Mandy and her 11-year-old son, Baraka
or an orphanage,” Mandy said. “Many of our children have parents and even siblings in the village. It’s just the culture here for parents to feel comfortable letting go of a child because they generally have so many more at home and the trauma they’ve endured has left them OK with not seeing their children again. But by providing a formal education and supporting these children, we’re able to teach them things their parents never had access to and hopefully break the cycle of poverty that makes an organization like Neema necessary.” Mandy was in her early twenties and an ocean away from her own parents when she took in her son, Baraka, as an infant who she later adopted. “You could ask my mother, and she would tell you that she cannot get over the fact that I never called home saying, ‘Mom, Baraka needs this. What do I do?’” Mandy shared. “From potty training and teething, from his early
Mandy’s Journey to Motherhood It’s also important to remember that Mandy is not an American who runs Neema from another country or allows herself to be far removed from the work she is doing. She is fully immersed in the Uru community. She lives there year-round and full time with her 11-year-old son, Baraka; her partner, Chris; and their four rescued dogs. She is engrained in this community and proud to call it home. “I have lived a life of privilege, and in a lot of ways compared to members of this community, I still do,” Mandy shared. “But I take my role in this community seriously, and it’s my passion and responsibility to give back to these families and these kids. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly.” And Mandy’s role as a mother not only to her own son but to the children at Neema is not lost on her. “This is not a missionary organization
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