The new political changes in Kenya and the period of political instability that the country has witnessed raise the question of whether the newly elected president and the government would address the issue of child labor and poverty in Kenya.
In order to learn more about this, I met with Mwihaki Njogu, the founder of Smile Child Organisation, a local NGO in Kenya. I got to know Mwihaki through a program called the United People Global Sustainability Leaders (UPGSL). The program teaches young people about project management and helps them network and grow their projects and NGOs when addressing the UN SDGs. Each one of us participated in our projects and Mwihaki represented her organization.
Mwihaki Njogu is a certified Research Associate and has taken part in numerous research projects on children’s welfare with local and international organizations. She is zealous about protecting children from child abuse and is the founder of Smile Child Organization. She graduated with a bachelor’s Degree in Commerce majoring in Finance from Kenyatta University. She values talent development and is the Miss World Kenya 2nd Runners Up 2021/22. She is also an Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) instructor, mentoring vulnerable groups in her community. Her interest in journalism has given her a platform to be a television presenter and corporate events moderator.
Mayssa: So good morning Mwihaki. It’s good to see you today.
Mwihaki: Good morning Mayssa. Good to see you too.
Mayssa: So before we start could you please tell us an issue that is happening right now in Kenya that people need to be aware of and is related to your own work and to children in general?
Mwihaki: That’s an interesting question I think mental health in children is one thing Kenyans need to pay more attention to. We grew up in a society where as a kid you could not express you’re not feeling okay mentally or having stress, to just say how you are feeling, and issues that are around you for parents. Because they expect because you’re a child, there’s nothing that should be bothering you. So as ‘Smile Child Organization’ we are working towards that, just to sensitize parents and tell them, you know what, even kids have mental breakdowns, even kids get into depression, you can have someone who isn’t even 6 years old fall into depression. So mental health in children is something that we’re really working on and needs to be paid attention to.
Mayssa: Thank you very much. Mental health is indeed important. And it is important that you are tackling that as well. Because you noticed that organizations focus on the physical aspects more than the mental ones. So that’s a very brilliant idea of yours. So, let’s move on to the second question. Let’s talk more about the organization Smile Child Organisation. Could you please tell us more about it? What is your aim as an organization? And why is your work important in Kenya?
Mwihaki : That’s beautiful. Smile Child Organization, I think just saying the name puts a smile on my face without even thinking much about it. So as the ‘children’s rights and welfare organization’, we are currently based in Kenya. We’re about creating awareness and acting against child abuse, and poverty eradication and about mentoring children to be productive members of society as well as empowering the community to be agents of change and to be the ones that stand up for children’s rights. Additionally, we’re also about youth empowerment because our organization is made up of 221 youth volunteers. So, we are also undertaking programs that are in line with empowering young people, in terms of skill development, talent, and accessibility to networks. So, smile child organization in a nutshell is an organization that tries and wants to have a society full of happy and healthy children who grow up to be very productive adults free of childhood trauma.
Mayssa: Thank you very much Mwihaki. That is very important indeed. I noticed that you talked about child abuse and child labor for example, and you said that your organization is focused on children’s rights and welfare. So, could you please tell us more about the specific issues that you are tackling in Smile Child Organisation, and that you are trying to work on, and in fighting and protecting and defending children’s rights?
Mwihaki : In Smile child organization we’re working on all forms of abuse with a keen interest in emotional abuse which is an aspect that society does not pay much attention to. How do you say you’re not okay and you have nothing physical to show for it? So, the impact of emotional abuse on children is one of our primary focuses. We’re also about physical abuse when it comes to things like child labor. As an organization, with time we have noticed that these things are directly related. For example, child labor is directly related to poverty. Because as a parent, what do you do when you can’t provide for your kids? You give them an opportunity to earn work and get paid. So, we’re also about poverty eradication, and children empowerment when it comes to skills. Currently, we’re offering skills in primary and high schools, where a child can defend themselves verbally and can communicate when something happens to them. The art of self-defense in terms of – in an empowerment way. So, these are skills where we’re leaving children ready and disseminating it also among our members. Additionally, we are also passionate about the environment and the climate and just making children be advocates and stand up for climate action because the world we’re living in right now – with global warming and a lot of things that are happening as we are losing our beautiful planet. But these are things to be instilled in kids from a young age. As an organization, they will grow up to bring it naturally as adults. So, these are some of the primary focuses we are having in the organization.
