This Women’s history month we are taking stalk of amazing women building other women and making a significant contribution to our communities. We would like to thank Hon. Winnie Odinga for mentoring one of our beneficiaries Brenda Mgonja and for donating a computer- the first for Brenda.
Effective communication often holds the key that unlocks many of our successes in life. Yet little emphasis is placed upon it in formal education settings, particularly within schools that are based in the more rural parts of Kenya. Kilifi county, being a jurisdiction of one of the poorest towns in the country, is a classic case of this deficiency in our children’s learning journeys.
It is, therefore, in contrast to this dire need that Moving The Goalposts was thrilled at the opportunity to have Hon. Winnie Odinga (the East African Legislative Assembly member) commit her time and exceptional insights into the discipline of effective communication in a one on one mentorship session with one of MTG‘s beneficiaries, Brenda Mgonja. In January of 2023, 17-year-old Brenda was preparing her application for consideration in an international competition whose assessment criteria included observing how effectively the applicant expressed their ideas. Before this competition opportunity came available Brenda had never interacted with a computer, which was meant to be a primary tool through which she was to organize her submissions. Her oral communication skills, even though exhibiting great potential, needed nurturing. Therefore, in identifying the need to help Brenda get better and inspire her, MTG engaged Hon. Winnie with an invitation to take Brenda through a pep talk and series of tips to help her communicate her thoughts better. The outreach to Winnie was made jointly with a Nairobi-based content creator, OlengKingi, which had two months prior produced a podcast, Africa Is A Planet, that shone a light on the disadvantages faced by Kilifi residents due to poverty.
The mentorship session between Winnie and the Kilifi-based high schooler, which took place in January as well, was a proud moment! Conducted via a video conferencing solution provided by the communications company Brickhouse Counsel, the two made quick friends as Winnie taught Brenda about verbal and nonverbal communication skills. A lot of Winnie's shared insights centered around helping Brenda build up her confidence by projecting positive body language and distilling the written version of her application down to its simplest form. This in order to allow for easy understanding and involvement by the stakeholders she wishes to get on board her project.
Both Winnie and Brenda have a goal to change the world. As Brenda is creating a space to share and learn with her peers through technology, Winnie is providing the necessary support system for Brenda to succeed.
