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Real Lives, Real Change
Our Stories
Meet the women whose lives have been transformed by the Clean Start Africa movement — their courage, resilience, and hope.
Our Stories
Makena’s Story: From Pain to Purpose
Before prison, Makena was simply a young woman trying to build a modest life for herself. She lived in a relationship she thought would bring stability, but instead it was marked by pain and abuse. That toxic cycle ended tragically one day during a violent confrontation, when her partner lost his life. It was a turning point that led her to prison, where she would spend the next nine years of her life.
22 Jan 2026
Our Stories
Jackline Syombua - A Journey of Healing, Reintegration, and Hope
Jackline Syombua’s story is a testament to the power of second chances and the transformative impact of community-based reintegration programs like UFUNUO. It is a reminder that with the right support, healing is not only possible, but also powerful.
22 Jan 2026
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Meet Beatrice : How Clean Start Africa Helped Me Rebuild My Life"
Clean Start Africa works to restore dignity and hope for women, girls, and children impacted by the criminal justice system. The organization addresses systemic injustices leading to imprisonment of vulnerable populations through advocacy and bridging capacity gaps in prisons. Clean Start Africa offers several programs focused on rehabilitation, re-entry, and family support. Its Dignified Rehabilitation program provides mental health support and trauma healing. The Dignified Re-entry initiative focuses on economic empowerment, job training, and financial literacy. The organization also enhances family bonds and improves well-being for mothers and children affected by incarceration. Additionally, Clean Start Africa runs SOTO, a support community for formerly incarcerated women. By providing comprehensive services both inside prisons and during post-release reintegration, Clean Start Africa aims to reduce recidivism and promote successful reintegration into society. Its holistic approach addresses the complex challenges faced by those impacted by the criminal justice system.
21 Jan 2025
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Our DNA Our Pain Our Power Join Our Movement BTB Connect S.A.F.E. Network Donate Having been behind bars one time in her life
Teresa Njoroge shares her story on why she is passionate about making a difference in the lives of prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. “My name is Teresa Njoroge I am a mother of two awesome kids, wife, An optimistic realist and resilient.
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge: Sentenced to social entrepreneurship
There’s just over a week until the 2015 Sankalp Global Forum opens its doors in Delhi, so we’ve talked to one of this year’s speakers, Teresa Njoroge, about her extraordinary journey from a Kenyan prison into the world of social entrepreneurship and why she’s leaving her ego at the door to make meaningful connections in India’s capital.
12 Jul 2024
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TERESA NJOROGE -EAST AFRICA
A former banker from Kiambu, Kenya, Teresa is bridging the gap between incarceration and social reintegration in Kenya especially for female ex-convicts. She is the founder and Executive Director of Clean Start Solutions, a
12 Jul 2024
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Join Our Movement BTB Connect S.A.F.E. Network Donate Pearls And Heels: Teresa Njoroge
Our Pearls And Heels lady today is Teresa Njoroge. Teresa Njoroge is the founder of a hybrid social enterprise called Clean Start. Teresa seeks to positively impact and transform the lives of extremely poor women and youth, marginalized and caught up in a revolving door of a life of petty crimes
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa sharing her story with Robert Amalemba
Teresa Njoroge is a mother, a wife and a co-founder of Clean-start a enterprise that brings individuals, professionals and institutions to engage prisoners and former jailbirds to see them fit back to society. Being jailed for a crime she didn’t commit gave birth to this intiative. She shares her story with Robert Amalemba
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge
Bold Idea: Equip incarcerated adolescent girls with skills to enter employment, education, or entrepreneurship when they leave prison. Lower recidivism rates, build the business case for the model, and advocate for government policies to shift towards restorative justice.
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Wanjiku Njoroge shared her journey of helping prisoners after serving her term at Lang’ata Prison, inspired by her own experiences.Network Donate Silver lining for prisoners after gates opened
Teresa Wanjiku Njoroge interview on her journey to helping prisoners after finishing her term at Lang’ata Prison [David Njaaga,Standard] Sitting in prison one year into her sentence, Elizabeth Adisa, 23, thought life as she knew it was over, at least for another three years.
12 Jul 2024
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Sarah Odima: My Journey
My name is Sarah Odima. I was a Recruiting Agent sourcing jobs for women overseas. My passion has always been, to see a woman living a comfortably, without harming others and earning a livelihood in ventures that avert her conflict with the law as I did.
12 Jul 2024
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Hush Now; Child.
He went silent. For one whole year, Joe*, now 3½ years old, never uttered a word. Prisoners and the warders identified him as the toddler in a corner. He would rarely play, cry nor interact. Most of all, Joe never spoke. He never called his mother “mama” nor twaddle with another child.
12 Jul 2024
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Jane Kiio – Breaking the bias by thriving in a male dominated world
Jane Kiio is the embodiment of this year’s International Women’s Day of #BreakTheBias. The 52-year-old mother and grandmother has withstood travesty and risen like a phoenix from the ashes, taking up and thriving in a career in a male-dominated field.
12 Jul 2024
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Betty Khaguhia – From accountant to businesswoman making waves in the online world
Betty Khaguhia is a businesswoman and formerly imprisoned woman, a title she embraced upon completing the Ufunuo Program on the Outside earlier this year. “I will now wear the title of formerly imprisoned women with pride because I’m no longer imprisoned. I have learned self-acceptance.”
12 Jul 2024
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Our DNA Our Pain Our Power Join Our Movement BTB Connect S.A.F.E. Network Donate How a petty offence arrest led to the impoverishment of Emma
Emma was arrested and charged with hawking without a license. The married mother of two headed into town hoping to sell a few of her wares to provide for her family. Little did she know that this day wouldn’t turn out as she had hoped.
12 Jul 2024
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The journey of a woman towards reingtegration
Imprisoned women face a myriad of challenges on release such as homelessness. This makes their reintegration journey twice as hard as they struggle to find their feet. Clean Start is raising awareness on these challenges
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge might be free now, but her name will forever be in our prison system. The mother of two made headlines a decade ago accused of stealing Ksh.19 Million from her employer and faced an additional charge of attempting to defraud the bank Ksh.9.
Teresa Njoroge might be free now, but her name will forever be in our prison system. The mother of two made headlines a decade ago accused of stealing Ksh.19 Million from her employer and faced an additional charge of attempting to defraud the bank Ksh.9.9 Million.
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge’s appearance on The Wicked Edition discussing the impact of raising a daughter in prison.
After successfully appealing a wrongful conviction, former bank Manager Teresa Njoroge and C.E.O Clean Start Kenya shares her story of the trying times and how the prison experience affected her and her daughter.
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge, wrongfully convicted, now empowers women in prison with skills and support to escape the cycle of poverty and crime.
In 2011, Teresa Njoroge was convicted of a financial crime she didn’t commit — the result of a long string of false accusations, increasing bribe attempts and the corrupt justice system in her home in Kenya. Once incarcerated, she discovered that most of the women and girls locked up with her were also victims of the same broken system
12 Jul 2024
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Teresa Njoroge’s appearance on Citizen Weekend discussing redemption from jail sentences.
Tonight we bring you two stories of redemption. First, you’ll hear from Pete Ouko who walked into a police station to find out why his wife’s body was found dumped near a police station fence. He would instead be wrongfully convicted for her murder and spend 18 years in Kamiti Maximum Prison.
12 Jul 2024
