Front lines of My Life

Is life fair? For many years, this was always my question as African young woman coming from a humble background without adequate resources but passionate about making something of herself in life. In African culture, family is not just your nuclear family but your extended family and all of your relatives. Growing up, I was privileged to be brought up by an aunty and uncle who invested in me by giving me a good foundation and investing in me as a child which my family was unable to do at the time. It was a great opportunity to grow up in a family that taught me the values I have today. Turning 18 years of age began a new chapter in my life. Not having resources to pursue higher education like attending university or college was a big challenge that saw me suffer depression time and time again. To free myself from my depression, I got my first volunteer job at the age of 19 which opened my eyes about the world. Every young person has a dream, a passion and sometimes hopes for a better future. Getting my first job was an eye opener that made me realise that I could go after my dreams. Through my volunteer job, I got the opportunity to grown and learn, and got to move to other better volunteer jobs. Lack of university education prevented me from getting well-paying jobs but I got the opportunity to work with local communities and benefit from various non-formal and informal education provided by local and international non-governmental organizations.

My experience working with diverse Kenyan communities on issues that I cared about such as human rights, zero HIV and AIDS infections and an end to violence against women and girls saw me accorded the opportunity to represent the voices of Kenyan youth especially, girls and young women in various international conferences and United Nations youth events. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to not only impact my country but my continent. Having the opportunity to influence policy and serve in global committees made me realize the benefit of non-formal education and the power within even without having university education. Finally, I got the opportunity to pursue my degree. But what I learnt is that, as a woman you may not have everything that the world says is necessary for you to succeed, but if you have passion and commitment, you can dare to dream and do, and you will be on your way to achieving your fullest potential.