About Vimeundwa
Vimeundwa is a place where Kenyan couples learn from each other how strong marriages are built. It is run by upeo.ai, and real people answer every message.
Why we built this
There is a Swahili proverb: "Ukiona vyaelea, vimeundwa." When you see a boat floating, know that someone built it.
The couple next door whose marriage looks easy did not just float. They built it, through storms, fights, patience and sometimes even leaving home and coming back.
Many marriages end because a couple thinks their struggle is unusual or hopeless. We want to show, with real stories and real numbers, that hard seasons are common and that many couples come through them.
What we do
- Collect: husbands and wives answer an anonymous questionnaire about their marriage, each on their own.
- Share: with permission, and after careful checking, we turn answers into stories so a struggling couple can find others who faced the same thing.
- Count: we turn all the answers into combined statistics for the public, for churches, mosques and other organisations, and for researchers.
Our honesty rules
This site should feel real because it is real. These are the rules we keep:
- No made-up stories, quotes or testimonials. Every story is built from the answers a couple gave us. We may shorten it and change details to protect privacy, but we never add facts.
- No made-up numbers. Every figure comes from real answers, and every figure shows how many people it is based on.
- When there are not enough answers yet, we say so plainly instead of guessing.
- No fake photos. We use real photographs, never computer-made people. Stock photos are illustrative and labelled, and they are never the couple in the story.
Who runs Vimeundwa
Vimeundwa is run by upeo.ai. We work with researchers and with people who serve couples every day, in churches, mosques and counselling rooms.
Ethics approval: approval pending. Research permit (NACOSTI): approval pending. Data protection registration (ODPC): approval pending.
Talk to a real person
Write to us through the form on our Contact page, or email hello@upeo.ai. A member of our team will reply.
We are not a counselling service and cannot answer emergencies. If you need help now, please call one of these free lines.
If you are not safe
Being hit, threatened or controlled is not a rough patch - it is abuse, and it is never your fault. Help is free and confidential, for women and men.