Needle and Thread Undo Child Bride Plans After FGM Trauma

Born on April 15, 2004, in the quiet hills of Maralal, Samburu County, Salinda Lekalesoi entered a world that offered her little say over her own life.

Raised by her mother, Janeffer Lekalesoi, whose struggle with alcoholism often left their home unstable, Salinda grew up alongside a younger brother who was frequently in and out of school. Her childhood was marked by uncertainty, hardship, and the daily grind of survival.

Her early years were stolen when, in Standard 3, she was pulled out of school and subjected to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a brutal rite intended to prepare her for early marriage.

At an age meant for learning, playing, and dreaming, Salinda was instead being handed over as a child bride. Her paternal uncles had already accepted a bride price, and the wheels of her marriage were in motion.

Her voice was drowned out by cultural expectations. Her future, it seemed, had been scripted by others. But fate had other plans.

Through the intervention of DREAMS, a program focused on reducing HIV infections among adolescent girls, Salinda was identified as a girl at risk. The program rescued her just in time, relocating her to Nairobi and placing her under the care of her aunt, Charity Wachira, in Eastleigh North.

Charity became more than a guardian; she became a lifeline, offering Salinda the safety, advocacy, and love she had long been denied.

Salinda was referred to HESED Africa, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that supports survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in reclaiming their rights. There, she received psycho-social support and basic tailoring skills. What followed was a quiet but profound transformation.

From a timid girl burdened by trauma and low self-esteem, Salinda began to emerge—gaining confidence with each stitch, each word, each moment she was heard and valued. Within just three months, she revealed an extraordinary talent for tailoring.

Her passion for fashion design blossomed, not just as a dream, but as a purpose.

Yet the shadows of her past still linger. Her paternal uncles, angered by the disruption of the marriage arrangement, continue to threaten her safety, plotting to kidnap her. To them, she is not a girl with a future, but a transaction undone.

Charity, with immense courage, negotiated with them to allow Salinda to complete her program. Still, danger hangs like a cloud over her young life.

Salinda’s education was unjustly cut short, not by failure or lack of ability, but by societal systems that denied her the right to learn. She never progressed beyond Grade 3. Now, age restrictions bar her from returning to formal schooling.

But Salinda’s desire to read and write remains unshaken. She is hardworking, honest, and disciplined. Her dream is to become a fashion designer, not only for herself, but to inspire and empower other girls who have walked through similar fires.

For Salinda, the HESED Africa Initiative for Women Empowerment is more than a stepping stone. It is a sanctuary of safety, dignity, and second chances. It is where she continues to learn, grow, and reclaim her future on her own terms.

With her tailoring certificate, she hopes to achieve financial independence, break free from the cycle of forced dependence, and finally become the author of her own story.

Salinda Lekalesoi is no longer a voiceless girl from Maralal. She is a survivor. A learner. An artist with needle and thread. She is stitching her dreams, one design, one day, one step at a time.