My Communities

A story I found memorable was that of a woman who had been kicked out at night by her wealthy husband while heavily pregnant and with 4 other children. Her struggle to raise them alone and the trials and triumphs she has had. It made me feel sad that a person could do that to one they had loved and have no regard for the safety and future of the children that called him father. I was compelled to be more alert to the needs of children and women raising them alone; know about their struggles and try to direct them to those with the ability to lighten their load.

A story I found really powerful was a story of a little girl who came to the city searching for greener pastures. she gained a scholarship to one of the best universities and received the presidents award at her graduation It made me feel hopeful.

A story that I found really powerful was an anthology of stories of female coffee farmers across Rwanda. It made me feel inspired and informed, especially the story at the beginning where it explained the motive of the book. The author said something along the lines of, "not all powerful women are in business suits. They're also these coffee farmers who raise our communities." Wow! It was memorable to me, as it challenged traditional notions/stereotypes of Rwanda/Africa (used stories to show strength instead of igniting pity) and women (showed how women are strong in so many different ways).

IVE SEEN THE POWER OF STORY TELLING IN MY FAMILY IM A JOKSTER AND I TELL STORIES LIKE NO OTHER, AND IM SO GOOD THAT WHEN EVER I TRAVEL SOMEPLACE, I SWITCH THE STORY UP AND RESCARE THGEM WITH THE SAME STORY, I THINK COMEDIANS AND NEWS REPORTERS ARE THE BEST STORY TELLERS OH AND LAWYERS OF COURSE...

A girl fell in the hot sauce while playing at home as her mother was cooking. With more than 80% of her skin burned, her mother thought she was losing her daughter. My organization provided support to take the seven-year-old to the hospital for medication. She is now doing good, and I am moved with compassion and love that can save the lives of those in need. Her story also touched many supporters who provided financial support for our organization to support more vulnerable children.

thank you for sharing this story! it's almost important to uplift BIPOC voices.

The story of Mr Idowu, a professional painter. Mr Idowu was born without hands but he is a professional painter. He learned how to paint with his mouth. He paints his pictures with his mouth. He holds the brush with his mouth and uses it to mix with the colors on the palette and paints with it. The pictures are nice and of professional standard.

This story inspired me to pursue a career in graphics design even though I studied journalism. It made me realize that there is no limit to what one can achieve. Just strive, believe and don't give up.

A story I found really powerful was that of a man named Les Brown. It made me feel a great deal of emotions. Among them were feelings of hope, empowerment, disappointment in self, and inspiration to act in a more constructive manner for a improved trajectory of my life. ...that was 6 years ago, when I first learnt of his story.

I love that through storytelling we are able to create the change that we want to see in the world either through providing solutions or donating to a cause. One of the powerful stories I have come across is about a rescue center in Samburu County, Northern part of Kenya. This rescue center was established to provide shelter for girls in the community who are traumatized through experiences of FGM, GBV, early marriages and Beading.
Beading is a secret traditional practice among the Samburu people of Northern Kenya, where Morans, who are not supposed to marry because they have a role of acting as warriors to protect the community can still have unrestricted sexual relationship with the girl they have beaded. Once a girl is beaded, she is open for a sexual relationship with a newly circumcised warrior. This means that the girls cannot go to school and neither do they have freedom of choice. First as a lady this made me feel bad because, how can someone have all this power and authority over my life, and knowing that these girls will not be able to achieve their dreams and make changes in the community. As a seasonal resource mobiliser, I took this as a personal goal to support the center to raise funds that go into making the shelter a better place and also increase the number of girls it can accommodate .

The story I found incredibly powerful was shared by a classmate of mine who was running a budding non-profit organization. As he was finalizing his undergraduate project, he was directed to a community he had never known existed until that moment.

While navigating his way through this unfamiliar area, he encountered a young boy, about 10 years old, and approached him to ask for directions. To his surprise, the boy could barely understand or speak English. This language barrier proved to be a setback, preventing him from completing his task for the day, prompting me to reschedule for another time.

During my subsequent research about this community, I discovered a stark reality: the community could only boast of one university graduate, Mr. Moses, who happened to be the community chairman. Through correspondence with him, he shared with me the heartbreaking truth that most of the children in the community had never set foot inside a classroom. For those who did, many were forced to abandon their education due to financial constraints.

With collective efforts from the community stakeholders, a learning center was established to address the communication gap and educational challenges faced by the community.

Before this time, I possessed graphic design skills. However, with the establishment of the learning center underway, I made a conscious effort to dedicate time to assist in creating designs and amplifying the voices of the children as they progressed. Additionally, I took on the role of a teacher from time to time to support the existing teaching staff.