 Welcome back to Why In The Morning special thanks to Alex and Joy for always starting our Wednesdays on a laughing note. So it's time for Strength The Woman and before I introduce my guest, Y254 on Twitter, Y254 on Instagram and Y254 on Facebook is the way to interact with us. Hashtag is Why In The Morning, Hashtag is Queens Wednesday and Hashtag is Strength Of A Woman. So back to my guest, she is a Kenyan actor. She is a model, she is a voice artist and most importantly the founder of the Grace Cup, which is Transforming Lives, A.B. Wayime, Karibu san. Alright, your camera is number four. Just in case I missed anything, I like to give people a chance to list their credentials. So a brief intro, camera number four. Just look them straight into that. Hi, I think you did a very good intro by the way. My name is Aby Wayime and like you said, I am the founder of the Grace Cup and apart from that, I am a model and actor. Also I do lots of voiceovers. Alright, so you have a beautiful voice. At what point did you know I can make many of them being voiceover artists? Actually that just happened. Yeah, that was not planned. I moved to Cape Town just after graduating from Daston in 2011. I moved there as a model. And I just stumbled upon acting and like my first acting gig was a Hollywood movie. So I did Death Race 3 and then it was while doing it that I realized, oh, most actors also double up as voice actors because when you're doing voice, it's your acting. Your acting. But you're not seeing your voice. You're not seeing your face, but you're hearing your voice. So you're acting. Alright. So like most of them would do like animations and they'd do characters, they'd do radio commercials and documentaries. I have a good friend of mine who's like, she's known for doing like BBC, like nature channels and you know. So I was like, yeah, why don't I try it? But then when I was in Cape Town, I found that my knee shows in Swahili because they did lots of voiceovers but they didn't have Swahili speakers. So that's how I got into it. So they would take me because, okay, no one else is speaking, so I got to learn on the job. So I got to learn on the job and also from there then on I grew. I molded myself to get into a point of not just doing Swahili but also doing English. So most of my, so my voice is, they have different categories of voices, you know that. So my voice is categorized as neutral African. Neutral African. A neutral African accent. In the sense of, so when you hear commercial or when you hear something on radio or TV, you can't really pinpoint where this voice is. If you don't see my face, you don't really know, is this on Kenyan, is she South African, is she Nigerian? So it's African, yeah, but you don't know from which part of Africa. Which part of Africa. Which works well because most commercials are, they're short, but then they're shown in most countries. Different countries. Yeah. So you don't have a budget to do a commercial for each country. So if you have a neutral accent, then you can go anywhere. All right, so everybody likes it cheaper, so it's cheaper to use it. Anyway, born and raised in Kenya. Yes. All right. Your passion was in acting always? No. Acting. You never imagined? No. I wanted to be a model. I wanted to be a model. What did you sell in Deistra? The runway. PR and marketing. PR and marketing. All right. Were you modeling while still in Deistra? Yes. I used to do a lot of modeling while at Deistra, but then I realized if I wanted to do this full time, by then, I don't know if the market has changed right now, but by then you could not do it as a full-time job. And this is what I wanted to do as my career, as my job. So I realized very early on that if I wanted to grow in this, then I cannot do it in the Kenyan market. I'll have to move. All right. So the chance to move to South Africa came, and I grabbed it. Who are some of the celebrities you met maybe in South Africa where I shoot all your films? So I've worked with Charlize Theron. I've worked with Sean Penn. He directed me in The Last Face. I've also worked with Helen Mirren. I've worked with Bakad Abdi. I've also done Philip Noyes. I also worked with, he was an amazing director. I worked with, what's his name? The guy from, the guy from... He's going to be so bad at it. I know. Paul. Aaron Paul. Aaron Paul. Aaron Paul is the one that did this show, this show Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad. Yeah. He's the one who did it. Very nice guy. Yeah. The list is... Yeah. I keep forgetting people, so let me not continue dropping names. After all this, after all this experience in South Africa, what can you say about the industry comparing South Africa and Kenya as a model and as an actor and as a voiceover artist? Well, definitely there's a huge difference. Is Kenya the place to be or you'd like to go back to Cape Town for sure? I don't know. For me, Cape Town, I feel like my work in Cape Town is done. Though I would still, I still have my friends there. I still, my managers, my agents are still there. I wouldn't mind going back to do like a project and coming back because I feel like the Grayscup is now my baby. So before acting used to be number one on my list, but now the Grayscup is number one and acting comes a very close second. But when I'm to compare the two markets, because I haven't really... I can say the past, since I came back in 2017, acting was not really a priority because this was a non-existent business that I had to bring to life. So I had to put in a lot of my time. It's only this year that I've really started getting back into acting and taking on different projects. I can say if I'm to compare it to when I left in 2011, the industry has definitely grown. There's definitely a lot of appreciation when it comes to the arts. There's still definitely a long way to go. Having said that, also South Africa has its own problems. I'm not saying it's perfect. Even Hollywood has its own problems. But when you're comparing those problems, Kenya is definitely at the bottom to the problems that we need to solve. But it's work