Auma Obama: "Many don't know that they have a voice"
Wherever Auma Obama appears, she leaves a lasting impression. With her courage, strength and unparalleled commitment to disadvantaged children, she serves as a role model for many young people in Kenya and around the world. In her home country, she founded the Sauti Kuu Foundation, which helps children and young people to lead a self-determined life. She has already helped 1000 young people, many of them girls and young women.
You are committed to supporting children and young people in Kenya with your Sauti Kuu Foundation. Among other things, you help the children to strengthen their self-confidence and recognize their potential. How exactly do you achieve this?
Dr. Auma Obama: By listening to them, talking about identity and self-confidence and provoking them to take a stand. Many often don't know that they have a voice and the right to their own opinion. It's also about developing character. They have to learn to shed the victim role that many see themselves in. Young people should understand that they have to take their fate into their own hands. They then realize that they can achieve much more if they play a part themselves. Only then will they be motivated and work hard. But they need the opportunities to do so and our support.
Sauti Kuu means "strong voices" in Kiswahili. We try to encourage young people so that they can confidently build something on their own responsibility.
The identity that has developed from development aid, namely receiving benefits without demanding anything in return, has caused a lot of damage to the people here. Many Kenyans, especially in rural areas, consider themselves victims of poverty, even though they have land - a valuable resource. A treasure that, if well cared for, also offers long-term economic security. We have to get out of this victim mentality. We need to take responsibility for what happens to our own lives.
Do you notice any differences in the work with girls and boys?
At Sauti Kuu, we try not to discriminate because we are all about equal opportunities. However, we pay particular attention to ensuring that the girls are not left behind. Because girls often tend to hold back in the community with the boys and give them priority. That is extremely important to us.
You studied and completed your doctorate in Germany and then built up a remarkable career. What would you say are the personal qualities and strengths that have helped you the most?
Faith - courage - passion!
The awareness that I am responsible for my own destiny and career. The knowledge that you can achieve anything, even as a woman. Courage - because I have rarely been afraid to walk through new doors. And the belief that something will come back to you if you put in 100% effort.
What advice do you have for young women - both German and Kenyan - to find an independent position in life or to become more self-confident?
Basically, you can't compare young women in Germany and in Kenya. The conditions are completely different. In Kenya, for example, our aim is to help young people - and girls in particular - to recognize and use their potential so that they can determine and improve their own lives. This is because most of them see themselves as victims who cannot change anything themselves.
We give them the opportunity to experience that they can make a difference. This includes learning to appreciate land ownership again and not just focusing on office jobs as white-collar workers in the city. This is because they can produce products on the land not only for their own supply, but also for sale. Everyone has the same chances and opportunities to do something - regardless of whether they are boys or girls. Everyone can choose individually.
For women in both countries, you need a little more encouragement to realize that: Life is like a buffet - you just have to grab it. And there's no reason to just take the plate that's been put down.
When you look back on your career: What would today's Auma Obama say to her 18-year-old self?
Dreams come true when you set about them with passion, but are aware that life can get in the way, but that doesn't have to be an obstacle.
You enjoy great popularity because of your important work in Kenya. In what way has your relationship with your brother Barack Obama, the former US President, influenced your own journey?
I realized the responsibility that comes with it, and I used the opportunity I was given to be a voice for others who don't normally get a hearing.
Auma Obama was the top speaker in the exclusive livestream "Womanomics: She. Changes. Future." on March 08, 2022.
About Sauti Kuu
The Sauti Kuu Foundation aims to give a voice to financially and socially disadvantaged children and young people in rural Kenya. Using a self-help model, it works to ensure that children and young people realize their potential and are able to play an active role in improving their lives.
You can find more information about Sauti Kuu on the website: https://www.sautikuufoundation.org
