INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN
Lucy Nganga bringing change through determination and courage
D
uring the summer of 2015, I worked in Kenya for six weeks on the Balloon Kenya entrepreneurship programme. This is an organisation that connects students from around the world with Kenyan entrepreneurs. We worked to develop business plans for start-ups and existing businesses to present to a panel of investors for an interest-free loan. This is how I came to meet Lucy. Softly spoken, always with a smile on her face, she is a mother of two and an aspiring interior designer from Nakuru, Kenya. Nakuru, located in the Rift Valley, is developing a reputation as a start-up hub in Kenya. However, this was not always the case. Throughout the six weeks spent with Lucy, I learnt that the now-bustling town of Nakuru was one of the worst affected areas during the post-election violence in 2007-8. Ethnic cleansing of the Kikuyus (the largest ethnic group in Kenya) was carried out by other groups in Nakuru, who feared for their lives. However, arriving in Nakuru now, it is very hard to imagine that it was the same town that was subject to heartless massacres just eight years ago. Walking through the streets and talking to the locals, there was no mention of this earlier violence. I only learnt of the massacre through a business meeting with an interior designer, Ruth, who had moved to Nakuru only a few years ago. A meeting was set up in the hope that Ruth, as an established designer, could offer Lucy work and the necessary experience to launch her own business. Ruth struggled to understand why the locals were not as friendly, trustworthy, and welcoming as those in Nairobi, where she previously lived. At this point Lucy pointed out that Nakuru was not always as hostile: ‘Before the violence/killings of 2007-8, the community was so vibrant; the sense of community was so strong and everyone was willing to help each other.’ However, with the massacre, there was no longer
Lucy told me of several instances when she’d hidden her Kikuyu neighbours in her house whilst fending off attackers.
a unifying identity among Kenyans - but rather, you were now a Kikuyu or a non-Kikuyu. Lucy told me of several instances when she’d hidden her Kikuyu neighbours in her house whilst fending off attackers. Astonishingly, Lucy was heavily pregnant at the time and terrified for her baby’s life. The courage required to shelter people, at the risk of her own life, is unimaginable. Saving her neighbours’ lives not only conveys Lucy’s compassion, but it also displays the societal impact of individuals’ actions. Despite the trauma of the events, which led to complications during her baby’s birth soon after, she does not regret her actions. Nakuru, she pointed out, slowly healed over time and is beginning to regain the sense of a lively community, eight long years later. The strength of the people in Nakuru, especially of women like Lucy, is an inspiration. It is through them that we learn that we are capable of bringing about change through determination and courage. I would have never guessed that behind her gentle smile, and with the enthusiasm she has every day to design patterns for her clients, Lucy had endured such an atrocious period in Kenya’s history. Her quiet resilience and the compassion she has for others should be noted and passed on; future generations must not forget the heroic actions that previous generations have taken time and time again in order for the world to be as it is today. It is of particular importance now, with terrorism and violence erupting all over the world, that we look to inspirational figures who have dared to step out and make a change. I am unreservedly thankful for the opportunities I had in Kenya that allowed me to meet Lucy and so many others who have inspired me; changes that seemed impossible were proven to be possible countless times during my time in Kenya. As Nelson Mandela said, ‘It only seems impossible until it is done’. Start making your change today. 2016 | ONLINE
15
IMAGE: Solo 7–Kibera
WRITTEN BY ROSA JUNG (2009)