Gladys’ Story

Gladys became a complete orphan when she was 14 years old. Her mother died from AIDS when Gladys was a baby and her father died in 2018 from AIDS complications as well. After the death of her father, Gladys went to live with her elder brother. Unfortunately he was not able to care for her and she did not have even her most basic needs met. Gladys dropped out of school in Primary 5 and out of desperation, went to work at a local bar serving drinks. Through this work, she was able to bring in just enough to keep herself fed, but at a great cost to her physical and mental well-being. Her brother eventually left for a part time job in Kenya and so Gladys was left alone again.

When Gladys was 15 years old, she went to stay with her cousin Robina. Robina had promised her a better life and the hope that she could go back to school. Unfortunately, upon arrival to Robina’s home, without her consent, she was sent to work as a house maid for a nearby household. While working there she was abused, denied food and Robina collected the salary that should have gone to Gladys.  Eventually, Gladys escaped back to her cousin’s home. Sadly, Robina did not have Gladys’ best interest at heart and even while Gladys was nursing her wounds from the physical abuse of her keeper, Robina had sold Gladys to an elderly neighbor as a “second wife”. She was sold for 300,000 shillings (just under $100 USD). Glady’s was kidnapped and forced to live, hidden away in a rented house as this man’s “second wife” for a week. After a week, the man’s first wife realized what had happened and beat Gladys so badly that the local community members realized what was happening. They reported the issue and Gladys was finally rescued. In 2020, when Gladys was just 16 years old she was welcomed into the PFP family and will finally have a chance to return to school and to receive the love and support that all children deserve.