The highlight of my trip home to Enoosaen, Kenya was the girls’ school groundbreaking event that took place on August 16, 2008. On this day I was very excited but also nervous. I was not sure if the community would turnout in big numbers for the event or if the only attendees would be from supporting women’s groups—Empiris group, the Kakenya Center for Excellence Committee and my friends from Vital Voices.

In preparation for the event, women from the village spent the whole night cooking: a bull was slaughtered and coupled with all of the other wonderful food that we have in Kenya. A film crew from America was busy shooting footage and other guests were beginning to arrive, traveling on rough roads for four hours to reach Enoosaen… I felt truly blessed to have such a group of supporters and friends. Why worry about the ones who don’t want to come? – I consoled myself.

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This past summer I was privileged to spend two months in my rural village of Enoosaen, Kenya. The mainreason for my trip, other than to visit my family after two years away, was to implement a way forward for a girls’ school I am building in Kenya. I was so glad to be home after a two-year absence but my sense of relaxation was almost immediately replaced by a sense of desperation. The needs of the community are plainly overwhelming; lack of basic needs such as water, power, proper roads, proper education facilities, health care facilities—these are the first things you notice as you near my village. As I drove home on a dusty road, I could not help but wonder how strong my people are and how spoiled I have become living in America. Why did I even complain that there was dust on my nine-month-old son who was having fun watching the open road? He didn’t complain but I was worried he might get sick. Fortunately, he is a strong little man- he was well the whole time I was in Kenya. Continue Reading »

When I met Rebecca Lolosoli, I was immediately struck by her strength, perseverance, and her pride in her culture. Rebecca was one of the 20 women who participated in Vital Voices’ Women’s Leadership in Public Life program, held in Washington DC and New York in April 2008, and her aim was to increase the participation of Samburu women in Kenyan politics. Rebecca is Samburu, and throughout her time she wore her traditional dress and beaded necklaces with pride.

Rebecca shares everything she learns and gains with the Samburu women. After participating in our training program in the U.S., she returned and shared the information with others. She not only supports those in her own Umoja village, but women leaders from surrounding villages throughout the district as well. Her follow-up project was to organize trainings at Umoja and two surrounding villages, and our visit to Umoja was to provide trainings in leadership, advocacy, and artisan craft development. Continue Reading »

I’ve just returned from an amazing trip to Africa where I participated as a trainer in four incredible training programs focused on increasing the role of women in public life. These four programs were all developed in conjunction with African alumnae of past Vital Voices programs. All of them inspired me and reminded me of the very real power of women as agents of change.

Nigeria

I started my trip in Lagos, Nigeria, where two alumnae of the April 2008 Vital Voices Women’s Political Academy held in Washington, DC, Meeme Ekanem and Olutoyin Obaseki, planned and organized a 3 day training for 30 women who have told their political party that they want to be party backed candidates in the upcoming Lagos State Council election. These women were from different parties but shared the same objective of being elected to the Lagos State Council.

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Kakenya’s dream for higher education has inspired us all. Her story has been published widely, but I never tire of being reminded of her grace and strength. There are still millions of girls throughout Africa who face genital mutilation, child labor, and forced marriages, and whose futures are limited because of traditions and attitudes that treat girls as property. It was beautiful to see Kakenya Ntaiya emerge from this scenario not only as the first women from the Maasai village of Enoosaen to earn a PhD, but also as an advocate for the girls who remain.

A Vital Voices delegation ventured to the Maasai Mara area, and drove another 4 hours in Transmara West to the village of Enoosaen, to participate in the ground-breaking of the Kakenya’s Leadership School for girls, which will be the only girls boarding school in the area. Kakenya is our 2008 Rising Voices Award winner, and is a renown advocate for girls’ rights and education. Continue Reading »

Kenya holds a special place in my heart. It is a beautiful and youthful nation. We were told that 77% of Kenya’s population is under 30! In Nairobi, Vital Voices alumnae Eva Muraya and Phyllis Mwangi gathered 40 powerful women for networking and training on leadership. The group included businesswomen, scientists, educators, health professionals, lawyers, bankers, and community leaders. I was inspired by all that the women had achieved, and struck by the continued discrimination women face in accessing credit and growing their businesses in spite of their proven success. I especially appreciated their willingness to mentor others, as young women so desperately need to be connected to the generation of trailblazing women leaders if progress toward equality is to continue. Continue Reading »

After an overnight flight from Douala in Nairobi, Raychelle Najimesi met us at Kenyatta Airport. A recent FORTUNE mentee, Raychelle met us as we sleepily exited visa control. “Jambo! Karimbu!” she exclaimed. Our weariness evaporated as we drove toward the hotel and past Nairobi’s national park, which envelops the city.

There was little time for rest as I quickly connected with Abby Muricho of Ripe for Harvest, a non-governmental organization focused on working with youth to unlock their full potential. We met up and departed for Nyeri, a town two and half hours out of Nairobi, where Abby is managing a mentoring program for young women. Focused on preventing gender-based violence, particularly human trafficking, the mentoring program will include 100 mentors working with 500 mentees in several regions. Girls will be recruited from schools, IDP camps, and community organizations. Continue Reading »

Estelle Marilyn Nguemo Chime, an alumna of our Women’s Leadership in Public Life program, won an alumnae action plan grant to provide a 3-day leadership and project planning training for 26 young women, ages 19-32, from urban and rural areas. The Young Women’s Project Planning & Leadership Workshop was held in Douala, Cameroon from August 5-7, 2008. Marilyn, led the training herself, along with Stephenie Foster of American Legacy Foundation and Kah Walla, a City Council Representative and Director of STRATEGIES!

In Cameroon, 45% of the population is under the age of 15. Voter turnout is extremely low, with only 4% of registered voters actually voting in the last elections. There are few after-school or youth leadership organizations, and those that exist are church-based and are limited in the skills and activities they offer. Young people feel disillusioned, like their voices and concerns are not heard. There is very little accountability among public leaders, so social and economic concerns often go unresolved. There is a tremendous need for training that empowers young women to take action and be empowered to improve their own lives and communities. Continue Reading »

With hardly a moment to take breath as my colleagues and I organized a diverse spectrum of activities across Cameroon, a fascinating country where over 250 languages are spoken and the landscape ranges from the bustling congestion of the port city of Douala to the hilly rural areas spotted with homes adorned by spectacular tin-thatched roofs that reach up to the sky in a triangle shape. We were told that the more majestic the roof, the greater the status of the residents in terms of the village hierarchy.

We started our week with an introduction to the volunteer pilot committee and dedicated staff working on the AMA Market Women project, an initiative supported by Vital Voices Leadership and Advocacy Fund through a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The pilot committee is an impressive group of men and women, all market traders themselves, who have volunteered their time to see through the realization of the project’s objectives, which are to strengthen the voice of women market traders in the areas of tax administration, public health and sanitation, and commercial regulation.
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As the official launch of the 2008 Olympics commences and over 100 countries join together in sportsmanship, this event- a celebration of unity, is undermined by the cruelty that divides us between those who have a voice and those who are denied their most basic freedoms.

The New York Times reports that China selected 08.08.08 for the official launch of the Olympic games because the word “eight” sounds like the word for “good fortune” in both Mandarin and Cantonese. Yet for China’s (approximate) 40 million Burmese neighbors, this time conjures anything but the notion of good luck.

Twenty years and one day prior, marks the death of an estimated 3,000 peaceful demonstrators and the continued severity of a devastating military regime that commits the most gruesome of atrocities against its people.
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