Author Archives: Tina_Tuvi
A Most Unusual Friendship
In the heart of a bustling city, an unlikely pair found solace in each other. A sleek, ginger cat named Oliver and a tiny, gray rat named Luna shared a bond that defied expectations. One sunny afternoon, as they strolled through a park, Oliver spotted an ice cream vendor. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he suggested a treat.
To everyone’s surprise, Luna agreed. Hand in hand, the duo enjoyed their frozen delights, a testament to the power of friendship, no matter how different the participants may seem.
After their ice cream indulgence, Oliver and Luna decided to explore a nearby pathway. As they ventured deeper into the narrow passage, they stumbled upon a group of stray cats huddled together for warmth. The cats were visibly hungry and shivering.
Without hesitation, Oliver and Luna returned to the ice cream vendor and purchased more treats. With their newfound generosity, they shared the ice cream with their newfound friends, fostering a sense of community and compassion among the strays.
Market Chronicles: A Hectic Day in Search of Okra
The other day, I went to the market to buy okra. I think the hype about okra’s health benefits on social media was growing. I don’t like going to the market because it’s not always a pleasant experience for me. Before I knew it, someone accidentally stepped on my toe. Ouch! My poor toe – I had already hurt the same toe the day before while cleaning the house.
“Walk faster woman.” That was not polite, right?
“Ma’am, I have the latest design in town,” he tried to woo me in a manner that disgusted me.
Worse still his hat made him look like a clown. I gave him a sharp stare, then withdrew my hand quickly.
“Hey, don’t be so arrogant. I know you haven’t been tested for HIV,” he said with a loud laugh.
His statement baffled me. I walked past him with an attitude that suggested I didn’t take his words seriously.”
All this time, I had safely tucked my Samsung S24 Ultra into the waistband of my skirt. I also had my purse tucked in on the left side. The atmosphere of the market filled me with fear. As I entered the market, I bought some sandals from the first vendor to relieve my feet after a long day at work. I knew I needed to be well-prepared for the hectic market environment. Suddenly, a guy hit me with a heavy load. Although he didn’t say anything, his whistle served as a warning before he quickly moved away.
“Can you model somewhere else?” The remarks came from a nearby vendor. Damn, this was enough for a crazy Monday. The market was packed to the brim. I wished I could step aside and watch the whole market madness from a distance. At this point, I only needed to make several turns to reach where the Okra vendors were located. Sadly, I was losing hope of ever getting there.
It was a great relief when I finally reached the market exit. However, I had one more interaction with the guy who had carried my shopping bag. I reached for my purse and handed him Ksh 50.
“Why do you act so mean, ma’am?” His remarks followed me as I crossed the road.
The storm
When I was young, I was scared of the storm. The fear made my childhood difficult. Like any other child, I enjoyed the scent of wet soil but at the same time disliked the rain. I grew up in a village, and the memories are still vivid. Sometimes I would be sent to places within the village but away from our home. If it rained on that day, it led to the worst experiences of my life.
I had always been told that lightning could strike baobab trees. I grew up in a semi-arid area where these trees were plentiful. Whenever I walked past a baobab tree, I would sprint like the Jamaican runner Usain Bolt because I believed that was the day the baobab tree would be struck by lightning. I wish my mother had considered the fact that I hated storms.
Surprisingly, I still fear storms today, even though I am older. They make me feel vulnerable. I have sleepless nights if it rains at night. My son can’t understand this; he says I should have outgrown that fear already. It’s even worse if the rain is accompanied by a storm. Fortunately, I’ve developed a strategy to deal with my fear. Right after the thunder strikes, I usually count to seven. If I manage to count to seven, I take a long sigh of relief. It’s a sign that the storm is far away.
Whenever I only manage to count to four, I hold my breath, waiting for the loud strike. It’s a terrifying experience! I live on a hill, so during rainy nights, I wake up to watch the water rushing by my window. I sometimes wish I could control nature and have wild thoughts like using a TV remote to stop the rain. Ironically, I also want the rain for my garden, but the fear it brings makes my stomach flutter.
