Medical Care for Rose and Grace

While visiting Tanzania in Sept. 2026, an LPGM group met Rose and her daughter Grace at Eripoto's safe house. Their story is below. (Content warning: physical and emotional violence)

In 2022, in a Maasai village, a woman named Rose lived in a boma with her youngest child, Grace. Rose was one of several wives in her husband’s family.

One night, Rose heard unusual sounds outside, so went to check. A hyena began attacking her. She prayed what she believed would be her last prayer. She asked God that if He still had a purpose for her on earth, He should save her, but if her work was finished, He should receive her spirit.

After she finished praying, the hyena suddenly left her. Rose found the strength to call Grace as she lay near the doorway, bleeding heavily.

After leaving Rose, the hyena began attacking other livestock. The sounds of the animals brought people out of their homes. Grace cried for their help.

People ran inside to check on Rose. The hyena had eaten part of her mouth, one eye, part of her skull, and both hands.

Because she was unable to speak at first, they thought Rose was dead. Some even mocked her faith, saying that the God she had chosen to follow had failed to save her. Others got hoes to dig a grave and bury her that same night.

Rose heard them and said, “I am not dead. I am still alive.”

They called a ranger vehicle to rush her to the hospital. She received emergency treatment and remained at another hospital for nearly eight months. Unfortunately, Rose has not sought further treatment because of the cost.

After returning to her boma, the discrimination became so severe that Rose left to live with her eldest son. She brought Grace, just 11 at the time, whom she depended on for daily care. Despite her own needs, Rose remained determined to keep Grace in school.

After completing primary school at age 13, Grace's father forcibly took her back and arranged for her to marry. Rose contacted the Social Welfare Office, which helped Grace return to school. She began Form One in January 2026.

When schools closed for the June holiday, her father took Grace again. He forced her to undergo the Maasai tradition of female mutilation (FGM). Three weeks later, she was taken against her will to live with a 50+-year-old man as his wife. For two weeks, she was repeatedly sexually assaulted while still recovering from the physical injuries caused by FGM.

Despite everything she had endured, Rose refused to give up. With the Social Welfare Officer and the police, she searched for Grace and eventually found her in a remote area.

"Both the mother and her daughter have now been brought to our safe house," reported Esuvat, the founder and director of Eripoto. "Sadly, the eldest son has sided with his father and opposed her efforts to protect Grace... Even more heartbreaking, medical examinations have confirmed that this 14-year-old girl is approximately two weeks pregnant.

"We humbly ask for your prayers, your guidance, and your support as we walk alongside this mother and her daughter. They have survived unimaginable violence, and they now need safety, healing, justice, and hope."

Thank you for contributing to Rose's immediate medical needs and Grace's prenatal care through spring 2027. Please hold Rose, her daughter Grace, and all the staff and girls at Eripoto in your prayers.