Educate and Empower Girls All Over the World!

My passion is to empower girls by mentoring them and be a good role model. I believe through education we can achieve more and exhaust our full potential. So when I was invited to talk to Girls at Robert Gray Middle school by Ms Roz I was more than excited. It was my first time to talk to girls schooling in America though they have different needs from girls from Kenya, there is need to emphasize for them to take education seriously and follow their dreams and goals.

I must say I was surprised by their confidence. Something am trying to encourage girls back at home to stand for what thy believe in. They asked smart questions something am not used to here, I mean get all these kinds of questions like do you have smart phones? Is Kenya a french speaking nation or are we from the middle east? Or if I find someone who knows something about Kenya, they ask if am an athlete? seriously Well not all Kenyans are long distance runners or can run to save their lives.

Maureen with students from Robert Gray Middle School

I talked to them on what I do in Kenya, donating sanitary towels to girls to keep them in school and why I advocate for girls to complete their education, because it helps us make better decisions and be responsible citizens. “We know when girls have equal access to quality education in both primary and secondary schools, cycles of poverty are broken, economies grow, glass ceilings crack, and potential is unleashed.” ~Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton

I also talked to them about GladRags and the projects am doing. I thought I would introduce them to cloth pads, but most of them were informed and knew about them from their mothers or friends. Some had also seen them on ads. So when I asked them if they would use cloth pads they were all in agreement because of their benefits not only for their body and health but also because of the environment. I later learned during their second semester they will have a teacher who will teach them more on menstruation management and they will be taught on all these options that are available to them. They were surprised that in Rural Kenya girls cannot afford sanitary towels while they have all kinds of variety to choose from and are affordable. We are working on a project that GladRags will help girls in rural Kenya by providing sanitary towels. So let’s work together to ensure the girls attend classes without interruptions any day any time of the month.

Girls either in Kenya or America should be encouraged to complete their education. Girls from all over the world need to know education is important and it’s the only way they can change their lives to be better and responsible citizens. We should thrive to educate and empower girls from all over the world.

I believe education is the best weapon to change the world~ Late Nelson Mandela

 Have a lovely read!

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

LESSONS LEARNED!

As part of the Mandela Washington fellowship I was posted for an internship at GladRags in Portland to apply skills i learned during the six weeks of learning at UC Berkeley  as well as learn how to set up my own factory as we have a similar vision. It’s been two months of learning, work and fun.

Well some of the things may sound cliche but they are truly what i observed during my stay here and they work!

They are listed below in no particular order;

1. Hard work pays off, you have to be diligent at what you do. Nothing comes for free you have to put your mind, energy and efforts into your work and it will eventually pay off.

2. Be excellent, no one likes mediocre work.

3. Be informed, know what it takes to make things work in your company. Be alert, know current affairs.

4. Build partnerships, you cannot do it all alone, look for people with similar agenda, mission and vision and work with them you will be surprised by how much you will achieve in shortest time possible.

5. Be hands on, i’ll give an example, my boss is the president of the company and the person in charge of shipping was unwell, there was so much to be shipped that my boss offered to do it herself though the person had said she would do it the next day.

6. Running a company is not easy sometimes you will have to sacrifice your time, energy and things you love to make it work.

7. Things I got to appreciate, feedback I really didn’t know feedback mattered until when I approached new partners to work with GladRags. Always respond to that mail, you never know.

8. Branding, you really have to sell your brand, people need to know what it is that you do. There are cost effective ways of doing it. You can creatively use social media to build your brand.

9. Be creative keep in mind simplicity is key.

10. Analytical thinking, analyze before you take any action. Identify options you have at hand.

11. Etiquette be nice and kind.

12. Keep a diary, a to do list to keep you abreast with what you should do. It saves time and helps you know what tasks should be done. Manage your time remember time is money.There’s nothing like African time 😉

13. Customer is king, always treat your customer well even if they are wrong. Apologize if need be.

14. Always treat your staff well, commend them for a job well done.

15. Always think ahead, nothing should catch you by surprise. Have a plan.

16. Be passionate at what you do.

17. Sometimes take a walk, it really does help to clear up your mind…(I will never forget the walk to dutch bros for coffee 😉

18. Be conscious of the environment, recycle and reduce waste.

19. I’m a new blogger, part of my work was to blog for the organization every week and this helped me on my blogging and writing.