in progress. Being an actor, being a voice-over artist, being a model, it's very easy to get lost in the sauce. But you found your way to do semi-monetarian work. As much as it is a business and you're selling, it borders between a humanitarian work and a business. What inspired you to at least take some time off the lights, camera and action to do this particular thing? Well, for me it started out as a personal problem before it even became a business. So two reasons. One of which was I used to bleed very heavily. So during my period I'd wear both a pad and a tampon at the same time just to cushion everything. And you know when you're on set or when you're doing grannies and all that, sometimes the outfit that you're wearing cannot really go with the product that you're using. And these are products that you have to use because you're having a period. And the second problem was I don't know if you've gone to a mall and you've found these ladies who are always like, donate a pad, give money, charity. So I used to do that a lot because I could empathize. I could be like, well, I can afford it and I'm this stressed about it. We cannot afford it. You know, how do you handle it? So I used to donate, you know, $100, $500 here. But then at some point I was like, yeah, but for how long will I be doing this for? How long will I be donating and doing all this? So I was like, you know what, we need a permanent solution. So I stopped donating out of principle. I was like, we need to find a permanent solution. If not, then I don't know how long I can sustain these handouts. So I simply just googled. I was like, what else can I use? You know, if I don't want a pad or a tampon, what else can I use? Yeah. And then the cup came off. And then luckily there was actually a lady in South Africa producing her own cups. So I was like, great, then I can just buy in South Africa. So the first time I saw it, the first time when I actually heard about it, when I read about it, I was like, what? People do this? How I was not convinced, actually. The first time? Yeah. So you're not surprised if people ask too many questions the first time they see this? No, I am never surprised. Even when I find people who don't believe and they're like, this is ridiculous and this is this and that, I always see myself in them because I'm like, oh, I used to be there. I used to be there. So Jenny, you're going to get hit. Yeah, I'm like, don't worry. You'll get there. All right. So when you first found this lady in South Africa producing her own, what step did you take? You bought your own first. At what point did you consider telling Kenyans about it and just spreading that awareness and just getting to that point of forming the Grace Cup and now you have stores that tell them? Yeah, so that was back in 2016 when I got my first cup. Again, when I got it, I came home because I used to come home every Christmas. So I came home, but by the time my period started in December, I was not ready to use it because I was in my auntie's house and I just felt like I'm not comfortable and all that. So I told my auntie about it and she was like, oh, it seems amazing. Please give it to me. So I gave it to her. I didn't even use it. But then I kept asking my friends around, like, do you guys know about the cup? What do you think? Is it a good idea? And all of them are like, yeah, it sounds good, but we've never seen it, but it sounds like something I could use. You know, like it sounds very convenient and it's cost-saving and saves the environment. So it just so happened that at that point, I felt like my acting or my time in Cape Town had come to an end. It was just a feeling, the same feeling that I had before I left Nairobi. I felt like my time in Nairobi had come to an end. I'd finished Deister and I needed to go out there. I didn't know where I wanted to go, but I needed to go. So I started having the same feelings again in Cape Town. I started feeling like Cape Town was too small for me and I felt like my career was good, but it's on a plateau. Like it's not going down, it's not going up, it's just, it's there, you know. And that can get really stressful. Sometimes. Because yeah, I just don't feel like there's any growth. Yes, you're not going down, but there's no growth. You were not inspired. No, there was no inspiration at all. I was starting to feel like I need to do something, but I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do. What I knew for sure was I'm not getting a nine to five. That I knew for sure. Because I've never held a nine to five in my life. You're such an artist. Yeah, I've never held it. All right. So, and then you came back to Canada. Yeah. All right. So who's producing these ones for you right now? So this one, the clear one that we call the Gris Cup Gold is the Lady in South Africa. This is a Lady in South Africa. And then just so that we have variety, I also found another producer from China who's making our Gris Cup Light, the pink one. Yeah, so I have both. What material is used to make this thing? This is made from medical grade silicon. So medical grade silicon is the exact same material that they use on babies, the tits that they suck on. The ones that they use for the baby, the pacifiers is the same material. Also in hospital catheters, the one that they use in hospital is made from this material. From this material. Yeah. All right. So it doesn't affect, it doesn't react anyway with the body. There are no chemicals. Nothing else has been added. And I say it's medical grade. That's it. That's it. All right. So many questions pop when people hear about the cup. For the first time, some of them might sound dumb, but people are scared to adapt to technology or new things for the first time. So some of them that people told me to ask you in particular, one of them is their leakages. Yes, leakages can happen, but they can only happen if the cup is not completely. Should I demonstrate how to use it? Yes, for sure. So you can see how a leakage can happen. So how it's used, there are basically two ways of folding it. You can also fold it with