
Shamsa Adan’s Journey: Overcoming Challenges to Pursue My Dreams
My name is Shamsa Adan, I come from Rombo, a small village where I was born and raised. We are seven children in our family,
Every girl deserves a safe space to call her own, a place where her dreams are nurtured and her voice is heard. We are dedicated to provide this sanctuary, empowering her with the knowledge and skills to lead. We believe that by investing in her today, we are securing a brighter future, not just for her, but for her entire community.
At just eight years old, Nice Nailantei Leng’ete made a courageous choice that changed her life—and thousands of others. Defying ‘the cut’ – her Masai community female circumcision practice otherwise called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practiceed as a rite of passage to womanhood.
She became the first girl in her village to remain uncircumcised and pursue an education – the alternative, as happens to many others, would have been a path to early child marriage, teenage pregnancy and a threat to education.
This brave experience gave birth to the Nice Place Foundation, a safe haven where girls can escape harmful practices, discover their voice, and step into leadership.
Today, Nice continues her mission to ensure every girl has the chance to live with dignity and shape her own future.
In our Maasai community, childhood is a fragile privilege often stolen by harmful cultural practices. Born into a patriarchal society, young girls face a future where their potential is suppressed by poverty, a lack of education, and deeply ingrained social norms. They witness sisters endure painful rites like female genital mutilation / cutting (FGM/C) and are threatened with other forms of gender based violence. Their cries for help often go unheard as they are isolated by systemic inequalities and a lack of support. This is the heartbreaking reality we are committed to changing.
At Nice Place Foundation, we provide the solution. We offer a safe haven, a sanctuary where girls can find refuge and reclaim their stolen childhoods. Our work goes beyond rescue; we empower them with education and mentorship, transforming them into leaders and advocates for change. By engaging communities and working with elders, men, and boys, we challenge harmful norms from within, creating a ripple effect of dignity and hope. We are building a world where every girl’s future is defined not by tradition, but by her own potential.
Our comprehensive solution is built on four pivotal pillars. We provide a Safe Shelter for refuge, leadership academy to empower girls with leadership skills, advocacy, personal development, computer coding and environmental conservation, Scholarship program to support their educational journeys, and we strengthen Community Advocacy, all working together to help girls build dignified and self-reliant lives.
We provide vital skills in advocacy, entrepreneurship, and computer coding, empowering girls to become transformational leaders for their communities.
We provide a sanctuary and psychosocial support to girls escaping gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices, enabling them to heal and rebuild.
We provide scholarships to vulnerable children, ensuring they have the resources to complete their educational journeys and build self-reliant lives.
We engage the entire community in crucial dialogues, challenging harmful cultural norms and fostering a supportive environment for girls to thrive.
Through our efforts, we are creating a tangible and transformative impact on the lives of girls and their communities.
Scholarships for needy and bright girls from vulnerable backgrounds
Girls trained as leaders and ambassadors of change through our leadership academy
Girls at risks rescued through our safe shelter program
Students, teachers, leaders, and communities reached through our community engagement and advocacy program
While facts and figures tell a part of our story, it's the personal journeys that truly show our impact. Here are the voices of the girls whose lives have been transformed by the work we do.
My name is Shamsa Adan, I come from Rombo, a small village where I was born and raised. We are seven children in our family,
Naomi Semeyian, from Rombo in Kajiado County, was born into a large family where girls were often not considered valued members of society. Naomi’s father,
Faith Tekenet, a 15-year-old Maasai girl from Ewuaso Kedong’ Village in Kajiado West, was forced into marriage at the tender age of 13 due to