Awful day
Today, my thoughts are unstable. I can’t honestly tell what is eating me up. I kept on thinking about this and then about that. Infact I couldn’t get hold of my thoughts. This is absurd, right? Suddenly, my emotions changed from worse to worst! I think I should take writing seriously. Right now after this short piece I feel a relieve!
Scholarship
It is incredibly surprising that most of students who do well in National examination in Kenya come from poor families. These are families which the parents cannot be able to afford three meals in a day. After primary school, such students end up doing manual jobs so as to be able to support their parents and siblings. If these students do not get help from relatives or well-wishers their dreams get shattered and we end up losing very important individuals in the society. The social media has played a big role in ensuring that needy and bright students are brought to public’s domain so that they can get necessary help. My goal in this article is to highlight the impact of scholarship to such children and encourage more donors and well-wishers to continue supporting them.
However, my driving force to write this piece is the commendable work being done by Maendeleo Foundation which offers scholarship for both Secondary and University students in Kenya. Over the years the Organization has offered sponsorship to students right from Secondary to college/university level. The students undergo an interview to ascertain the level of their vulnerability before they are offered the assistance. An interview is one of the most effective strategy to ensure that you get the right candidates for sponsorship. This is due to the fact that most people are malicious and hence you cannot just trust what they tell you. Therefore, even if it means visiting their homes to ascertain the truth then it can be of great help. Individuals, churches, banks and also Organizations are doing a lot to make sure that the needy/bright children are given educational support.
Students who get sponsorship for university are lifted the burden of taking loans to cater for their university education. It is noted that most of students work several jobs over the course of their college and graduate school years in order to pay for their classes, books and hostel. This certainly detracts students from the time they are required to study and learn and hence academic performance can greatly suffer, (Community Force, 2017). Some other students engage in immoral behaviour to enable them to raise tuition fees and also hostel money. In the recent years Kenya has lost many promising young people in college and university. Their causes of death could be in one way or other another be associated with lack of finances while at the college or minimal support from the parents. There is also a certain percentage of students who do not graduate from college/university because they are not able to raise the tuition fee. On the other hand, students who manage to get sponsorship are able to attend to their classes well minus fear of being taken out of class due to fees arrears.
The needy students who are supported to either join secondary or universities are empowered such that after school they can change situation in their community. Therefore, sponsorship of needy/bright students is one way to reduce poverty rate in Kenya. The sponsorship mostly comes in handy with mentorship programmes for students so that they can remain focused in their education. Maendeleo Foundation for instance, conducts mentorship programme for sponsored students in secondary school every vacation. The learners a meant to review their goals and given support and guidance where necessary. Generally, there is a close monitoring of sponsored students by parents, mentors and the sponsors.
Sponsorship is an effective channel to contribute your help to individuals and communities in need, (Darrah, p Nov 2016). It is a pathway to touch a child’s life in a special way and changing their destiny for good. Students who get these sponsorships work very hard and most of them emerge successful citizens who impart the nation positively. As mentioned earlier, sponsorship is a way of combating poverty and nurturing responsible citizens.
The efforts being done by sponsors cannot go unmentioned since Kenyan students are benefitting in a big way. The living standards of many families have been improved as the sponsored students succeed in their education. However, the sponsorship slots given to needy students is not enough and hence the need for sponsors to increase the number in order to reach many students.
References
Appeal for Bible Camp Scholarship for Needy Children. (2022) Retrieved April 2022, from / https://churchletters.org/church-letters church-donation-stewardship-letters/appeal-for-bible-camp-scholarship-for-needy-children
Community Force. ( 2017) The impact and importance of scholarships.
www.communityforce.com/the-impact-and-importance-of-scholarships/
Darrah, P. (2016 .6 reasons to sponsor a child. WordPress. www.goabroad.org/why-sponsor-a-child
Vaccines
No one should be forced to take a vaccine for whatever reasons stipulated for its admission. People have been subjected to take a vaccine for purpose of preventing some diseases. Whichever reason the vaccine is meant for, it should at all-times be given to those who are willing. The government should not impose regulations just because they have fear for the unknown. Individuals should be given an opportunity to choose what they feel is okay with them. Infcat, vaccines have been associated with moderate to severe side effects to humans’ life.
