How have you been?

You’re probably wondering where I get the audacity to be asking you this after going MIA on you for quite long; 3 months to be precise. If I am being honest, I have thought about writing to you every single day. Somehow, in between struggling with my own life’s challenges, to those within my community and the pressure that comes with a new year and new responsibilities I could not get myself to do it. But here we are friends.

So truly, how are you doing?

2020 really challenged me. It was the year I had just quit my job. The job that inspired me to start this platform. I wanted time out to find my path, to carve out new goals for myself and to truly be in community with the people that mattered the most to me. Quite frankly, I don’t know if I have figured out all that stuff. Like i don’t even have an end goal for myself, is there one anyway? I kind of just live one day at a time and so far so good. So, forgive me if i wrote to you less often in the past year than I did before. I was also trying to survive the pandemic and support others in doing the same through Mutual Aid Kenya.

Although I did not write here more, I have shared with you my work on my other social media platforms. On Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, I have found comrades and supporters. All of you came on board to participate in our Mutual Aid projects. I have seen the willingness of young people to be more conscious, more considerate and more political. And it gives me hope. Hope that one day our dignity will not be determined by any of our identities but by our existence as human beings. Even though Covid-19 has exposed our shortcomings and challenges, it has not taken away our humanity. Somewhere deep down, in our hearts or in our bellies, we want better and we are working towards it.

I stand in solidarity with everyone who lost their lives, their loved ones, their income, their homes and their dignity. My wish is that our duty bearers will do right by us. That they will protect us with whatever power, resource and influence they have. The struggle is indeed far from over. Even though there is a vaccine, some of us are not sure whether we will receive it. Unfortunately, our health which is critical to whether we live or die is in the hands of the ‘powerful’. We don’t want handouts or donations of the vaccine. We want dignity, we want to be treated as equal. We want the vaccine and that should not be dependent on our socioeconomic status or the power dynamics. We get it, you have more money than we do, we accepted that fact. Keep your money and your donations, let vaccines be available to all and for free. Do you honestly want to tell me that you (countries hoarding vaccines) can afford to buy everything in this world with your wealth but cannot buy yourselves values, dignity and heart? What a shame.

I am angry. Selfish and greedy people make me angry. But I am also hungry and I cannot keep writing this.

Until next time, keep supporting local communities. As International Women’s Day is approaching I challenge you all to respect women, hire women, pay women better and protect women. This does not only mean the women in your life, but all women in the world.

To all the women out there. You are beautiful. Keep leading! Keep speaking up! Keep shaking tables. Never ever underestimate the power within you to inspire change in your community and country.

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