20. Be organized and neat. It really helps to have an uncluttered office.

21. Be open to learn, you can never stop learning. Knowledge is power.

22. Listen to other people’s opinion keenly.

23. Always jot your ideas on a notebook or whichever works for you but have them written down that way they will keep you focused. Do you have your mission, vision and goals written down?

24. It’s OK to bring your pets to work, it’s never that serious 😉 I will miss you Riggs and Roger, you helped me deal with and overcome my fears 😉 (I feared dogs, I would not be seen in the same room with them) and for that matter I’m getting myself a pug 🙂

25. Not everyday you will wake up feeling awesome and energetic ready to face the world, there are days you will want to sleep in and forget everything going on around you, when you are in that state, get Coffee it works wonders!

26. Believe in yourself, trust me it’s only you who is keeping yourself from success and happiness. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me Philippians 4:13

Finally give back to your community. Reach out to the poor and vulnerable and help empower them.

In other news 21st September is my birthday am excited and grateful to God for an awesome great year 🙂 Now I’m ready for what this new year has to offer.

Have a Lovely read!

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

Advantages of menstrual cups

menstrualcupvcup

Advantages of menstrual cups:

Menstrual cups are the latest and one of the most convenient feminine hygiene products that can handle your periods without any mess. They are small, silicon cup shaped products that are worn directly inside the vagina to collect menstrual blood. Menstrual cups are the one and only feminine hygiene products that can be reused for a long period. These cups are also eco- friendly and inexpensive comparing to the total amount an average women spend for buying other women’s hygiene products in her life time. It is estimated that

There were several more benefits too. Unlike tampons or sanitary pads, these cups collect the blood and hence it can be worn for 12 hours.  Menstrual cups are safe to wear for women at all ages and it can be used for years after sterilising in hot water after each use.

Some most remarkable advantages are listed…

View original post 254 more words

Menstruation Matters

 

I took a poll on reusable cloth pads and menstrual cups on my face book page. The comments I got were rather interesting. Some of my friends knew little or nothing about them. Some (especially men) sent me messages telling me this is a private issue and if I want to talk about it, I should call a meeting with the girls and women rather than posting it in public. Shouldn’t we talk about issues that affect us? Menstruation is seen as women’s issue in my country. The men don’t involve themselves in this issue unless they are in the health sector or selling them.

Its a taboo to talk about menstruation in public, when you raise the issue people shy away from contributing they’d rather send a private message warning you not to post ”such issues” in public. When will we talk about issues that affect us, especially when girls miss five days of school because they cannot afford sanitary towels? Shouldn’t we talk about it? I believe talking creates an awareness and shows people there is a need and will be compelled to deal with the issue and help keep our girls in school.

 

Teacher Esther with Misyini Primary School

 What I have learned during my stay here in US is to speak out, create an awareness and not be afraid of what others think. I speak menstruation matters because am concerned about the girls who miss school and am looking for a sustainable way to provide for them sanitary towels. People out there don’t know what is going on out there. people don’t know girls use unhygienic methods during their menstruation. Well it’s about time I speak on their behalf and ask people to donate sanitary towels. To tell girls and women of the options that are out here, options that are safe, clean and sustainable. Let’s involve all stakeholders, leaders both men and women to support our girls.

Chief Ndoo, Teacher Jacinta, Edna and Maureen with Nyuani Primary School

I like the way we talk about anything in GladRags, talking about periods is seen as normal, I must say at first I felt uneasy talking about periods at my work place. Here people are open and won’t criticize, people respect your opinion.

So let’s start the conversation about menstruation matters till every girl and woman can afford sanitary towels, not just any but has a choice to choose that which is safe and healthy for them. Let’s make sure they live a stress free life any day of the month 🙂

Have a Lovely read!

