Jailed With Her Baby at Just 3 Months: How Teresa Found a New Start After Prison

Teresa Wanjiku Njoroge had just become a mother when her life took a devastating turn, leaving her and her three-month-old daughter behind the walls of Langata Women Maximum Security Prison.

For the former banker, prison was not only about losing her freedom. It meant watching an innocent baby experience life behind bars with her.

However, years later, that painful experience has become the foundation of Teresa’s work helping women, children and families affected by the criminal justice system.

Teresa Says Prison Trauma Does Not End After Release

Speaking about her experience, Teresa said taking her three-month-old daughter to prison was one of the most painful moments of her life.

“Going to prison with an innocent child leaves a mother with a broken heart,” Teresa said.

She recalled watching her daughter spend her first year behind bars while she served a sentence for a crime she maintains she did not commit.

Teresa said the experience was particularly difficult because, as a mother, she was always trying to protect her child, noting that she can never erase what happened.

“You are always trying to defend your child. But when you are rendered helpless, there is nothing you can do. You can’t erase that experience. It becomes part of your life. It becomes part of your identity. It becomes part of your life story,” Teresa said.

Also Read: How Hushpuppi Fooled the World Before Landing in a US Prison

Teresa further explained that children can suffer whether they accompany their mothers to prison or remain outside, with those inside struggling with basic needs while those left behind may depend on guardians with limited resources.

She added that some children become vulnerable to emotional, physical, sexual, and mental abuse, leaving them with trauma that does not automatically disappear when their mothers are released.

“The children pay the heaviest price within the criminal justice system,” Teresa said.

From Prison Experience to a New Purpose

Teresa said her experience also changed the way she viewed the criminal justice system. Before coming into contact with it, she described herself as an ordinary person who believed that those who did wrong simply faced consequences.

However, her experience opened her eyes to what she described as the connection between injustice and socioeconomic status.

It was during and after her incarceration that she began thinking about how the justice system affects not only prisoners, but also their families.

Teresa said her experience inspired the work that eventually became Clean Start Africa, which focuses on supporting women, girls, and children affected by incarceration while also advocating for reforms within the justice system.

The CEO explained that the decision was intentional because women with lived experience were better placed to understand the challenges faced by others going through similar situations.

A Second Chance Beyond Prison

For Teresa, rehabilitation does not end when a woman walks out of prison. She said Clean Start begins working with women while they are still incarcerated and continues supporting them after release through community groups.

Also Read: EXPLAINED: Why Defilement Convict Was Released Before Completing 15-Year Prison Sentence.

The women can access business support, microfinance, credit, table banking and peer support as they work to rebuild their lives.

“It’s not a touch-and-go. It’s a full 360 investment from the day we touch you when you’re in prison.”

She said one of the achievements that gives her the greatest joy is seeing women who were once beneficiaries become advocates for themselves and others in their communities.

Despite the painful experience, Teresa said she has chosen to forgive, not because she has forgotten what happened, but because she believes forgiveness allows her to move forward.

“Without forgiveness, you carry a block that prevents you from moving forward,” she said.

Teresa said her decision to forgive is also connected to her desire to prevent other mothers and children from experiencing similar pain.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for instant news updates

Clean Start Africa visiting womens at Lang’ata Womens prison . Photo/ Teresa Njoroge/ Facebook