At 22, her joy is to see Teso girls excel

By ALEX NAMULIRO and SILAH KOSKEI

KENYA: As the year 2015 draws closer the whole world is focused on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set to improve human livelihood.

promoting gender equality and empowering women is goal number three among the eight goals and challenges to see this particular goal achieved are still apparent.

Lindsey Achudi 22 who was awarded a scholarship by Zawadi Africa Educational Fund foundation to pursue a bachelor’s degree in International relations and French studies at the University of Rochester USA has a dream for the girl child in Teso.

“My passion has always to be mentor young girls from my community who face many challenges in attaining education, I use every chance I get to visit schools to speak to Teso girls about the importance of education,” Achudi said.

According to Achudi poverty, teenage pregnancies and cultural practices like early marriages hinders the girls from achieving their childhood dreams in education.

Despite her being away in the United States where she is undertaking her undergraduate studies, she uses every little opportunity to travel home to help girls in her community attain favorable environment for learning.

Raised by a single mother she craves to empower girls from her community started while in primary school when she formed a girl’s circle at their home where her friends would meet during holidays to discuss about issues pertinent to them.

After completing her primary education at Shalom Academy in Vihiga (2004) she joined Moi Girls high School Eldoret, where she scored an A in KCSE (2008) that enabled her get the scholarship.

She visits primary schools in Teso to advise the girls on the importance of completing their education instead of getting married as subordinate wives to old men or get swallowed in prostitution common at the Kenya-Uganda border.

“It is easier for Teso girls to see the importance of going to school rather than adhering to misleading cultural practices, when spoken to by a fellow Teso girl who grew up in the same environment as them rather than somebody from another community,” Achudi said.

She is a pleased lady to see a Teso girl attend school to completion because it is through this that they can make young girls embrace education as a bridge to success unlike it has been in the past.

 “Together with my college mates and other friends from abroad, we have repaired classes at Machakusi primary, Kakemer Primary School and St. Mark’s Okidet Primary school in Teso to ensure that the learning facilities are conducive for students’ learning,” she said.

The same group is currently working on an entrepreneurial project that will see most girls in Teso who failed to complete their studies develop business models that match their skills which will be used to source capital to start businesses.

“We want to set up a resource center in Amagoro area that will provide free entrepreneur training for the girls to help them develop sustainable business projects in Teso and also benefit from the Uwezo fund,” she said.

She shared that the resource center will target girls who have not attained cut off points to join tertiary institutions with the pilot project selecting 10 girls from the community.

Through her determination to see the girl child excel in all aspects of life she has won accolades within her University and beyond, for her role in women empowerment with the recent being the Fannie Bigelow prize from the Susan B Anthony Institute for women leadership in the USA.

 “Their success is my joy and that is why I will always help in securing funds and partnerships from my friends and various organizations for the schools in Teso to acquire school supplies aimed at facilitating their education,” Achudi said.

Balancing her education abroad with her local projects is a challenge; she usually travels home whenever she is off classes to coordinate her programmes, citing funds embezzlement as a barrier to her having a local person to manage the project.

She dispelled the notion by local people that community empowerment projects initiators have vested interests pose a challenge to the success of her programmes.

“Not everyone doing community development projects in their community have political ambitions!” Achudi said.

Achudi lauded her mother for enduring harsh conditions to bring them up and educate them, saying she is the major source for her determination to see other girls like her have a bright future.

She now wants the government to affirm policies that are against girl child discrimination adding that most of them suffer silently and fear to speak out on their challenges.

She has worked hard to prove her critics wrong that at a tender age, she can still take care of marginalized young girls in the Teso community by helping them access education.