Mo

What is your Little thing?

My passion is to empower girls through education. I inform them the importance of education and the opportunities that come with it. “Education, of course, creates many opportunities. In Kenya, for most people of my generation and after, a high school education or a college degree is a guaranteed ticket out of the perceived drudgery of subsistence farming or the cultivation of cash crops for little return.” From her book Unbowed: A memoir by Late Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Mathai.

Nobel Laureate Late Prof Wangari Maathai Pic courtesy of Greenbelt Movement

I want them to complete school and become better people in the society. To be great citizens who are able to make better decisions in life. I do this by holding motivational talks with the girls to inspire and boost their self esteem to propel them and challenge them to work hard in school. Our core program is mentorship we connect girls with mentors to guide them especially when making career choices. The mentors are role models in their lives. We want the girls to believe in themselves to have a positive mindset. We encourage the girls to develop their talents and work on them, because these are gifts that have been instilled in them to help them achieve their purpose. I believe the girls need role models who are doing great in their lives, people who have succeeded in different sectors in the society. We want our girls to know that it’s possible, they too can make it in life just like we did.

The girls are seeking role models whom they can emulate. Of late I have been seeing women posting nude photos on social media just to get more likes on instagram and facebook, more followers on twitter. But at what cost? Others are being black mailed and threatened their nude photos will be shared in the internet. What are we showing our young girls? for you to get fame, money and power is by posting nude photos of yourself? What happened to our dignity? What kind of a role model do you want to be? Because these young girls will emulate us. So I ask myself is this what we want our girls to do? I mean if we post our nude photos we get more likes and attention. Who wouldn’t want to be liked? What message are we sending to our girls? That all these values we have been advocating for are not working? Thus we have to show people our bodies for them to like us? For us to get money and power? them too will want to do the same. What image of the society are we portraying to them? I know it’s a free world we can do what we want with our bodies and lives but let’s think beyond ourselves. Before we post that picture or comment think of the young people in our lives. What do we want them to learn from us? 

I remember when I was growing up, I wanted to be so many things depending on the kind of people that came across my life. I wanted to be a journalist because I liked how Beatrice Marshall of then KTN presented herself. She was smart, eloquent and confident. I wanted to be a lawyer, I had seen how Agnes Murgor won her court cases, she was confident, intelligent and straight forward she was a no nonsense lawyer and eventually I got into law in Moi university but switched to Information Technology (story for another day). I wanted to be an environmentalist just like Late Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Mathai, she was a fighter who believed in herself and was passionate about the environment. I also wanted to be a nurse like my mother Christine Muthengi, just because of the seminars and workshops she attended in many countries, she was in management and what I didn’t know, you had to work hard to get to that level, so one would start at the hospital level caring for the sick. Which I didn’t have the heart to do. Well there are many others who shaped my life and as i came across these people i wanted to be what they are. The more reason now i feel the girls need mentors to guide them. To create a path for them that they can follow not necessarily to dictate what they have to do but to be a guide. Mentors have been through all these, they have learned so much in each stage of their lives and we want them to share these lessons and experiences with the girls.

Let us remember we are role models to our young girls and boys and teach them values that will help them grow. Values they will stand by and use as they work on their purpose. Let’s not forget we are nurturing leaders of tomorrow. What kind of leaders do we want them to be? I believe we ought to teach them to believe in themselves, follow their dreams, live with a purpose and passionately fulfill it.

“It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.” Late Nobel Laureate Prof Wangari Mathai

I believe mine is to mentor and empower girls, to be their role model. What is your little thing?

Have a lovely weekend.

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

It’s a Wrap August, Hello September!

Looking back at the month that has been, full of new things, challenges and opportunities. I thank God for the gift of life, blessings, favor and Grace. I Moved to a new state Portland, Oregon very beautiful. The environment is so serene and beautiful. Every street has trees making the streets look green. I live near the Wilamette river, my jogging place every morning so peaceful and cool. I enjoy the cool breeze in the morning and the fresh air. The people are warm and friendly. I thank God I settled in well and got by without any issues. I had this fear in me because I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know what to expect despite reading on the Internet about Portland. I had many questions lingering in my mind. But I’m glad I turned out ok.

