Jeni’s Story
When Jeni (not actual name) was just a baby, her alcoholic mother badly burned her head during a bath, as just one example of the neglect Jeni suffered. After her mother was put in jail for assaulting a neighbor, Jeni was given to her grandmother who also neglected and abused her. After her grandmother died, Jeni was placed in a large institution where she shared a room with much older children, one of whom abused her.
Jeni was only four years old when she came to Kids Alive. She was developmentally delayed, had speech difficulties, the beginning of scoliosis and dental problems. And while Jeni still has difficulties today, she is working hard to overcome them. At the House of Hope she is encouraged to try everything, and is provided the support she needs to do her best. Most importantly she has learned that she is loved and accepted like all the girls in the home, and that she, too, has the opportunity to live a life of dignity and pride, and to become the woman God intended her to be.
