthly basis. I can’t go on yearly, but at a minimum, it’s about AU$55,000 a month’.
Rafiki Mwema’s biggest fundraiser is held in Australia and is on this Saturday in Lennox Head – details are in Seven.
For more info visit www.rafikimwema.com.
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