I met new friends Roz and her family. You have helped me settle in Portland and showed me kindness and love beyond my imagination. Giving me tours, i liked the Multnomah falls a serene beautiful place and other places around. Thank you for having me for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful for GladRags organization for the opportunity to apply my knowledge and skills as well as learn. I appreciate that you never got tired of my many questions and suggestions i made instead you guided me through.

Grateful to my church Grace Bible Church for spiritual nourishment and fellowship. I was looking for a church and I didn’t know what to expect. Thank you Carol and Jean for receiving me warmly during my first visit and introduced me to other members you made me feel at home away from home. Church has been awesome ever since.

I tried out new stuff too, registred for a marathon. Training for a 5K marathon is no joke. It taught me dedication, commitment, discipline and focus. It was tough, my body ached from head to toe, later on my body got used to it. That when I didn’t train or run I felt like something was a miss. I didn’t run the 5K marathon though 😦 I missed my train it was at Sunriver resort and it takes 13 hours via train or a 1 day journey by bus. But all in all I’ll I’m glad I contributed for a good cause “creating breastfeeding cancer awareness” and creating a new culture in my life that of exercising. In Washington DC i met Mmabatho this girl was committed she ran everyday while she left me sleeping. She was dedicated and disciplined coming to think of it she inspired me to run this marathon. A healthy body is a healthy life ☺.

I got to complete a policy I had started writing at the beginning of August and sent it to my Professor, can’t wait to hear her opinion am anxious yet excited. It was tough working on the policy as am working full time I had to create time to work on it and at times I came home fatigued and shattered and just wanted to take a hot bath, lie down take a breather and call it a day. But i had this unswerving urge to complete the policy and send it to my Professor. I had to accomplish my goal. I have a passion for mentoring girls to complete their education so I had to do all I can to complete the article. So excited I finalized it.

It was not all about work I had fun things to do went shopping, my goodness every thing a girl needs is in these malls. The malls are enticing, designed in a way that make you just walk around from store to store you don’t want to leave. I would get everything if only the weight permits remember am only allowed 46kgs to go back with 😦 too little for me. Tried out the cool restaurants too☺ I love Thai and Japanese I must say.

September is here and guess what it’s my birthday month

Looking forward to a great month, i have new expectations and I pray it will be filled with new opportunities, growth and blessings. I pray that God will give you strength to face this new month with stride.

So long August, you were awesome!

Have a lovely read.

Mo 🙂

Donate A Pad; Why I Give!

Universal education is one of the millennial development goal set to be achieved in the world by 2015 we have less than 500 days to go. According to UNICEF there are 31M girls of primary school age not enrolled in school. Well how can we achieve this goal when girls are not enrolled in school or drop out due to early child marriages and other cultural practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM), poverty, lack of school fees, sexual violence and lack of SANITARY TOWELS. How can we achieve this goal when girls miss close to 5 days of school because they cannot afford sanitary towels? Girls from poor families use unhygienic methods during their menstruation such as old pieces of clothes, tissue papers, cotton wool, feathers and old goat skins. Others end up engaging in transactional sex in order to get money to buy sanitary towels this exposes the young girls to risks of getting HIV/AIDS and some end up pregnant thus dropping out of school. There was a feature aired by Citizen Media in Kenya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hn822TrKXo in 2013 showing the dire need of sanitary towels in rural Kenya. Sad how something that should be considered as a basic need is assumed to be something luxurious.

Pic courtesy of UNICEF

According to Ministry of Education in Kenya, there are 2.5M girls aged between 9-18 years who need sanitary towels in Kenya. The government only caters for 568,925 girls from primary school class 6-8 from 7,141 schools in 142 districts which is only a fraction leaving out close to 2M girls who are in need, the demand is high. Due to this gap I founded Donate a Pad initiative in December 2012 to try and help in my community, we should give back to the community to uplift others, “When you have worked hard, done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. No, you reach back and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed~ US First lady Mrs Michelle Obama”. The initiative is mainly run from my salary and a monthly contribution from my best friend Mona Manani. Every month I buy sanitary towels and donate to 200 girls who cannot afford sanitary towels in the rural area in 9 schools in Kitui, Kenya. Basically girls who cannot afford sanitary towels miss school close to five days in a month hence affecting their performance and lower their self esteem hence affecting their confidence in school.