According to Centers for Diseases and Prevention, one of the side effects of small pox vaccine is serious eye infection or loss of vision due to spread of vaccine virus to the eye. In an entry in 1948 Kyoto, Japan 68 of 606 children died after diphtheria immunization as a result of improper manufacture of toxoid. These are some of few reasons to justify that vaccines should not be made mandatory under whichever circumstances.
In 2014, there was a tag-of-war between the church and the Government of Kenya on whether the women should take the jab for tetanus. It looked as if the government was forcing the vaccine on women whereas the Catholic Church had concerns that it would cause negative effects on women’s fertility. Dr. Sheikh Abdulatiff Sheikh the Chairman of the Family Resource Centre categorically said, “It is unfair and illegal to sterilize women without their consent.”
In that regard therefore, any kind of vaccination should be administered voluntarily whether the government insists that there have been enough tests on the vaccine or not. After a series of civic education on the vaccination in question, should everyone be responsible for their own health
Kenya Winning
Kenyans are all eyes and ears on the television, radio, and other social media platforms. Kenyans have voted. Its worth noting of Kenyans’ patriotism in the just completed national election by turning out in large numbers. Hongera Kenya my mother land. It’s in record now that on 8th August, 2017 patriotic Kenyans cast their votes and chose leaders of their choice. After all the polling stations closure at 0500hrs, Kenyans have been waiting patiently for the results. The IEBC in a press conference at 0100hrs today has come out clearly that they will not announce the presidential results until they receive and verify all the 34B forms from the 290 constituencies. Anha, so that translates that there should be no need for cause of alarm.
Yote tisa, the special message to members of the forth estate: breaking news should be pinned on all social media houses headlines with the caption, ” Prevailing Peace in Kenya.” As a nation we should not always amplify negative news all the time but rather note positive aspects instead. Aren’t Kenyans peaceful people? Kenyans love their beautiful country and no one will let Kenya burn.
The developing story of peace should feature issues like, KENYA is bigger than any individual, KENYA means peace, KENYA is unity and most importantly we are one people. Therefore, as we wait for IEBC to announce the results, let me take this early chance to declare PEACE as the winner in Kenya’s 2017 elections!
Patience is a virture that we should embrase as we wait for the IEBC to verify the form 34A and 34B. Lastly, my country people shy away from irresponsible use of social media as pertains to just concluded elections.
Lie
So a friend whom I accord so much respect shed light on some aspects when I badly needed a coach in Multi Level Marketing business. And this is what he had to say, “ Multi Level Marketing or Direct selling is NOT going to make you a millionaire but rather you have to purpose to be a millionaire in MLM business. “He went ahead and told me that the business in which I wanted to venture in was equally like any other traditional business. Lusabara Essau is a homeprenuer and you can learn how to make money online through his website lusabara.com
The above argument got me thinking hard. I figured out the fact that I went to school eight years in Primary, four years in Secondary and four years in University. I thereafter graduated to be a classroom teacher and I am earning 00$ per month. I love teaching and I have passion for what I am doing but what I am earning is not satisfying and in addition to that, it will not satisfy me even tomorrow. Maybe you will tell me I don’t have good skills of managing my finances. Hell no! I have a dream life, I want to own a beautiful home, drive an expensive car and give my children the life that I never had in my childhood. Now, that is what I call success.
There and then I realized that I had a duty to learn about MLMs. The fact that I studied good 12 years to become a teacher and earn a peanut, then it required me to probably learn my MLM business for equally same years to get the financial freedom that I wanted. But if it took me less years than that it would be better.
