January 17, 2012
I was born into a family of peasant parents. I come from a minority tribe, which mainly engages in agriculture and pastoralism. Due to high poverty levels and certain cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriage, which hinder access to education among girls, I did not find many role models.
At just twelve years old, I was told to undergo the female ‘cut’ to be prepared for marriage! I ran from home to live with Catholic nuns who enrolled me in a boarding primary school to complete my studies. This is how I escaped from what many of my mates at the time went through. I was single-handedly educated by my mother after the divorce and subsequent death of my abusive father.
From an early age, I learned that to succeed in life, one had to study hard in school. I was therefore able to proceed to secondary school and later join Kenyatta University to pursue a degree in Sociology. While at the university, I also took a Diploma course in Journalism to be able to highlight in the media the plight of girls and women in my community.
While working in media, I saw an opportunity that I knew would open doors for me. It was the IFP Fellowship. I applied, and as fate would have it, I was accepted! I chose to study for a master’s degree in Social Work. This was strategic because I wanted to understand more about the
causes of injustices, and also devise ways of addressing them. I had always wanted to work with people to help others. I would look at the international perspectives of social welfare across countries to determine the best solutions in addressing these problems.
Through my fellowship, I studied at Columbia University in New York City, USA. I found the program most fulfilling. My professors were perfect and guided me through the course. My academic adviser was more than available to me. I expected to see and meet people from all over the world, and I did! I saw things I had never seen before. Of course I experienced culture shock; the wide roads, the skyscrapers, big cars, and ooh, the food! It took me a whole month to find food that was closer to what I was used to.
At Columbia, I was involved in various membership clubs, both professional and personal. For example, I was a member of the NY Marathon Club; NY HIV/AIDS Marathon; Columbia Black Students Caucus; Columbia International Social Work Club and many others. These clubs kept me busy and challenged, and they offered me great opportunities for self-development and discovery. And, yes, my string of friends made my life bearable.
I returned to Kenya armed with the knowledge, experience and networks gained in the USA. I founded the
Education Centre for the Advancement of Women in Kuria district. This is a grassroots organization that addresses social injustices that affect women and girls in my community. Together with local women and young girls, we do advocacy work to promote and defend the dignity of women and girls.
We sensitize the community into understanding and promoting human rights of women as a sure way of development. This is a voluntary job with no pay. I am very passionate about gender, especially having come from a community in which women are oppressed right from birth. I continue to write articles on gender, poverty and development for local newspapers.
Since social work has no borders, I am currently working with an organization called
AfriAfya, the African Network for Health
Knowledge Management and Communication, where I am in charge of a project based in Somalia. The project aims at promoting the use of Information and Communications Technology for youth development and participation. Somalia being as volatile as it is, I try to offer my hand in rebuilding the lives of the Somalis, after 15 years of civil strife and turmoil.
I gain satisfaction when I offer my skills that I acquired at Columbia. I see myself working in the international arena, helping those in even worse situations than myself. I want to ensure my whole community understands what it is they need to know – especially giving respect and recognition to women, who are definitely the pillars of development. I want to see women taking up roles that were earmarked for men. I want to see a sensitized community, a developed community that has no discrimination based on anything.
The IFP Program has taught me to be more appreciative of other people. You see, unless you get out there and into ‘the world’, you will never understand why people do what they do, why they do it that way, and why they behave the way they do. But once you get exposed to different peoples and cultures, you begin to ‘open up’ and accept people as they come.
I am a transformed person. No longer the village girl that I was five years ago. Just look at me! Do I look the same? Do I behave the same? Do I act the same? – No. I have a new perspective and perception on life. I have all the energy, zest and confidence I need. It is real, it is unmatched, it is life changing.