A star against all odds

21-year-old Vivian Adhiambo Onano’s passion for community service has earned her a place with royalty. She was among those invited to the White House last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with First Lady Michelle Obama, writes NJOKI CHEGE

Tell us about yourself…

I am currently on Zawadi Africa Scholarship to Carthage College in Wisconsin where I am sophomore with a major in Pre-med and a minor in Computer Science. I was born in Kisumu and I have two young brothers. Our mother, a small businesswoman in Kisumu, raised us. It was a struggle to attend primary school because my mother was unable to support me financially. I depended on my teachers to help pay for books and lunch.

I felt hopeless and wondered who would pay for my high school education. In spite of the challenges, I worked hard managed to join Starehe Girls’ Centre. I got the opportunity to exploit my talents and serve the society.  After high school, I decided to impact the lives of those in my community through the knowledge I had gained.

You are one of the 25 Moremi Initiative Leadership and Empowerment Development (MILEAD) Fellows representing Kenya and the Diaspora. Tell us more about the programme…

The MILEAD Fellows Programme is a leadership programme that brings together Africa’s young women leaders aged 19 to 25 years who want to lead and shape their local communities. Through a competitive selection process, the fellows were chosen for their outstanding leadership promise, community service accomplishments and commitment to the advancement of women in Africa.

The MILEAD Fellows will converge in Accra, Ghana to kick-start the 2012 MILEAD Leadership Institute with a three-week intensive training programme, which will be hosted by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.

You seem to be very passionate about the empowerment of girls. Why so?

Having been raised in a rural area, I faced many obstacles growing up; hence my passion for girl-child empowerment through education and health care for women and children in developing countries. I have volunteered with Mama Maria Clinic in rural Kisumu and was the Project Officer in charge of HIV and Aids outreaches in the community. 

During this period, I was able to reach out to 5,000 people and created awareness on the need for testing and knowing one’s HIV status. I also assisted the clinic to access test kits from the Supply Chain Management. I also volunteered with Flying Kites Children Home, Kenyatta National Hospital and Children of Kibera Foundation.

You are also part of the Global Give Back Circle. Tell us how this has benefited you and the community you serve?

I was among the first 30 girls chosen to become part of the Global Give Back Circle (GGBC). Each girl in the programme is given a mentor who helps her discover her five ‘selves’ that include the physical, spiritual, relationship, intellectual and emotional selves. With the help of GGBC and my mentor, I was able to graduate from high school and enrol in the Microsoft ICT Lab, a curriculum that teaches computer skills such as accounting, business law, programming, web design and HIV and Aids awareness.

While studying for nine months at the ICT lab, I volunteered at the Kenyatta National Hospital. My mentor has played a great role in my personal growth. My mentor has supported and helped me look for opportunities to impact the community and has also provided me with home and a family in the US.

You have had several high profile speaking engagements worldwide, tell us about them and what they mean to you…

I have been a speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative and Clinton Global Initiative University conference meetings. I was also among the young women who were invited to the White House last year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day with First Lady Michelle Obama.

During my spring break this year, I was fortunate to meet President George Bush and Mrs Barbara Bush. This was a dream-come-true because I have always admired the former president’s spirit for volunteerism and longed to meet and interact with him.

On the May 4, I was a youth rapporteur on a panel Training and Education to Facilitate Access to Job Market at the UN headquarters organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc). All these engagements have exposed me to a world I never knew, and have helped me build my courage and dreams.

You are clearly a leader in your own right. What are some of the leadership capacities you currently hold?

I am co-president of Alpha Lambda Delta (Freshman Honours Society) and President of Chapel Choir at Carthage College. I was recently inducted into ‘Beta Beta Beta’, which is a Biology Honour’s Society and was also elected the senator for my junior class next school year.

I was also appointed as the Congressional District Leader for ONE campaign in Kenosha to work with the community to address poverty and campaign for better policies, more effective aid and trade reform. All these roles have played an integral part in who I am today and I know they are preparing me for bigger responsibilities in future.

Kindly share with us some of your goals…

I aspire to be a humanitarian doctor so that I can impact more lives in developing countries. My main goal is to build sustainable health care systems in Africa and Asia. I am currently in Kenya to work with Zana Africa — an organisation that equips Kenyan girls and women to become the next generation of leaders in their communities by creating simple solutions to address root causes of gender inequality. I reach out to adolescent girls and teach them reproductive health and other issues affecting them.

What drives your dedicated service to your community?

I really appreciate the opportunity to serve my community. My greatest source of inspiration is the young people struggling to make it in life despite many obstacles.  I am driven by my a favourite quote from former US President George H W Bush: “The definition of a life well lived must involve service to others.”