I love to mentor as I was mentored

WAKONYO IGERIA is the Company Secretary at Consolidated Bank and the founder of Grow House Foundation, an organisation she established to mentor young people. She spoke to EVELYNE OGUTU

For a long time, I did not know how to balance my career, my young children, husband and life. I would get so distressed and this would impact every sphere of my life. However, I thank God for meeting Sally Mahihu, a lawyer, wife and mother, who had excelled in her own life. Looking back, I thank her for offering a hand and walking with me when I felt that life was running faster than I was. After joining the job market, I realis-ed there was a lot the school system did not teach me.

I was brought up in Nairobi in a middle class family and I must thank God that I got all I wanted from my parents, who valued education. Both my parents remain a constant source of inspiration.

I excelled in my academics and joined the University of Dar-es-salaam where I undertook my Law degree, graduating in 1989. I then went on to the Kenya School of Law.

But I realised that despite my achievement, I was still naÔve in regards to life issues.

Indebted

Graduating from university or college and landing a job is not the end of learning. My mentor taught me what I never learnt in a classroom. Up to now, I schedule time to engage her when I feel I need a shoulder to lean on. For instance, whenever I have a personal issue relating to my work or family, she is the first person I call.

Having been mentored, I also felt indebted to the young girls who did not know who to approach whenever they had issues, which neither their mothers nor their peers could solve. After discussions with my husband, Arthur Igeria, who is also a lawyer, he allowed me to start a mentorship programme from our living room.

In late April 2006, a group of women gathered in my house for the mentorship programme.

The initial Grow House camp began as a young women’s camp. Our target was 12 young women but for the first day of camp, 18 women turned up. It was an exciting day for all of us as we came together to talk out the issues that hindered our positive self-esteem. You all know that a group of women together can get really deep. We did just that and tissues and handkerchiefs were our greatest companion that day.

As the camps progressed, more women joined us and it became evident that my living room sessions would soon come to an end. It also became evident that not only were we learning, we were growing together as friends.

During the meetings we covered several topics including self-esteem, finance, sex and relationships, being a strong woman but remaining feminine, and leadership.

For me, it has been amazing to watch the young women grow into confident, competent women. We have no doubt that every single woman who walks through Grow House camp will be a mover and shaker in this nation and beyond.

The girls would sometimes come with their boyfriends or even brothers and it changed from being a girls’ mentorship programme. We embraced the young men who also wanted to be part of Grow House Foundation.

Unlike other mentorship programmes, Grow House Foundation is unique in the sense that we advocate not only career mentorship but also other facets of life like relationships, self esteem and even how to balance career, education and family. The programme focuses mainly on life skills that are not necessarily taught in the classroom. The ultimate desired result is to raise a value-centered generation that impacts all spheres of society. Mine is a dream to see young men and women walk into their fullest potential.

We recently set up accountability groups amongst the young adults where they network and hold each other accountable on their progress and development.

As the founder of Grow House Foundation, I have also nurtured my mentees and encouraged them to mentor other members. I must say I am now reaping. My teenage son and daughter don’t have to go far whenever they have a pressing issue. Last year, two of the older mentees started Grow House Teens, where they are working with teenagers to help them grow into dependable and responsible young adults.

To address the issues of the young man, in 2007 we introduced men into the programme. Now with the involvement of men, a fraternity has been inevitable and that has seen the birth of Grow House Mzeiya.

Passing on skills

Mzeiya is coined from the sheng’ word msee, which means a guy. Mzeiya is a guy in his twenties, post-secondary school, looking for purpose, direction and focus to propel him into a God-ordained destiny.

My grandmother told me that in the past, young men and women would sit under the feet of the older generation for counsel. This is what’s lacking in our generation and that is what we want to do at Grow House.

Mzeia and the sorority is a platform for the older generation to pass on skills, knowledge and wisdom to a younger generation of men and women living under the debris of pressure formed by a fast and individualistic modern society.

I always tell the men that the mzeiya needs to come prepared with an open mind and ready to meet other wazeiya who will be waiting to form a bond of friendship that will outlast the time in the foundation. I believe that every man needs a sister to die for and a brother to die with.

I look forward to a time when we can replicate the Grow House model into all the counties and train mentors to walk with the young adults. There is an urge to move forward and have Grow House in every corner of the country, Africa and even globally.

I also look forward to organisations setting up mentorship models within themselves so that professionals learn to live balanced lives.