SUCCESSFUL STORIES 

MARIAM JOSEPH PETER

(A Happy girl on stage of fashion than on stage of street)

Mariam Joseph lost both her parents when she was little. She found herself in a fight between her parent’s sides on which she should live with. From both sides she received constant physical abuse and none of her relatives gave her the chance to express herself.

Mariam’s dream as a child was to one day become Miss Tanzania or model and work in the fashion industry, she was inspired by the beautiful pictures of the girls on lotion bottles, soap and magazines. However, she was being constantly told by her relatives that she is ugly and too black that she will never do anything concerning beauty and fashion, she slowly gave up the hope that her dream would ever become true.

One day, the abuse became too much for Mariam.  She decided she could not take it anymore and she escaped home when she was 7 years old.

After her escape Mariam did not know what to do on the streets because it was more violent and dangerously even though she was free in making her own decisions. To be safe, Mariam asked a woman to help her by taking her as her house girl for domestic work, the woman took Mariam home, after her first month Mariam did not get her payment and she was bitten and sometimes prohibited to take food, She decided to steal money from a woman to take a bus to Mwanza. Her life became unsettled for long time. She took a bus to Dar es salaam where she found most cruel gangs on the streets. Mariam joined the girls gang group on the street, the group which could do any thing for survival; stealing, beating robbing, sexual business,  

In August 2013, Makini was having one of its outreach programs in one of the areas in Dar es salaam.  During this outreach program, Nyakwesi Mujaya met Mariam at Karikoo, one of the areas of Dar es Salaam where street kids normally go. Mariam had then been living on the streets off and on for 5 years, making her livelihood through commercial sex and other gang activities.

Nyakwesi tried to convince Mariam to attend rehabilitation activities in Makini, to regain her confidence, self esteem and make her reach the dreams she was cut with when she was young.  But like many girls in her situation, she did not want to leave her street gang group. The first times she did not even want to talk.

To convince Mariam, Nyakwesi had to introduced her to Aziza, another girl who had been living on the streets, but who got support and help from Makini, and who is now a successful dancer. Nyakwesi saw a hidden beauty of Mariam and told her that she is really beautiful and that she could have a great career in fashion.

Slowly, Mariam started to listen and about 2 weeks after meeting her she first came to the Makini dropping centre, where we do workshops and training's for street children. Soon she started to come to the center everyday for therapy sessions and life skills training's. As Mariam’s dream was to work in fashion, we also started training her with fashion and modelling skills.

After one year and half after Mariam started coming to Makini, she managed to pass into the biggest East Africa Swahili fashion audition we exposed her into and worked with many designers.

Today, Mariam is living in a group renting with a very determine passion to pursue in fashion internationally as she also start visiting and meeting vulnerable girls whom she is inspiring with her invented fashion style. As Aziza was a proof for Mariam that her life could change, she is now also a proof for many other girls that they can change their lives and to start living on their dreams.

It has been amazing for Makini organization to follow Mariam’s journey to where she is now. She has become who she dreamed of being, a successful and highly respected role model for young girls.

Mariam is just one of the Thousands kids we are supporting at Makini. Makini future expectation is to see all children have their rights to protection, provision and participation fully met, and is empowered and respected as valuable members of their communities.