Mayssa/ That’s very important and it’s very good to know. So, as I know Mwihaki you were Miss World Kenya, the second runner-up in 2021. So, congratulations on that. That’s a great achievement. So I want to ask you, how did that help you with your work in the organization?
Mwihaki: Thank you. Being just Miss World Kenya’s second runner up actually still current because the reign is for 2022. It’s a very interesting platform because #One, I got the ability to network with people. #Two, just even being part of the program even during the pandemic process was a growth process for me. At this point in my life, I’m taking up opportunities that improve me as an individual and that will also make me a better leader for the organization I’m leading. So, it has given me the opportunity to look at issues around the community from a different eye and put myself in people’s shoes or even gave me a scoop of getting to access more people who are vulnerable in the community and also opened my mind towards other issues that previously I hadn’t even realized. For Smart Child Organisation, we do have a specific goal?, like we do have a fixated mind. As time evolves, as time goes by, we understand what is happening in society and we also adapt to take care of those issues. So for me just being Miss World Kenya’s second runner was a platform for me to also speak out about what I love. Yeah.
Mayssa: That’s very interesting Mwihaki. I like how you thought about being Miss World Kenya has improved you personally and helped you with the organization as well. That’s a very important aspect. So, let’s go back now to the issues that are currently happening in Kenya. And I noticed that there are several new political changes in the elections in Kenya. So, do you have hope that more reformations will take place to address the issues that you are tackling in your organization?
Mwihaki :I have faith. The best thing about Kenya – I come from such a democratic country. Like right now as we’re talking, the Supreme Court is still ongoing on the elections petition which we had elections just the other day, last month, in August. It’s a democratic country because the rule of law rules; people have their way, the majority have their way, and the minority have their say. So, I believe that whether the previous government, the current government, and the future government in Kenya, it’s a beautiful space because naturally, we have policies, and we have the constitution, which is the rule of law and governs how things are dealt with to have ministries. And as much as it might have a direct leader, the one that is at the head, I feel like the most important factor is the group of people leading the ministries because those are the people that come up with policies. So, in Kenya right now it’s such a safe space. Because we as youth have our platform to speak out, to advocate for issues we love, and situations and a chance we did not have the previous years. ‘’We’re’’ being taught youth are the leaders of tomorrow. But I love that in Kenya right now, with our government, with our policies, youths are leaders of today. Policies are becoming important for us right now – it’s no longer about who owns the bag it’s about what are you passionate about and what you want to do for the nation. It’s not about a tribe, it’s something we’ve been dealing with for a long time. And it’s time that we’re coming out of that space of tribalism and into manifestos and policies. So I can say, (laughs slightly) —sorry this place is looking beautiful and promising, and young people like us are running organizations, we have a lot of opportunities, ‘though it takes time, but definitely, it’s gradual and it’s definitely coming yeah.
Mayssa: It’s good that you have hope and that the situation might be getting better, so that’s something to look forward to. How do you raise people’s awareness of the issues you address in Smile Child’s Organization, and is there anything that people can do to help, for example, not specifically on the local level, but also on the international level as well?
