A Girl’s Journey to Achieving her Dreams
“As a teenager, I had many dreams in life. I wanted to become someone in a position to uplift my community,”
“As a teenager, I had many dreams in life. I wanted to become someone in a position to uplift my community,” she said. “But I had no idea how to become this person. I had not finished school and was with a baby. Who would want this girl as a leader?” As Ruth Auma Ramogi accepted her new position as Assistant Chief at Rweya Chief’s Camp in Buoye Sub-Location, Kisumu County, she smiled brightly and began to speak about her journey to this point and how she had been able to reclaim her dreams and potential.
Ruth, a 29-year-old mother of two, began her journey back in 2016 when she enrolled in the The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and USAID-supported Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) program as a young mother. At that point she had dropped out of school due to financial constraints and had been forced into an early marriage with the hope that her husband would support her dream to resume her education.
However, he was jobless and could not help. Ruth, in turn, felt that her dreams of studying and creating positive change in her community had escaped her. While in DREAMS, Ruth undertook a course in social work and community development at Kisumu Institute of Community Development Training. She also benefited from the DREAMS package of services that targeted girls her age, including education on contraceptives, pre-exposure prophylaxis, correct condom use, financial capability training, HIV testing services, and social asset building. Neither Ruth nor her husband had much information on contraceptives or sexual reproductive health before. She also received a monthly cash transfer of KES 4,000 (USD $30) to provide for her household’s needs as well as to improve her school retention.
“In the early days, my husband opposed me going back to school since the children were very young and we needed to respond to our household needs,” Ruth said about her early DREAMS journey. “My mentor, Victoria Odundo, visited us many times to try to change his perception on women empowerment, and he only permitted me to go back to school when my mother-in-law agreed to watch over the young ones while I attended my classes.”
Photo: James Gendi/USAID 4TheChild
Upon graduating from DREAMS in 2018, Ruth in turn became a mentor for adolescent girls and young women under the program. She played a critical role in creating a safe and supportive space for 60 adolescent girls and young women to build their supportive social networks and learn about HIV/AIDs and violence prevention. Then later became a community health volunteer where she reached people with information on family planning, sexual and reproductive health, mother and child health, HIV/AIDS, and women’s and children's human rights.
In May 2021, Ruth got a job with the USAID 4TheChild program as a household economic strengthening assistant. She oversaw interventions aimed at reducing the economic vulnerability of families living with HIV/AIDs while empowering caregivers to provide the essential needs of the children in Kolwa East Ward, East Sub-County, Kisumu County.
“In her role, Ruth supported adolescent girls and young women in Angola Shinners Savings Group by training them on savings and internal lending communities and empowering members to access credit and foster their socio-economic empowerment,” said Linda Odawo, the coordinator for DREAMS activities in Kolwa East Ward.
Ruth’s dream of becoming a community leader had already come true, owing to the several hats she wore to serve her community. “Ms. Odundo was that mentor I have always cherished. Through her guidance and support, I was able to finish school and take up these roles to improve the health and socio-economic situations of people in my area,” Ruth said. “So, she challenged me to continue dreaming.”
Following her numerous roles in her area, Ruth participated in a competitive hiring process and was selected as the new assistant chief for Buoye Sub-Location on 8th November 2022 to assist the area chief in administration, development, coordination, and implementation of departmental procedures, policies, and activities.
“My years of experience in community work in Buoye and being a member of the Village Advisory Council where I give inputs on community development gave me an edge,” she told USAID 4TheChild.
During the event, Ruth said that with her education and experience in DREAMS, she “understands the impediments to girls’ well-being” and was looking forward to sharing them with the government and inviting actions to support adolescent girls and young women in her area.
“In my time as a mentor and CHV, I was also educated on children rights and articles in the Kenyan Constitution that advocate for child safeguarding standards. With this knowledge, I can use my new post to help survivors of violence to access post-violence care as well as reduce the incidences of gender-based violence in my jurisdiction,” Ruth concluded her speech.