Time for girls to rise

Girls in flattering colours strewn across the hall; ladies in captivating fashion; women clothed in candour and substance. That is how it all went down last Saturday at Hilton Hotel’s Amboseli ballroom.

Eve Sisters, after a one-month hiatus, emerged above the meek waters of life, this time, celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child. And what a captivating event it was with a line of heavyweight speakers drawn from Kenya’s crème-de-la-crème of powerful women.

It was an invite-only affair;  reservations were made for hundreds of school-going girls to whom the event was dedicated. Why? Because “who best to entrust the future of our society than the girl child,” Njoki Karuoya, Eve Sisters’ moderator, said as the session kicked off. The founder of Mothers & Daughters has a well of passion for girls that never seems to dry. She stressed on the clarion call for the day: “I am beautiful, I am blessed and I deserve the best!”

It’s 11am. After the usual ‘let’s-catch-up’ sessions among the women who came to celebrate with the girls, Njoki calls the first speaker. She refers to her as “a powerful woman”. But Laimani Bidali, with the grace of a woman who understand her place (of value) but does not feel the need to put down others for her to shine, quickly says: “All of us, it does not matter the parameters of your life, have a role to play in our lives; we are all good enough.”

The young girls sat keenly to sip from her cup of wisdom. Laimani’s message brought to the fore how sisters disparage each other – unknowingly contributing to the continuous belittling of women in the same manner ancient civilisation has done.

“Never address your fellow sister as a ‘bitch’,” she said. “As a sister we are expected to uplift each other from downtrodden ways of this world. If we don’t hold each other in high regard, what should we expect from the men?”

To seal off Laimani’s message of true sisterhood, girls from Mercy School in Nairobi performed a choral verse with sublime message: Ephesians 4:16. Two little girls, Pascalia and Regina, performed a graceful dance to the delight of the audience.

Next to the podium was Sally Mahihu; the advocate who is known for her strict parenting as well as her epochal outlook on a woman’s stature in society. “Only your creator can define you. Don’t let other people tell you who you are,” she said. Listening to Sally speak is like watching a two-hour action thriller in ten minutes; hard hitting, punctuated, solid and quite awakening.

She told the audience about the need to have purpose in life. There is a reason why each one was born, she pointed out. It is important, she said, that every girl identifies the essence of her creation. It is only then, that one can work towards a fulfilling life.

“Purpose to walk in self-awareness. Tame your tongue and have self-control on what you do, say or engage in,” she said. “Purpose to care for yourself – regardless of your social status, physical features, or even the amount of money you have.”
Not only that: Sally continued to break down a seven-point purpose driven life that girls should emulate.

“Purpose to discover your purpose, to self-motivate, to self-sacrifice, take responsibility for yourself, and to self-development,” she recounted. “Read materials that are relevant to you; respect your body and have values; identify and walk with people who reflect your purpose; always know that you are as good as anybody else; engage in providing solutions and be yourself.” As she concluded, Sally’s take home for the girls was: “When I grow up, I want to be me.”

Sitting through two speakers may be tiresome but not on this day. Everyone looked calm even as Sally went back to her seat. The audience’s longing for more wisdom was palpable. To set the pace for the next speaker, girls from Machakos School for the Deaf performed a poem titled ‘God you created me wonderfully’.

As they gesticulated in the air, flinching and moving their hands in unison accompanied by coos of usurped ability to speak, many listened and watched in awe. Stirrings of emotion became visible in many eyes. The girls, however, delivered their performance superbly; not looking for pity, but for acceptance in the nature that they were born.

The third speaker, Caroline Mutoko, she of the ‘I don’t do average’ fame, was as blithe as she was inspiring. She addressed the negative image the media portrays of women. “Women are not just about weaves, clothes, shoes and make-up,” she began. “We have an opinion about oil, real estate, businesses and other important things at the core of life.”

The menu that media constantly feeds young girls, she said, was wrong and untrue. All the nakedness on music videos, the sexualisation of the female body, how less women are viewed and segregation based on skin tone and colour. Mutoko also highlighted the culpability of parents letting their girls have the wrong image of who they are.

“When your daughter wants to talk, you are busy; you don’t enquire what happens in her life; you watch her stray and do nothing – you have lost the opportunity to impact her life. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian has three hours to tell her who a woman should be. We have taught our girls that beauty is anything with a big butt and light skin,” she admonished.

Then came the time for the guest speaker: Ida Odinga, the wife to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. She brought along her daughter and granddaughter to be part of the day. When she took the microphone, she didn’t mince her words. In her characteristic baritone voice, she said: “I am many things but most importantly, I am a mother, a grandmother and a woman. It is good to be a woman but it is excellent to be an educated woman. The key to a good life is education.”

She shared her understanding of the role of mothers in nurturing the girl child to grow into a successful woman. “Even when she herself is not educated, a mother’s role is to impart her children with the necessary knowledge. We should all strive to give our children education – it is the most vital thing,” she said.

A brief presentation by her daughter Rozie, who also brought her daughter Saphy, served as a good example of how parents should start early telling their daughters that they are cut to be the best in society.

As she closed, Ida warned mothers not to call their daughters derogatory names. “Wewe ni mbwa (you are a dog) should cease coming from our lips. If you strongly feel your child is a dog, then know that you are a dog yourself; it is impossible for a human to give birth to a dog,” she said.

As the session closed, Doreen Mbaya, the Marketing manager at Standard Group, the main sponsors of the Eve Sisters’ event, gave thanks to all participants. Two hours of learning came to an end with free lunch for the girls who attended. It was a wrap for all – no disappointments.