Donate A Pad ensures that these girls are in school by providing sanitary towels, we strive to ensure their self esteem and dignity is restored. Since I started we have noticed the performance of the girls has improved and they are more confident. I also provide mentoring program by connecting the girls with mentors to guide them through their education and career choice. As well as talk to them about menstruation hygiene management. The girls write to me sharing their dreams of what they want to be in future and how Donate A Pad is helping them in achieving their dreams. It’s so fulfilling to see girls excited about education. This inspires me to do what I do to make sure the girls are in school. No girl should miss school because they lack sanitary towels.

Teacher Esther distributing the sanitary towels

Chief Ndoo, Edna, Maureen and Kivulu Primary School with their Sanitary Towels.

So I have a plan in the near future of starting a manufacturing firm that will use agricultural waste materials such as banana fibers and papyrus to make affordable sanitary towels that will cater for the demand of sanitary towels as well as keep the girls in school. Am also doing a research on other sustainable alternative options such as cloth pads and menstrual cups that can be used to cater for this lack. We are also thinking of growth and soon we will be in Kisii, Meru and Lesotho I will keep you posted as the plans unravel. Hopefully one day we will be able to donate to all the girls that need sanitary towels.

Maureen at Makerere University displaying the biodegradable sanitary towels

As of now donate a pad and help keep a girl in class. Did you know with only KES 396 ($4.50) you can keep a girl in school for the whole year?

I believe if you educate a girl you educate the whole community and Nelson Mandela summed it all by saying “Education is the only weapon we can use to change the world”

Have a lovely Read!

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

I found a brother; Mohamed and I!

I work in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a refugee camp in Kakuma, Turkana which hosts 177,670 (as of August 2014) refugees. A very dry place with happy people :). It takes 1hr 45 minutes via flight or approximately two days via road. It’s very far from the capital city about 752Km, people joke about it and ask when you arrive in Kakuma, how is Kenya? I love what I do, I get to meet many people from different countries and culture. Kakuma is known by the staff as the University that teaches you facts about survival in life. They say, if you survive in Kakuma, you can live anywhere. One thing I have learned while in Kakuma is gratitude. To appreciate everything I have. Because one day you may have it all and the next day you lose everything but left with the clothes you have on you, that is what war can do. It rips you off your family, friends, work, peace, happiness and so much forcing you to flee to an area unknown to you. I have learned to live in simplicity, it makes you content with what you have. I learned to value people for who they are and appreciate them as they are. Because no matter what happens to you, you will still have your loved ones, family and friends to support you. Never lose your family, relationships and friendships.

I have been working for UNHCR for the past four years and our main mandate is to provide international protection and durable solutions to the refugees or any person fleeing war or persecution from their countries. As part of sharing this responsibility we resettle refugees to developed countries such as USA, UK, Canada, Netherlands and many others that fund UNHCR. Every year from our camp we resettle about 3,000 families to these countries giving them a new start, new life and just opening doors for opportunities for them. I have never done a follow up on the many refugees we resettle to find out how they are fairing on because we have so much work and as days goes by we get new objectives to work on and the time we have we focus on working to make life better for the rest who have been left behind and assume the resettled ones will find their way and have a fresh start. Life has to move on.

