Wambui Kuguru

Kenyatta University, Kenya

Born on the 4th of February in a rural community in Nyeri County Kenya, I am the first born daughter in a family of four girls. I have grown under the care of my parents and grandmother who taught me the value of education in a setting where not many girls are privileged to attain basic education. Since childhood i hace had a passion to instigate change in my rural community, my efforts so far have been to attain education and through interaction with my oeers at different stages of my education life, I have learned lessons, created networks and built my vision and perspectives. My family has been practising smallholder farming due to the dense population and increased land fragmentation. On our 3acres of land there is coffee(a cash crop), maize, Irish potatoes, beans and fodder for livestock. This farm haa s until recently majorly sustained the family food needs, however due to the impacts of climate change and weather variability this is no longer sustainable and the family has to purchase food items to supplement the food required. Also water scarcity has been an issue, freshwater has become increasingly scarce, expensive and hence an even greater burden to low-income families including my own. I yhua believe that change is possible if there's is the will. Education is thua very important in shaping mindsets and developing character and compitencies to enable change. I love reading novels and journals and I personally consider myself a spokenword artist and a poet. I love my family and the environment. I want to be part of making this world better than we found it.