Honoring Neema — making sure no one walks alone
Last month, we lost one of our sisters. Neema was a builder from Lositeti, and by the time she reached out for help, it was already too late. The hospital diagnosed cancer in its final stages, and all that could be done was to make her passing pain-free and dignified. 
Though she died peacefully, surrounded by family, it was heartbreaking to realize that she had borne her illness alone. Despite the sisterhood she shared with the women of Save the Rain, she had remained silent. She spent her days building bridges to a better life for others, but didn’t reach out when she needed her sisters most.
There are reasons it went this way. Culturally, women’s health education is barely addressed. There’s also a belief that burdens are made to be borne. God wouldn’t give you more than you could handle, so there is nobility in stoicism – in surviving suffering. Except that Neema didn’t survive. Though we may not have been able to change the trajectory of her disease, we could have ensured she didn’t walk through it alone, and this missed opportunity adds fathoms to the loss.
Her funeral was attended by hundreds of women whose lives she touched – those she had worked alongside, and those for whom she had built a different future. We then gathered the 200-strong team of women builders whose daily labor manifests love through the medium of water. We wanted to affirm our togetherness; to weave another thread into the rich tapestry that intertwines our lives. Neema’s memorial was the appropriate way to do just that.
Women took the opportunity to grieve and to share. Falling tears begot more tears from others. Grief is interesting in that it breaks you down to break you open. One woman spoke of shattering the silence and shame around her suffering. She learned that when we ask for what we need, we find it willingly and abundantly given. Others affirmed that when we invite our sisters to share their generosity, they welcome the opportunity to give —and when we acknowledge our vulnerability, we become stronger and more resilient.
Another agreed; she spoke of breaking the silence and shame around her suffering. She learned that when we ask for what we need, we find it willingly and abundantly given. Others affirmed that when we invite our sisters to share their generosity, they welcome the opportunity to give —and when we acknowledge our vulnerability, we become more resilient.
Neema (pink) walks with her Lositeti building team in April 2025.
As a result of Neema’s passing, Cleo, our Health and Evaluation Manager, answered questions about Neema’s journey, how her disease appeared out of nowhere and how it had taken her so quickly. As a result of this, Cleo will begin conducting educational classes on women’s health. We have implemented a ‘calling tree’ for support, giving women options on available branches of support. We have always believed that not every challenge comes as an opportunity, but you can extract one from every obstacle, and we are resolved to honor Neema’s legacy. The women took the moment to see themselves through her choices and made a promise to her memory to choose differently.
Sharing sweat, labor and love binds them together, building trust and banishing hardship. The solution manifests as water, but the true transformation comes from the fellowship they share — from the revelation that there is no such thing as ‘alone.’
The Save the Rain family will forever remember Neema and will work to honor her with each new round of support we offer the women who continue to build.
