Donate and change the lives of Shantel and Nancy

The Valter Baldaccini Foundation is committed to providing support and opportunities to women in difficult situations. One such woman is Shantel, whose story is both moving and inspiring.

“My name is Shantel, I am 20 years old and have an 18 month old daughter Nancy. I am from Siaya County, near the Ugandan border, where I used to live with my two brothers and five sisters. I attended primary school, and even though I really liked studying my family had few financial resources to allow me to continue, but I managed with great sacrifices to attend a course to become a hairdresser".

Shantel's life took an unexpected and tragic turn during a night out with friends, in which she was offered a drink. She was raped and became pregnant. The man involved shirked responsibility, and Shantel's family rejected her. Finding herself alone and struggling, Shantel took the courageous step of moving to Nairobi where she currently resides with her daughter Nancy in one of the toughest slums in the city, Mathare.

Shantel and Nancy live in conditions of extreme poverty, but thanks to the social-work inclusion project for the mothers of Mathare, launched by the Valter Baldaccini Foundation, Shantel has had a concrete possibility of redemption. Every week she receives a package with rice, oil, tea and basic necessities. She attends a local craft workshop together with other mothers and, thanks to the support of a counselor, she is learning to trust herself and take care of her little one . Furthermore, Shantel has a big dream: to start a business as a hairdresser and guarantee a better future for her daughter Nancy.

But there are so many other women like Shantel who need support and opportunities.

Please donate today and changes their lives.