15 Jan 2019 “I would tell other women to keep courage and take their medication, to ignore those who are stigmatising them.”

M. K. is a 25-year-old woman. She lives in the chaotic centre of Monrovia, with her mother and her 8-year-old son. She had been living on the streets since she left her family house, at the age of 13, where she got involved with prostitution to survive. Living in the ghetto and the slums made her vulnerable to drugs and STD.

Due to substance abuse, she got mentally sick and everyone she used to call “friends” abandoned and rejected her. Her beloved mother took care of her and she was brought to our Unit. Two months later, she is recovering the life she deserves as a human. She is now going to night school and selling clothes in the market in the morning.

How long did you spend in the Step Down Unit?

Two months, from July to August 2018. I have been discharged for three months.

How has your life changed after being treated here?

I am not like I used to be before; I don’t want to go back to where I was.

What did you enjoy the most while you were at the St Benedict’s Menni?

Being with my new friends, which I met in the same Unit, and how I was taken care of by the staff. I want to tell them thanks for the part they played in my life. I will tell them thanks over and over.

What do you do now for a living?

I am selling women clothes around Monrovia’s streets.

What would you like to do in the near future?

I would like to get married and increase my family.

What can we do to make things better?

More sports apart of the current activities.