Shortly thereafter, she was baptized at the Kenya Baptist Church of God. Since then, Wanja's radiating glow has set her apart from the other children in her neighborhood. Her ingenuous demeanor and beautiful smile express what she is too shy to say about her faith experience. I wanted to be someone in the world, but I was scared. Fear of the future as well as the hardscrabble present affects many Kariobangi youth, who escape into diversions such as discos where they get drunk on local alcohol, changaa , cheap at 40 cents per bottle.
Drugs are also widely available, particularly a locally grown leaf called khat .
Girls become sexually active as young as 10. Some mothers regret that they brought children into the world. Wanja asked Betty to accompany her to church. At first Betty refused. But impressed by her little sister's faith, she began attending services, and during an altar call, she went forward to accept Christ into her life.