SWAHILIBOX: The Tale of Experiences and Networks Amassed
I’m not a writer, but this is just one of those moments that I felt like writing. Some experiences are too invaluable to stay silent about; and while I’ve had this story to share with the world for a while now, I never seemed to do so until earlier today, when I logged in to my Facebook account to find a reminder from Facebook to create a notification so that I ‘Never Miss a Moment’ — with one of those pictures that truly bring back special memories of events that I now can’t even believe have come to pass.
So, what I’m I talking about? What’s this ‘Tale’? Uuuuuuuuh!!
First of all, let me just give a small background of where I am coming from…. I started off as an inexperienced BUT talented graduate, who was given a chance by Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT); a leading international social enterprise headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with local operations around the globe, that recruits and trains young college and university graduates to serve as Interns for their empowerment (economic, educational, and leadership) programs. It was with DOT that I started realizing there was so much MORE that I could offer and do for my community. I only needed to take action— be completely immersed in what I wanted to improve; work on the transformation I wanted to see.
I then started taking steps towards this new goal, found my purpose and passion in life, and embraced it. I joined a local initiative called Pwani Empowerment Network (PEN), where I rapidly moved from being an ordinary member to an Executive Member involved in strategy and decision making. I developed proposals and community programs at PEN, and after a while, I joined a brilliant Amani Institute Fellow in actualizing the idea of the first ever Technology Open-space in Mombasa!
While some might think that my story is no different from any other, many would surely beg to differ — How many young people out there get to go through a development trajectory that takes them from no experience, to boundless opportunities!?! Take an example of Japheth, another young person who can share a similar story of opportunities!
From DOT, to PEN, to M-Power CBO, to the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, to becoming a Global Shaper , Young African Leader, and a Chevening Scholar, I got involved in most great projects with ZERO experience but had 100++% determination to create and lead change!! Now, isn’t that just a story worth telling??? My passion was ON FIRE!!! Having come a long way, I guess the better pronoun to use in this case should be “We” before “I”.
Yes, “We”; because to get here was a collective action and team work from every exceptional and inspirational individual (friends, colleagues, mentors, role models)I’ve met along the way. A group of Gladiators as Olivia Pope would call them, who took on the quest to make a difference in their community, and like many legendary narratives, even drawing from the closest example of the ‘300’ Spartans — many of whom were slain — very few remain standing to tell the tale! And so, I sit on my desk and before my laptop, to put in black and white, as a person who has persisted and endured, and still surviving and going through life much stronger from all that has elapsed.
It started off as an idea, a shared vision of a better, more engaged and empowered community of young people who would be impact-driven, tech savvy, innovative, and creative problem-solvers with solution-oriented mindsets, focused on social good. From the idea, a team of dedicated people was formed out of this common goal, ultimately giving birth to a vibrant community of young leaders taking initiative to change the course of their collective situations and surrounding.
Out of all this, a powerful organization came to be — SWAHILIBOX.
We gave it a local identity, built, and nurtured it to become a recognizable global brand. There are two distinguishing attributes of this unique name; SWAHILI, signifying its roots and origin from within a special City and Old Town in the Coastal region of Kenya known for its culture and heritage (as well as being the national language of Kenya), and BOX, a noun, but much deeper than that, representing a new beginning and a gift to society — the reason why most gifts are packaged delightfully in a beautifully wrapped box! The reason for people to open up to opportunities, unleash their potential, and determine what they choose to take out, or put in the box (their minds and community)!
I like to think of SWAHILIBOX as a community of self-motivated change-makers, who work collaboratively to achieve the goal of creating multiple opportunities for becoming financially sustainable individuals, and solving society’s problems.
You wouldn’t believe that we started from literally nowhere and with nothing. All we had was one man, who brought in all his networks and gave up everything to make this dream a reality, and a team of talented, enthusiastic, focused, and committed individuals. One man who sacrificed all, and a handful of others who sacrificed half as much to see things through!
From partnerships that provided us with access to free space, to event sponsorships, to financial and non-financial support from the likes of The Indigo Trust, The Shuttleworth Foundation, Hivos, Stitching DOEN, Camara, Ashoka, Microsoft EA, Open Knowledge Foundation, Angani, the iHub, SEACOM, and many other local and international organizations, our progress has been well owed to everyone who stood by our side and believed enough in us to get us to where we are today.
Moving away from this generalized perspective to a more personalized one; as the co-founder of this great organization that recently introduced Mombasa’s First Maker Space — SwahiliBox Labs — to the world, it has been a transformative journey. I was not only able to go through a self-discovery and learning process owing to all the ‘on-the-job’ skills I had to pick up along the way, but also ended up developing long-lasting alliances, networks, accumulated opportunities, and have been able to build on both my personal and professional relationships.
I always wanted to give back to my community and in doing so at all the great organizations I have mentioned above and most especially SWAHILIBOX, I get to continue living by one of Mahatma Ghandi’s rules to changing the world; being the change that I want to see!
To all those who started this journey with us but never reached the finish line, it’s never too late to finish what you started, or start from the beginning! Every ending is a new beginning, and to those who continue to support us, we are forever grateful, will continue to play our part in making the world a better place one community at a time, and keep offering more — Which reminds me to unravel an upcoming Internet of Things Lab in Likoni by SWAHILIBOX LADIES — a women focused version of SWAHILIBOX.
Do support us however best you can, and follow us on twitter @SBox_Ladies @MakersHubLikoni
Get involved, get in touch — we love receiving feedback and welcome people who share the same philanthropic and volunteerism spirit — and find out more about us and what we’re up to by checking SWAHILIBOX and the ladies on Facebook. Stay tuned!
Take a stroll with us down memory lane since inception as we commemorate our experiences, team, challenges, and achievements. Our journey is not even close to ending! #JoinTheMovement #MakingTheMakers #BeTheChange #TumetokaMbali
#TukutaneSwahiliBox
Cheers!
