Stories that explain why we do what we do — told with care, because behind them are real people.
Some stories do not make headlines until it is far too late. This one did — and it shaped the work we now do in the United Kingdom.
In December 2019, a nineteen-year-old single mother named Verphy Kudi left her flat in Brighton to celebrate her birthday — first in London with family, then at a party in Coventry, 150 miles away. Her twenty-month-old daughter, Asiah, was left alone.
By the time she returned nearly six days later, Asiah — who prosecutors said had died of influenza and malnutrition — could not be saved. She was taken to the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton and was pronounced dead on arrival.
At Lewes Crown Court, Verphy Kudi pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Judge Christine Laing QC observed that the child was helpless and completely reliant on her mother, and that the suffering endured so her mother could celebrate was "almost unbearable to contemplate". Her defence barrister, Peter Wilcock QC, called it "truly a tragic and devastating case".
Source: reporting by the Birmingham Mail.
This is not a story about a monster. It is a story about a teenage mother — isolated, overwhelmed and unheard — whom nobody caught before the fall. The systems around her failed twice: once in her life, and once in her daughter's.
GAP International exists to raise the alarm before something goes wrong. Through parenting advice, coaching and mentoring, we aim to reach vulnerable teen mothers while there is still time — so that tragedies like Asiah's death are never repeated.
If you are a young parent who feels overwhelmed, or you know one: reach out to us. Talking to us costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Support our mentoring and early-intervention work.
