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MARGARET'S STORY:
From School to Child prostitute
(Posted May 2004)

Margaret grew up in a village called Alego in Siaya district -- Kenya. Despite coming from a poor background, Margaret was a bright girl in school until AIDS struck her home.

Her father died while she was in grade 4 and two years, later while in grade 6, her mother passed away. Margaret's school uniforms were torn so she requested her sister, whom she was staying with, to help her reach her brother who was then working in Kisumu as a hawker. The sister gladly gave her transport money to Kisumu. She presented her case to the brother who promised to do his best.

Schools opened and Margaret got anxious to get back to school but the promise was not forthcoming. Three months later, her brother told her to go and work as a house maid to a family friend. Margaret was confused but as a child followed instructions as she was directed. Having no experience in home management, Margaret says it was a nightmare for her. The house was big, responsibilities enormous, targets set very high and perfection was all her master would take.

Despite all the hard work, her brother took all her pay at the end of the month. 4 months later she ran away from that home and went back to her brother who again gave her out to yet another family as a house maid. It is here that she had her first sexual encounter with the man who was supplying the family with borehole water. Margaret says, "He came one day and after pouring water into our water cans, he close my mouth and dragged me to the bedroom and raped me". Margaret out of fear did not report the incident for she knew no one would listen to her. She instead ran back to her brother's house for safety only to be given out to a third family as a housemaid. It is here that she now started demanding that she be taken back to school or back to her sister, a move that made them clash with her brother.

One day she made up her mind to leave the house she was working in. It was in the night as she ventured into town. Confused and alone, she walked into the dark streets hoping someone would help. A man in a car came by and asked to give her a lift. She gladly accepted and started to narrate her ordeals to this man who took her straight to a hotel room and had sex with her the whole night. Margaret's world was shattered. The man gave her $4 in the morning and promised her more if they could meet at the same spot they had met.

This was the beginning of a different lifestyle for Margaret. She had no choice but to become a child prostitute. TEMAK caught up with Margaret in April 2004 when she got into trouble with the law. At 13, she is 6 months pregnant and HIV+ve, sickly and desperate. She is in the safe and gentle hands of TEMAK staff. Through our community rehabilitation programme, she has been placed in a family that has accepted to care, love and cherish her dreams and vision.

Despite being HIV+ve, Margaret is determined to go back to school and to turn her life around. She realizes that she has no time to waste. Despite being bitter with the brother for what she is going through, she is repentant of all that she has been doing and the realization that she may have infected other people unknowingly makes her feel awful.

There is hope as we see the progress she has made in the few counseling sessions that she has gone through. Her determination to live is inspiring. It will be interesting to see how she does in our afternoon classes for house maids and how she will change her life around to be a responsible citizen and mother.

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Katolo students in crucial test.

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