Fast forward, I came to Portland for my internship a new state, I only knew one friend Roz whom I was introduced to by my coordinator, she has been very supportive, on Saturday 11th Aug 2014 she took me to the market to get fresh grocery and showed me a couple of stores to buy nice stuff. She even invited me for dinner tonight, am making a Kenyan dish (Githeri, coz Amzaon couldn’t deliver my ugali flour on time). Am grateful to her for giving me the chance to learn and see the American culture and how families here live. On Sunday (10th Aug 2014) evening i decide to shop for a couple of items i needed for the week. I googled for a mall near me to shop for the stuff I found one Lyod center which is 15 minutes away by bus from my apartment. When i got there, I shopped way to much that I could carry so I googled for a cab contact. Google has become a reliable source while i have been here. Anyway I call the cab guy and voila shows up as he had promised in 5 minutes. Here people keep time, there’s nothing like African time 😉 He greeted me and introduced himself as Mohamed. He asked if am from Kenya, I asked him what made him think am Kenyan, he told me I have an East African look, well we have a look? I didn’t know about that. One of the things I have discovered here is that we (Kenyans) have a look and an accent that I didn’t notice. Anyway he goes ahead and speaks to me in Swahili after confirming am Kenya and from Nairobi. We talk about stuff we have missed sigh, shared so many stories and experiences. I ask him about his life in America, he tells me he came to Portland, Oregon 15 years ago with his aunt. He told me before they came here they were living in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya I told him I work in Kakuma and emotions just rolled up and I couldn’t help myself I burst into tears, tears of joy and I cried not because I was sad but I was happy to know that when we send our people to these developed countries they do well and work hard to earn a living and live a happy life. I was happy because he’s life had changed for the better and because of that he can raise his children better, get the best education, best health care and so much. They wont have to go through the same hardships he went through. Now he could afford to live a meaningful life, that made me content with my work, gave me the energy to do more and the satisfaction that we doing a great job. It was a pat on UNHCR’s back for a great job, well done.

When I got to the apartment he didn’t charge me cab fare, he asked me how can I charge my sister? I found a brother 🙂 I insisted I had to pay, was afraid his boss would fire him and he assured me it was his car and he’s the boss. He told me to call him whenever I needed a cab, of course i’ll pay for the next trip.

Meeting Mohamed made me more happier and at peace. Now I know our people get a new start, establish themselves, own businesses and live a happy life!

Special shout out to Mohamed 🙂 wish you all the best buddy and bro!

Mohamed and I

Enjoy your Weekend 🙂

Have a lovely Read!

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

So Why Am I here!

 

At the Kenya Embassy in Washington DC

My name is Maureen Muthengi (indicated in my passport as Maurine) also known as Mo by my family and friends. I run Donate A Pad Initiative, this initiative is merely ran from my salary and my best friend Mona Manani (she’s such a darling and very generous) contributes monthly to ensure we keep the girls in school. Every term we donate sanitary towels to 200 girls from poor families in 9 schools in Kitui County. I’m passionate about empowering young girls to complete their education and am also a mentor. Am a Mandela Washington Fellow 2014, Young African Leader. I have a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree (First Class Honors) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and a Certificate in Project Management. I work at a refugee camp in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kakuma, Turkana.

In June 2014 I was selected to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program, the Young Africans Leaders Initiative that was started by US President Barack Obama to mentor young African leaders who are change agents in their communities and making positive social change. 50, 000 young people from 54 African countries applied and 500 were selected. In my country Kenya, 5000 applied, 1000 were interviewed and 46 were selected. I am among the 500 Africans who were selected and we were placed in 20 best universities in USA. The thought of it makes me feel privileged and honored to be in the inaugural of the young African leaders.  I was placed in University of California Berkeley, Goldman School of Public Policy  for six weeks which is the best public policy school in USA and the world. I took courses on Public Policy, International Affairs, Strategic leadership and environmental studies among others which broadened my perspective on leadership. Later on end of July we attended a Young African Leaders Summit in Washington DC hosted by President Barack Obama and various leaders, governors, business leaders and experts talked to us.

