Driving the five hours to Mugie in August to visit the Mary Immaculate Girls Rescue Centre, we were reminded of why this project matters so much. Sister Teresa Nduku welcomed us into the high-walled courtyard, and we stepped into a safe space for young girls rescued from across the region.
Established in 2000 by the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, the centre was born from a heartbreaking reality: nuns working in local schools noticed young girls, some only six or seven years old, disappearing into early marriages and female genital mutilation.
Today, the facility provides refuge for over 100 girls who have fled these harrowing circumstances, operating well beyond its original capacity of 50.
The journeys these girls endure are unimaginable. Many arrive fresh from trauma, still bleeding from FGM or carrying the psychological scars of running for days through the wilderness to escape their perpetrators. Yet, despite arriving fragile and terrified, transformation takes place here.
During our visit, the spirit of the place shone through. Girls greeted us with vibrant Kiswahili and English poems about their right to education and love.
One very confident teenager shared her dream of becoming a lawyer to protect her community. Alongside the girls, the centre also runs a He for She program reaching 120 boys, encouraging local change from the ground up.
While the facility maintains a bustling farm (managing poultry, beekeeping, cattle, and crops), Sister Teresa faces immense daily demands, to keep each girl safe, fed, clothed and educated.
The strain became startlingly clear to us when a local police chief called during our visit and asked her to collect three more rescued girls. With tears in her eyes, Sister Teresa asked the question that weighs heavy on her every day: “Where will I put them?”
We were pleased to provide a recent donation of 360kg maize, 270kg beans, 20L cooking oil, and 75kg rice, but the centre’s needs remain constant and urgent.
They require financial support for school fees, transport, and critical medical care, as well as in-kind donations of clothing and food.
They also desperately need a professional counsellor. If you would like to help wither financially or in-kind, or if you are a counsellor interested in providing some pro bono sessions to Sister Teresa or the girls remotely, please reach out to us.
Together, we can help ensure these girls find a future defined by their own strength and not only their difficult pasts.
Thanks go to our partners at Mugie Conservancy for facilitating the purchase and delivery of these food supplies on our behalf.
We remain committed to making a positive impact on communities, educating future generations, and conserving Kenya’s diverse wildlife. Your stay with us directly contributes to these efforts.
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By Alisa Karstad, Impact Manager for Governors’ Camp Collection.
