Our Dreams Can Change Lives

“All dreams are valid,” these are the words of a Hollywood actress and winner of the 2013 Oscar, Lupita Nyongo. Yes, we all have dreams. No matter our age, our status, our gender, our race or even our nationality. It does not matter whether you’re Kenyan, American, Ethiopian, Chinese or Indian..no. Most of us will have dreams to change the world. It is not impossible, it is neither too late nor too early to start. Let us all within our communities. It is not a lie when I say, charity begins at home.

Leah, a very young girl from a certain community always had a dream to be someone great one day. However, she was not sure who she wanted to be. She only knew that she wanted to fit a missing puzzle in her community to make the jigsaw complete. One day a young woman who had just finished her education course was assigned to be a teacher in Leah’s school, Bidii Primary School (Bidii is Swahili for hard work). Immediately, Leah’s passion for education in such a remote area filled her heart. She promised herself to make Leah be what she had always dreamed of.

She could always tutor the young girl freely. Leah was a student who never complained for having to do a lot of homework for the love of education was within her. She would wake  up at the crack of dawn and walk for seven kilometers before reaching school. In the evening, she still had to walk for another seven kilometers back to her, lunch was a gift from the blessed heavens.

Leah only had one uniform which was tattered but it was the most dear possession she had. It is what gave her dream a push to the future and make it more vivid. She would change into her ‘Leso’ so as to save what was left of her uniform, before walking for three kilometers to fetch cooking water. That was her evening chore every evening after school. Leah came from a community where girls or women could not use their voice. However, the new female teacher at Bidii Primary School became a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Without knowing it, she became a female hero and mentor to young Leah. Through the new teacher, Leah was able to understand the negative effects of F.G.M. (Female Genital Mutilation). She was able to change the mentality that science subjects (Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology) were subjects for ‘boys only.’

Yes, she passed very well in her primary and high school exams. She was one of the girls who was lucky to have a government scholarship. Right now, she is a human rights activist. She helps fight against the negative practices in our communities: FGM, early marriage, wife inheritance etc. She started in her community and now she has made a positive impact in her country.

In everything we think of, we have the power to dream. When we realise our dreams, we should work to make them real. No matter how small they look, they will make a great impact in someone’s life. NEVER EVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS. Fabulous! Wow! Marvelous! Talented! We shall see you next year!