“There Is No Greater Agony Than Bearing An Untold Story Inside You”- Maya Angelou

Stories are powerful and liberate us and let us walk with our heads held high. No matter how depressing, telling your story gives others hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Mwanadada was born out of my story. For years, I kept my experiences to myself, to avoid creating discomfort among people- a misconception I carried from the few people who advised against ‘owning’ my tainted past. As a result, I ended up denying many others the gift of my storytelling and using my experiences to educate others.

Why do people’s faces light up when telling personal stories? Because they are at their truest self. You don’t have to wear masks when you tell your story. Mwanadada Development Organization aspires to give more African women the courage to own their stories, tell them boldly and change the narrative from women as victims to victors.

Women and girls go through a lot of things. Some positive, others negative. That is society, right? Wrong! That’s why we focus on telling one story at a time, to remove the tape covering women’s mouths and drowning their voices to oblivion. If we talk about the good, bad and ugly, at least we might bring a paradigm shift.

We are not defined by our past even though we cannot change it. However, we have to own our stories because we are the only ones who can tell them accurately. We are far from strong. Alone, we would terribly fail. That’s why we need each other to maintain our strength. This is a platform where we collectively make our voices heard. 

Mine is a story of triumph over Sexual Molestation, Poverty, HIV, Low self-esteem, Depression, Disability and finally rising from it all. I have shared these stories in several local and international forums, print, radio and TV media outlets. If only to lift up another girl who thinks their situation is permanent. Nothing lasts forever!

Welcome to the African Female Voice.

Juliet Awuor.