The notion of becoming an instant millionaire made me sick after having a lengthy talk with Lusabara. Most people, just like me, join MLM thinking they will become a millionaire just after signing up. The truth is that Multi Level marketing business is just like any other business. Therefore, if you treat it that way success will be a guarantee. So I came into a realization that my MLM business called for my patience and devotion. I repeatedly remember this saying which he sold to me, “You can not sell meat to a vegetarian no matter how sweet your meat is. “ It was amplified in my mind and trust me it is too fresh to me this very minute. I discovered if someone has little knowledge in MLM it’s very easy to lose friends because of the approach.
It is when I learnt that you can only sell your business opportunity to people who have entreprenual spirit and equally hungry for success like you. I am talking of individuals who consider MLMs has an opportunity to substitute their financial issues. And therefore, with such people in your team you can build a strong empire as opposed to having people who join your business and lack vision for their lives.
He further told me that the success I get from my MLM business is what will cause people start asking me what I am doing to achieve my goals. The key points I captured from his website include:
(1) NOT everyone can be a multi level marketer – this business is for people with entreprenual spirit.
(2) The OLD school MLM is dead and Internet killed it.
You can build your network marketing business entirely online.
(3) You need sales and marketing experience to build this business.
I will summarize by emphasizing that, MLMs policy requires the marketers to be honest by telling their down lines or prospects the facts about the company’s products and also the compensation plan. If someone lands in MLM business with the correct foot I. e right tools and knowledge required, then success is a guarantee. But if someone comes in the business with the mentality of becoming a millionaire the next day, then the chances of dropping the business are very high. That is when people start complaining that MLMs do not work, others call it a pyramid scheme, a scam and all other sort of ugly names.
The future is female
Days are bygone when females could be forced to use a pen name in the literature arena. A cruel world where women were not expected to attempt in male dominated careers. It was evident that science and all technical subjects were upheld for men in the society.
As Kenya wakes up to a new dawn of improved infrastructure, women are on the front line. On 31st May, 2017 president of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta boarded a SGR from Mombasa Terminus to Nairobi. The two ladies Elizabeth Wanjala and Shalom Njeri who are merely 23 years old and 27 years old respectively loudly reminded women that what a man can do a woman can do better.
The two ladies have tried to exhibit the strength in them and womanhood concealed. It is also good for Kenyans to nullify the political border lines and admit that the SGR is one of the successful project since independent Kenya. The social media has since the launch of the SGR at Mombasa Terminus become very noisy and criticized with strongest words possible.
I personally celebrate the success achieved by specifically Kenyan women. I want to echo that the position of a woman is no longer in the kitchen but rather in the nation building. The late professor Wangari Mathai’s efforts and determination have seen many woman follow the suit.
The gender gap should closely be looked into and women be given an equal opportunity. Women have had good record in leadership globally. It is in record that many have proved to be good presidents and prime ministers in the present world. Countries like Liberia, Switzerland, south Korea and Brazil among others have ladies as the heads of state.
The first African captain on the world’s latest aircraft, boeing B787 dreamliner Irene Koki Mutungi deserves extolment for daring to venture in a male dominated career.
Names which shake the male dominated field include Kizzie shako, Pathologist at the Kenya Police Surgery Department, Pilot Elizabeth Wakesho the pioneer in the aviation world and Fatumah Ahmed the brigadier in the Kenya Defense force among many others.
In a comprehensive autobiography of Elizabeth Mumbi Madoka who served Mzee Jomo Kenyatta for twenty three years as a social secretary says, “After a while however, I began to feel that my duties held little challenge I thought about following a different career path and started sending out a few job applications.” (Pg 34) Mumbi was then at Prisons Department but later got a job with Barclays bank. She later says in the autobiography that she found the job at Barclays challenging as she preferred.
It is also good to note that, boy child should not be forgotten altogether. In the campaign to empower the girl child, the boy child can easily be left very many miles behind. It is in this appeal that we should all preach equality in our society.
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