#MyKenyanHero by Agatha Juma

I first met her as words on an email. She’d expressed interest to speak at Engage and the words strung into sentences to describe her story intrigued me. Our next interaction was a phone call that lasted an hour, and I was further intrigued. She seemed to have so much on her shoulders for someone so young.  

Farida had a difficult time accessing education after her father lost his job. Her uneducated mother did odd jobs and the community rallied around to chip in but barely met a fraction of the fees required. Her thirst for education was so deep that she used to sneak into school to attend class and hide in cupboards to avoid the principal since she was a perennial school fees defaulter. She knew that education was the only key she had to uplift the standard of living for her family.  She completed her high school education with a large fee balance and hence could not get her school leaving certificate and her results.   

She took on odd jobs here and there while living with her physically and emotionally abusive father after her mother left the abusive marriage.  

Farida found herself drawn towards education and community empowerment. She has been involved in youth empowerment and social justice initiatives in her native Mombasa county.  

Over the last year, Farida has participated in numerous youth outreach initiatives that are close to her heart and reality. These include raising funds for and distributing sanitary ware for girls in schools, as well as feeding programs and talks for girls in informal settlements at the coast.  

Farida has distilled her life mission to Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.  She recently founded Elimu Care, a community based organisation which seeks to provide learning, exam revision and sanitaryware materials to children who cannot afford it at the coast. This young girl who still thirsts for education is providing for others with barely-there-resources what she did not have. While this lifelong learner has not reached the pinnacle of formal education that she aspires to due to life’s challenges, she is already paying it forward.  

“I treat my legacy as a package you can’t recycle. Everyone has opportunities given to them to make their dreams a reality. Most people miss them because they come disguised as a problem or obstacle! Your time is valuable and limited!” – Farida 

While our interaction was limited to a few meetings and her story on the Engage platform, her impact on my life and others has been huge. You can do so much with so very little if only your heart is big enough. She is #MyKenyanHero.  

Link to her story: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8GMLHuWxSI  

Agatha Juma is Kenyan by chance and by choice. She is a creative whose medium of choice is story. Agatha is a co-founder and story curator at Engage Kenya which provides a platform for Africans to share their stories and experiences to Inform. Inspire and Influence. She is a firm believer that all the knowledge and information we need to live and thrive as individuals and organisations can be found in relatable stories and experiences all around us. Agatha is an ardent believer and follower of Paukwa and its stories as they speak her spirit language.