Naima’s story spans multiple countries, marked by early family separations and numerous unexpected turns. Born in a small town in Kenya, she was raised by her aunt and spent most of her elementary and high school years in Tanzania. Naima has been in her aunt’s care ever since she was six months old. It was there that she discovered a deep love for netball.[1]. Her talent stood out so much that she was chosen to represent her city in the sport, but her aunt declined the opportunity due to tradition and safety concerns. Her aunt would always say, “No, I don’t want anything to happen to you, how would your mom and dad feel?” which made Naima feel upset because she thought that maybe, if she were living with her parents, she would have more freedom and be able to travel and play netball competitively.

In 1982, Naima was 17 years old and travelled to Somalia alone to meet her biological parents for the first time. Before meeting them, she had many uncertainties and questions she wanted to answer. She wondered why her parents had left her.  Being estranged from her parents, she felt like an outcast in her family, as if she wasn’t wanted. On the day that she arrived in Somalia, she also met her siblings for the first time. Her initial thoughts about them were that “they were like strangers to me, just like everybody else.”

It got her wondering why she was the only child who was sent away to live with her aunt. She talked to her parents to ask them all the questions she had been asking herself, but they were reluctant to answer because they didn’t have one to give. The only response Naima got was that she was sick and she couldn’t travel. When Naima got better, and her parents wanted to pick her up, they thought about her aunt and how she didn’t have any children. Naima’s dad convinced her mom to let her aunt keep her, and her mom thought it would be sad for her aunt to take her, especially now that her aunt has cared for her for a very long time. Her mother also told her dad, “Let your sister take care of her and raise her, she is still our child.”

Naima stayed with her parents for two years to reconnect and finally feel what it’s like to be with them. During her stay, she picked up basketball, played for a local team, then returned to Kenya to study accounting and continued playing basketball for Barclays Bank.  Living with her parents gave her freedom: she was allowed to travel for sports competitions and stay over in different cities, enjoying her teenage years doing what she loved. She realized that this was the life that she had missed while living with her aunt.

While living back in Kenya, Naima married and had her first two children. She pursued a college diploma in accounting while also working as a hotel front desk manager. One day, Naima had a conversation with a friend who spoke to her about life abroad. Naima was inspired to apply for a travel permit to Canada. In 1988, she made a brave decision and immigrated to Canada alone with her two infants, who were one year old and eight months old, while her husband remained behind.

Facing a new culture, Naima felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of fitting in while also trying to support her children. For a short time, she worked at Royal Bank, but she later had to leave because she could not find available daycare and had no one to care for her children. To support her family on a more flexible schedule, she worked at Taco Bell for two years. While supporting her family, Naima was working on a way for her husband to come to Canada. She worked on getting a sponsorship for him, and in 1993, he was finally able to come to Canada.

Naima attended Seneca College to study travel and tourism and hospitality. After graduating in 1994, she was unable to find employment in Toronto, which led her to relocate to Vancouver, where she lived for seven years and held multiple jobs while her husband stayed in Toronto. Since her occupation did not pay well, she decided to return to college to study medical terminology. After a long separation, Naima and her husband divorced in 1996. In 1998, Naima remarried, and her new husband supported her through the challenges she faced.

Upon returning to Toronto, Naima balanced her job at Sears with her studies toward becoming a registered practical nurse at George Brown College. While in the program, she discovered she was pregnant with her fourth child. Although her professor permitted her to continue her coursework, she had to postpone her clinical rotations until after birth because she could not receive the required vaccinations.

Near the end of her third semester, her daughter, Sabrina, fell severely ill. Naima temporarily stepped away from her studies and postponed her final exams to care for her. Once Sabrina recovered, Naima sought to resume her education; however, because she had missed her exams, the college required her to restart the four-semester program from the beginning. Unwilling to repeat coursework she had already completed, she withdrew from the program entirely to focus on raising her children. Needing a new way to support her family, Naima took a position at Skyservice Airlines. When the company went bankrupt, she pivoted to a career in health records management.

In 2010, Naima and her second husband divorced after their relationship grew increasingly strained. Balancing opposing work schedules, Naima worked mornings, and her husband worked night shifts for an airline. Living together became unsustainable. Despite the divorce, her ex-husband continued to provide financial support, easing some of her financial burdens.

Tragedy struck, and Naima’s life changed forever when her daughter, Natasha, died in a random shooting in Calgary in August of 2014. Only three hours earlier, Naima and Natasha had discussed possibly reuniting in the United States to visit Naima’s eldest daughter and spend some time together as a family. A few hours later, Naima received a call from Natasha’s roommate stating that Natasha had been caught in crossfire during a random shooting. Although the shooters were eventually imprisoned, the loss profoundly altered Naima’s outlook on life. Confronted with intense grief, Naima reflected deeply on the meaning of family and the fragility of life. This experience compelled her not only to cherish her relationships more intentionally but also to become more outspoken in her advocacy against gun violence, seeking to prevent other families from enduring similar loss. Many ask her how she could talk about her daughter’s death. It is a difficult question, but she says, “You have to let go. You can’t hold that anger because you will never move on.” For Naima, Natasha was irreplaceable; she proudly says that she will always have four children in her heart, carrying forward her daughter’s memory as a source of strength and purpose in her continued efforts for change.

In April of 2020, Naima’s friend reached out to her about an open position at Shepherd Village. This motivated her to apply, and she received an interview and a job offer. Initially, she started as a resident assistant on the third floor of the lodge. Displaying her characteristic resilience, she also stepped up to serve as a rapid tester during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since 2022, she has served as the main receptionist at Shepherd Village.

Towards the end of the interview, Naima reflected on her journey and came to the realization that her greatest pride in life is the unconditional love she has poured into her children. Growing up estranged from her biological parents, her primary mission in life was to shield her children from going through the same experiences. Looking back, her biggest advice to both her younger self and her children is to “think everything through before making a decision.” Having made choices on the spur of the moment and under stress, she urges her children to think through their decisions before committing.

Naima’s life has been defined by perseverance, as she has overcome challenges while always caring for her loved ones. Through each hardship, she remained unwavering and full of grace, modelling resilience for her family and community. Her journey stands as a testament to the strength found in perseverance

 

*****Netball is played with seven players per team, each assigned a specific position such as goal shooter, goal attack, wing attack, center, wing defense, goal defense, and goalkeeper, with strict boundaries on where they can move on the court