Girls Rescue centers are homes for disadvantaged women and sometimes children who have been abandoned by their community because of cultural norms or otherwise. In Kenya girls, rescue centers are in every county.
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Why girls should be rescued?
Although men and women are equal before the law and the creator. In Kenya, women are yet to enjoy their equal rights as men and as human beings. The girls in some communities are forced to undergo FGM married off at as young as 13 years by their own fathers and mothers. Other girls are raped while on their way to school and end up being pregnant and thrown out of their community. Other girls are orphans and people even their guardians take advantage of them.
The reason why the girls need to be rescued is because of the sexual abuse, emotional abuse and economic torture that these less privileged girls go through.
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Who are the organizers of the rescue centers?
Rescue centers are non-government organizations funded by good wishes. Others are church-funded, and others are individually funded. The international communities coming to Kenya, buy land and build these homes.
The international community from Europe, the USA and other African countries save up money as families, as churches and come to Africa. In USA and Europe, women’s rights and empowerment were able to be achieved and so they feel the need to come to Kenya and assist our girls out of compassion. Others are local churches that feel the burden for women and who understand the pain of the girl child in Kenya.
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Where are the centers?
Rescue centers are in many counties. The following are girls’ rescue center’s in Kenya just to mention a few:
| Centre | Location | Contact address | |
| Serene Haven rescue center | Nyeri County | +254741410333 Email: info@sarenehaven kenya.org | |
| Pangani Songot Way Rescue Dada Centre | Starehe Nairobi County | +254 725 694624 | |
| The Cara Girl’s Rescue Centre | Kibiko Ngong, Kajiado County | 086 8210569 Email: paddy@caraprojets.com. | |
| Suswa Soila Girls Rescue Center | Narok county | Tel: +44 (0)1738633264 Email:info@kenyachildrenshomes.org.uk | |
| Jimmia Women Rescue Centre | Nakuru County | Tel: +254705460251 Email: info@jimmiawrc.org | |
| Tasaru Ntomonok Girls’ Rescue Centre | Narok county | Tel: +27-12 354 8405 (office), + 27-72 617 1032(cell) Email: ngwa@unfpa.org | |
| Beyond Odds Women Int’l Rescue Center | Located along Limuru Rd Ndenderu | Tel: +254780 216662 |
Other centers are;
Tumaini Girls Rescue Center in Meru County, Mahali pa Usalama in Mombasa, Marikani Girls Rescue Center in Kilifi County, Mothers Rescue Center in Kisumu town, Boma Rescue Center in Nairobi. The list is long, but I have mentioned a few in case someone is stuck. The rescue centers are not discriminatory as long as you find your way.
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How do girls get rescued?
The procedure is easy. With the constitution in place, the girls are protected by law and if any girl child walks to any police station or a child’s office in Kenya, then help is near.
What a child or a good-willed Kenyan should do is if you find a pregnant girl stranded in the street take her to any police station and the child’s office will take over from there. The girls will be taken to the nearest rescue center in a police vehicle.
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What happens at the rescue center?
First justice is served for the girl. A case is filed against the perpetrator of whichever crime, if its early marriage then the man who was forcing the girl to marry her, her parents, if its pregnancy the man responsible.
The girls are protected from perpetrators and are well catered for. They are fed, they are given safe delivery for those who are pregnant, and their babies are taken care of.
They also go back to school. The centers have caregivers for the babies.