 

US Sec of State Hon John Kerry shook our hands at the YALI Summit

President Barack Obama addressing the fellows at the YALI Summit

 

 

We had talks with Hon John Kerry, Amb. Samantha Powell, Amb Rice,  Rajiv Shah USAID Administrator and First Lady Michelle Obama among others. I was star struck 😉 and awed to be in the same room with these great leaders. I believe am reliving Proverbs 18:16 when God says your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men, take Him by His word for He will accomplish it, it’s not in vain. I was blessed to be selected by First Lady Michelle Obama with 35 other fellows for a round table meeting to discuss girls accessing education in Africa. I felt so honored that she supported what we were doing to enhance girls education in Africa. This just gave me more energy and strength to continue supporting the girl child to complete education. One of the great benefits of the Fellowship is I met Young Africans who are doing great works in their countries, I was inspired by each one of them, we talked about the challenges we were facing back at home and we  exchanged ideas on moving forward. I will maintain the network, it’s very helpful especially for growing Africa to a better place. Thereafter I also got an opportunity to attend the US-Africa Head of states summit . I got to attend meetings held by one campaign it was great sharing our views as Young Africans  but most important thing we realized we had to create our own solutions for Africa. We also attended a One concert, Femi Kuti performed that was really cool. We got a chance to meet Cabinet Secretary Hon Anne Waiguru in charge of devolution and youth affairs just to share on various ways we can collaborate and work together on Youth Empowerment. Finally we had a meeting with US Ambassador to Kenya Amb Robert Godec, he is just a great man,  we shared with him our experience in US and what we learned from the university.

#TeamKE with Cabinet Secretary Hon Anne Waiguru

US Secretary of States Hon John Kerry

#TeamKE with Amb. Robert Godec

In August 2014 I was placed in GladRags in Portland, Oregon for my internship. GladRags manufactures cloth pads and menstrual cups  and promotes positive attitudes towards menstruation. Just the perfect place for me am telling you God is a matchmaker 😉 I will basically apply what I learned in University of California, Berkeley and also get knowledge on how I can grow Donate a Pad initiative as we look for sustainable solutions to keep girls in school throughout the school year. I believe Education is the best weapon that can change our world. If it were not for  education I wouldn’t be here.

GladRags is just the best place to be, I have an awesome boss and great work colleagues. I must confess it has changed my view on reusables and this month i’ll try the moon cup 😉 (story for another day)  In those few days I have been here I love working at GladRags as we are empowering and changing women lives by providing them with comfortable, sustainable protection.

Hopefully i will get skills that will help improve Donate A Pad initiative.

I would be where I am today if it were not for the love and support of my family and friends. I give all the glory to God for opening doors for me. It’s not by might nor by power but by the spirit of the Lord.

Have a lovely read!

Cheers,

Mo 🙂

First Day at Work!

I woke up early as i had planned to go for a morning jog. Am training for a marathon that i signed up and it will be on 30th August 2014. After my morning jog  i prepare for work and as i leave i check Google maps again for directions. I get a bus to work so i drop off like three blocks away the road transport in America can be confusing especially for visiting foreigners like me. I call the office to report i’ll be late coz i got off the bus two blocks away. I check the net again for the next bus’s info and i notice i’ll be 15 minutes late. As i wait for the bus am thinking how my boss is mad at me, how can i be late on the first day. I call again and one of my colleagues comes to pick me up. Am filled with guilt so i keep apologizing for being late but she assures me it’s ok. I get to the office and my boss just gives me the loveliest smile and assures me that it’s ok and no one gets the place right the first time. whoa phew, she’s nice i thought to myself.

I am introduced to the rest of the staff and given orientation on what I will do. Am excited about my work at GladRags  (another story for another day) basically i’ll be applying what i learned during my six weeks of training at UC Berkeley and also learn how to run a sustainable and successful business. I hope to learn how companies here operate and grow and apply the experience in Donate a Pad . I love my colleagues we are only 7. It’s a young women led organization very lively and vibrant. We talk about anything and everything, one of our colleagues told us about Robin Williams death, may the lord rest his soul in peace that was really sad. We each talked on how his movies touched us. yes i could work here forever.  It’s cool and awesome you can bring your pet to work Lol. Time ran out so fast i didn’t even notice when it was time to go home, my boss had to tell me. That’s how cool my job is. Am grateful to be part of a team that is working towards making women’s lives better.

 

Read more about GladRags 

Have a lovely read.

Mo 🙂