Page 62 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

MY AFRIKA

be who they want without having must move forward, you must find a all the way with them or not, it
political titles, because leadership is solution. also transforms us to see our
about taking small things seriously. circumstances differently. And so
Like, you’re in this room and you’ve If I was seated there waiting to be we’re glad that you’re now at this
seen that this glass is going to fall nursed, perhaps I would have com- point, and so what are you doing
and you move it to another place, mitted suicide by now. This is what with yourself and everything that
that is leadership. It doesn’t have to young people are going through has brought you to this point?
be that you have to have big titles, outside there. I wore torn clothes, I
with fines suits and big stomachs. carried water, my hands sometimes I came to the PLO Foundation with
had blisters all over, but I didn’t an idea that I convinced prof to
It’s a very personal thing. give up because I knew that one day support; mentorship. I’m the one
things would change. I have to thank who developed that project together
Yes. So that’s where I met Prof. He God who has brought me where I with my colleague called Duncan
was very impressed that I was able am and the support from genuine Okello, who is not here now. We
to manage a very organized club like friends and this is what I want to started this project to nurture young
that. I invited Prof. with the help tell young people; sometimes you people, and that is what I’ve always
of the student union, even though I need to have genuine friends, you been passionate about; to work
wasn't in the student union. I didn't don’t need to have many friends where I’m able to give back to the
win the elections because campus who don’t add impact to your life. society, to share my thoughts with
politics is the same as national Choose the types of friends that young people and to tell them that
politics and there are a lot of dirty you associate with, these friends, the this is the way you can do it, and you
games in it. But my mission was to likes of Gabriel that I’ve mentioned don’t have to have a constrained life.
change that narrative, which I tried to you, they encouraged me, they
my best to and I’m very impressed kept me going even though I was Here, we nurture young leaders, our
that the despite the fact that it didn’t giving up, my guardian; Mr. Amos thematic areas are: education, health,
help many people who are in cam- Okong’o, the family of Apollo Nyo- advocacy, creativity and innova-
pus, those who were in the integrity nyi, those are people who made me tion, then we have arts and culture,
club organization did benefit. I hear the person that I am. which you people are doing very
examples of people who are doing well. We’re present in 38 African
amazing things that transform lives I really like the way that you cel- countries and 10 in diaspora and in
in the community. Some have come ebrate the people who were the Kenya we’re present so far in seven
here, some have even promised to strength in the journey as well. counties, but we’ve received about
donate to help young people. That I think that gratitude is such a 400 application from people in dif-
alone shows you that leadership powerful thing that if we’re able ferent counties who want to be part
doesn’t have to be about titles, you to appreciate those who are part of the foundation and we are just
don’t have to be a president. of our journey, whether we went going to absorb them so we’ll have

When you found yourself living
on the streets or sleeping under
a bridge and seeing all sorts of
crazy things happening or almost
starving or wearing torn clothes...
What is it that kept you going?

What kept me going was vision.
A vision that I wanted to prove to
other young people that your chal- To learn more about the PLO Lumumba Foundation, please
lenges should not be a barrier for check out their website at the link below:
you to succeed in anything. Most of
the time, we young people have pity https://plofoundation.org/
parties wanting sympathy because
their parents died. So what if they
died? They cannot comeback, you

62 | we tell the true afrikan story