Jackie Wanjiru–Nwuzor has recently been nominated to symbolize Kenya in the Mrs Tourism Queen International pageant in Malaysia.
This 39-year-old mother of two has lived in the US for many years and is a certified health professional at the same time. She was raped at the age of three by their houseboy but her mother did not know about it. She was raped again at the age of 13.
Speaking to Word Is, Jackie described her abusive childhood. To quote her, “I born in Kenya but lived partly in Uganda with my parents, who later separated.”
“At some point in life, I opted to commit suicide because the person who was taking care of us, that is my brother, was making my life more unbearable. He was into cheap liquor and became abusive.”
She stated that her brother had put her into grave danger by pimping her to men. At 18 she gave birth to her first son. After that, Jackie relocated to America after she was discarded by the family of her boyfriend.
“I broke up with my boyfriend and went back home but I could not stand the abuse so I had to look for other means. This was because now, it was affecting both my son and I. My sister helped me to get a place to stay where I had to work for my brother-in-law but I was cursed out and had to also walk out,” she said.
“I had to look for means to go to the US, where I struggled and put myself through school and later got married and got another son.” She not only paints picture of strength but also represents the belief that through perseverance one can accomplish in life.
“I came to Kenya in July for a vacation and to work on my brand because I’m also an actor and I got the chance to represent Kenya through the internet, where I applied and qualified to go to Malaysia,” she said.
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