Wamama Simameni - Safe House

Helping, caring & training Congolese women

I am seventeen years old, I am not married and I have a daughter named Priscilla. The father of my child was a businessman who moved to our village and we became friends. He even started calling me his fiancee.

At one point my parents didn’t have money to pay my school fees and he gave me a bit of money to start a little business instead of staying at home with nothing to do. So I started selling kerosene. It was something I did in the evenings only ; I walked around the neighborhood with my kerosene and people bought it readily. One day I walked by his house and he asked me to sleep with him. I refused at first, but he insisted and finally I agreed. When I told him that I was late with my menstrual cycle, he left and I’ve not seen him since. I don’t know where to look for him because I didn’t know anything about him. My parents were furious and I had no more peace.

After this time I got in contact with HEAL Africa and I was easily accepted into the Wamama Simameni. I am learning tailoring and I sell the soaps that we make. I feel good, because it’s kind of like another family there. For example, when I delivered my daughter, my new friends came to visit me, and I know that I’m important to them. I spend my days at the Wamama Simameni house and when I’m there I feel at peace.

I follow carefully when they teach us new skills there because I think that because of learning them I will work in order to one day send my daughter to school. 

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