The Confidence Queen LTD introducing our main character Bella who is out to engage with girl around the world
on their real issues, real talk and real facts to help the parents know how they can support their daughters. She is
brave, energetic, go getter, assertive, unique, important, fabulous, ambitious, beautiful and loved with everyone
around her. Bella’s dream is to become and activist to fight for the right of girls and women around the world. She
wants to foster self- esteem and develop the leadership capacity of girls of all ages and stages starting as early as
eight years. She lives in Nairobi Mukuru slums. Her dad passed on in 2014 and the relatives took away all their
properties dad left them. She lives with her mum, small sister(Nina) and a brother (Fadhili).Dad died when she
was 10 years old, sister 8 yrs and small brother was 7 years old.
Bella experienced grooming and sexual abuse by an older cousin Baraka when she was 10 years old after the death
of her dad.Her mum could leave them with her older cousin Baraka to look after them when she went to the
market to sell second hands clothes. He told her that what was happening was a game. When she took a sex
education class in high school. She realized that had happened to her was sexual assault. She didn’t tell anyone
about what happened, but when she started experiencing panic attacks regularly, she knew she had to get help.
When Bella turned 15, she decided to tell her mum, but was worried about her reaction and that she might get in
trouble.
Her mum was shocked and was skeptical at first. She called my aunt, the mother of the cousin (Baraka) who
assaulted me and asked her if what I said was true. My cousin confessed to the abused, and only then did my
mum believe me. Bella wanted to report this in school but her mum said that it would break her aunt’s heart to
see her son go to prison for what he did. “Mum only protected my aunty and not me” says Bella.
In addition to the panic attacks,Bella experienced anxiety and depression after the abuse.
“Even hearing the name of my cousin who abused me would trigger me. The anxiety attacks were the worst part of it all. It would be a
pounding in my chest and sharp needles going through my body. I would just lay in bed feeling paralyzed until it went away”
Bella had her healing experience through mentorship program she was introduced by her friend Tasha who is her age mate. Bella emerged confident and brave girl who want to impact live of girls and women around the world.
Bella felt a great connection with her faith since that turning point in her life.
“I don’t know if anyone can understand this, but my faith healed me. I just know that I’ll be okay. I’m no longer just trying to survive, life is about living everyday to your greatest potential.”