Mwihaki, At Smile Children Organisation we’re about volunteering. One thing we have come to realize is the importance of human capital and the people that surround you. There are so many skilled people for this. As an organization we’re at a point of asking:’’Mayssa, what are you good at? Are you good at marketing? Yes, how about you come and you do marketing for this. So right now, we’re leveraging on networks that will help us, for example, skills. We’re also into organizations that would be interested in advocating for children’s rights. So that we partner together to create awareness of issues surrounding child abuse. We’re also about poverty eradication, while we offer donations to families, especially poor homes that want that. Because honestly speaking, we are humans, and parents are human. Growing up we didn’t see or understand the human aspect of our parents. We thought they had their own superpowers, and they were superwomen and supermen, you know. But as we grow, we understand more, we’ve come to realize that as an organization we cannot talk about change without directly involving ‘’and inquiring about our parents’’. So, we’re also doing skills and skillsets improvements in terms of capacity building for parents so that they can be bead-winners for their families. We’re looking to partner and welcome any source of partnerships with capacity-building organizations that can help poor communities, because abuse happens most of the time in the poor regions in these lands and extremely populated places, in the cities where parents have no time. Most of their time is in taking care of their children. Additionally, we seek in-kind donations, for example, when current children in high schools and primary schools, those who are doing well, by supporting them, perhaps financially, and with stationary, for them to just have a comfortable time at school. We are doing skills donations. We’re all about making the world a better place, and anything that follows that line is already welcome. But most importantly, we’re about the whole society because as an organization we believe it’s our social responsibility to take care of children. Children have no responsibility to take care of themselves. Children have the right to be children. Children have the right to their innocence to be protected. So that is one thing we’re really passionate about. And any organizations, partnerships, be it in-kind donations, or monetary contributions, and are aligned in that line, that’s a perfect ‘fit. Right now, we also have partnerships in the US, about mental organizations and growth. We are going to conduct research, with the PILLAR foundation. Pillar foundation is an organization that advocates for youth-led leadership and supports women in leadership. So, we’re conducting research in child development and also talent development because those are really ‘talents that we cannot ignore, in children’s lives. Like sometimes I hear adults being like:’’ I wish my parent didn’t waste my talent.’ And that particular aid. Because as I said, a kid can only be a kid. They shouldn’t think for themselves. It’s for us to think for ourselves. So, with PILLAR Foundation, with the guidance of Dr. Park, who is a founding person at PILLAR Foundation. We’re now starting to conduct research in that line, of how we can improve our society, improve parenting, so that these issues of abuse that be it physical abuse, be it sexual, or emotional. These are issues that are going to be in the past. We are addressing them as they come.
Mayssa: Beautiful words Mwihaki , and I like how you are working with youth as well, in order to protect young children. So that’s a strong message that you have to deliver. And by the way, I noticed the logo in Smile Child Organisation, so can you go through the logo a bit?
Mwihaki : Thank you. Yes, let me show you. That’s a beautiful logo. So, this logo is designed by one of our volunteers. That’s what I’m telling you, as an organization it’s just our rich skills that people are stepping up. I have never seen young people that are passionate about an organization and change and children as much as I’ve seen in Smile Child Organisation. I’ve never seen young people that are so passionate about giving their time, their resources, and their skills, towards bettering the world. And this logo to us means when you look at it, you see an adult’s hand holding a child’s hand. And it’s not like holding here, on the wrist, it’s on the palm because the palm is where you touch. That means you’re holding a child’s hand and adults are taking the lead. The child trusts you, and you are supposed to give the children that space for them to trust us. If they’re not okay if they’re okay. The environment must be safe for them and for us, as Smile Child, even our logo just means we are the ones that are holding children’s hands and not the other way around; put your hand in mine.
Mayssa: Put your hand in mine. I like that.
Mwihaki: You know there are so many emotions that come with placing your hand on someone. you know sometimes when you’re going through something and someone really holds your hand, you know, there’s a lot of good energy that flows, there’s a lot of ‘’positivity’’ and you just feel like everything’s going to be okay. So that is the right ‘emotion we are trying to pass, and also’’ interact with children.
Mayssa: Beautiful message from you Mwihaki and I enjoyed talking to you. I have faith that your organization might do well in the future. You are doing well right now, and I hope you do more and you provide more for children in Kenya.
Mwihaki : Thank you. I really appreciate that and it’s also beautiful to hear from you. And I’m also happy that what we are doing, you know this is how you know what you’re doing is impactful when you have people interested, and to just listen in and to hear what the organization is doing. In the future, we are going global, and this is just a starting point for us, to understand what is happening, because this is one that is happening, even in the ‘’first’’ world and third-world countries together. So it’s the common issue we have that cuts across the globe. So I’m glad to also be here and to have the opportunity so that the people get to know, it’s not our parents’ responsibility to raise a child. It’s society’s responsibility to raise a child. Because the moment you start seeing a child as someone’s child, you leave the responsibility out, you won’t look out for them. If you see a child as this is my child, this is our community’s child, this is perhaps a Kenyan, this is someone from somewhere if you look them that, then everything you are going to do is going to directly affect you and you are really going to really feel the need to be there for them. So that is also the mentality and mindset we’re also trying to give to society.
Mayssa: Beautiful words Mwihaki. I need to insist.
Mwihaki : Thank you.
Mayssa: I enjoyed talking to you today and I’m glad you went through the organization and through the logo as well which looks very fascinating as well as through the issues that you are tackling. It was an interesting discussion. So thank you very much Mwihaki for taking the time to do this interview with me.
Mwihaki: Oh, thank you, you too.
