Summary
Women empowerment in Kenya takes shape through Siana Africa. In this series, follow the journey of our founder, Faith, to kanthari Leadership Institute. The place where Siana Africa was refined.
When I left home on a rainy day in May, I did not know what awaited me in Kerala, India other than the promise that ‘my life would change’. My husband, our 3 children, my sister and our nanny had squeezed into our car as they saw me off at the airport. The skies were filled with grey rain clouds, and you could say the air smelt of promise. I bid my family goodbye and entered the terminal. After the first station of scanning my luggage was done, I proceeded to the Air Arabia counter for check-in. I was early and only a few passengers were ahead of me. I crossed my fingers hoping that they would not say my bags were too heavy. My turn quickly came and I wheeled my two bags forward smiling at the pretty attendant behind the counter. After exchanging quick pleasantries, she scanned my passport, printed my boarding pass and asked that I place my baggage on the weighing scale. My bags were overweight – and my heart sank! It was only a few kilos overweight but I had been warned of the strict baggage policies of the airline. And so I prepared to pay for the extra baggage, but as I waited for the lady to tell me how much I would have to pay, a gentleman- most likely her supervisor came to the counter. She told me my predicament and with a quick wave, he told her that it was ok to let my luggage through. I was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude and relief and truly felt at that moment that a guardian angel had been sent to help me on my journey.
As soon as she handed me my luggage tickets, I rushed to the immigration queue. The interview was swift and before I knew it, I was over the ‘other side’. The message was clear on the signage that said ‘Kwaheri Kenya’, loosely translated is ‘goodbye Kenya’. I was bidding farewell to Kenya, and a whole new world awaited. The escalator that should have taken me to the first floor was out of order, and so I branched right and took the lift. I made my way to the AirArabia terminal, and met another team who scanned my boarding pass and passport and ushered me to a waiting area. This was it. I sat down and began making a few calls to my parents to let them know that I had checked in, and that I would be boarding the flight soon.
I had just finished a call when I saw a man walking towards me. He looked like he was in his late 50s or early 60s, and he had a small frame. He said hi and asked if I was Faith. I answered with a quick yes, and came to find out that he was my fellow participant in the kanthari program. You see, earlier in the year I had applied to a program called kanthari, that trains social visionaries.