me. So that's the bigger one. This is the small cup that you have. So how to fold it is you flat like this. Flat like this. And then it's folded into half. This hole here. Yes. It has to be in line with the other one. Not really. Not really, all right. Not a must, but you just fold it into half. And then it forms like this. And then it looks like this. So this is called a C fold because it forms sort of a letter C. That's why you called it the C fold. Another way of folding it is what we call the punch down. So you just hold the cup like this. And then you punch it, press it, and then you drag it all the way to the end. And then it looks something like this. Looks like a spoon. Yeah, yeah. You just hold it. Yeah, yes, like this. And then you hold it like that. Yeah. Oh, you're actually very good at this. I wish you were a user. So it's folded like that. And then it's inserted inside the vagina. So a lady could squat or put one leg up. I have another lady who says she only inserts it when she's lying flat on her bed. The good thing about the cup is there's no wrong way of doing it. You do what you feel is comfortable for you. It's tailor made for you. What is a different? Yes, what is a different? Yes. So it's inserted like this. And then it opens up like that. It pops open. So as you can see, there are four holes around it, right? Even yours has four holes. So these holes, they create a vacuum. A vacuum to make sure that no leakage has happened. Also, no air goes in. Because air is what usually causes the bad smell when you're having a period. So most women think that a period has a smell, but actually that's false. It's because when you're wearing a pad, the moment the blood is exposed to air, it causes the bad smell. But like I said, the cup itself is airtight. Which means everything that's inside stays inside. Which means there's no bad smell. So, yeah. So this cup, you can stay with it. The moment it's inside like this, you can stay with it for up to 12 hours with no need of changing. With no need of changing. Which means the moment you wear it in the morning, you only take it out in the evening when your day is done. So to take it, your question about leakage is now. So when it's inserted, so say you've inserted it, but it's not completely open. See, if there's something like this, it means then the vacuum has been compromised. So what you need to do is, you need to pinch the base, to hold the base like this. This is something that I also do. I'm a pro at the cup, but I still do it as a final check. Because you see, the moment it's inside, there's no way of knowing if it's open or not. So you just pinch the base like this, and then you rotate it. You rotate it slowly. Like the same way you'd rotate a bulb, is the same way you rotate it. So the holes are going to help. Yes. So by doing so, you see if it's not completely open, by rotating it, it makes sure that any side that was not open is now completely open. To create a full vacuum. Yes. To create a full vacuum. Another way of checking it, if you don't want to rotate it, is simply to just take your finger and just run your finger around to see if there's any side that is not open. And I know now the question is, will there be enough space for the cup and my finger at the same time? And the answer is yes. The answer is yes, because it's quite flexible. All right. So thank you for the lesson. Just one more thing, how to take it out. How to take it out. Yeah, how to take it out. So remember you created a vacuum, right? So when you're taking it out, you will not pull it the same way you'll put a tampon. Because think of the kitchen pump. When you place it on the ground, what happens? It gets stuck, right? Stuck. Yeah, because of the vacuum that is created. So because of that same vacuum, when you're taking it out, you don't pull the cup. You can, but it will be uncomfortable. So what you need to do is just take your two fingers and just pinch. All right. You just pinch here. The moment you pinch here, you compromise the seal. And then it just releases the air and then you slide it out. Then you need to be really careful. Yeah, in the sense of like spilling and all that. Yeah. I find that even for me, when I started out, there was a bit of spilling here and there. But if you're doing it either in the shower or in the toilet, then it's fine because it goes directly in. It's going to be washed away. Yeah. But with time, you'll get to know how, where everything is positioned and how to take it out without spilling. So 12 hours maximum. Yes, that's recommended. Whether you have a heavy flow or a light flow. 12 hours is good enough. 12 hours is the recommended maximum. All right. So the other big question is, from what age can it be used? The cup can be used from the moment you start your period. From the moment you start your period. So whether it's 12, 13 years old, you can start using the cup at any age. At any age. And I know your next question is about virginity, right? Yes, for sure. Will it affect virginity? Because I get that question. Or every single time. Yes, that was the next one. Yeah, so no. It does not break your virginity and actually last week I was actually talking to an ecologist to actually explain it even way better than I could. So the thing is, this is where the hymen is. This is where the virginity is. So the hymen already has a hole inside. When you're born, your hymen already has a hole. That's why when you're having a period, you could have a period and you're still a virgin. So if it was completely sealed, then it would have been impossible for you to have your period. So there's already a hole in the hymen. And that hole in the hymen is where the cup goes in. And also that hole in the hymen is where, for example, if you use a tampon. So it does not compromise your virginity. Your virginity is still intact. So there's no need to worry. Kids can use this. Right now we have kids as young as 13 years old in Kibera already using a cup. Already using it. Awareness is the most important thing when it comes to this. What is the Grace Cup as an organization doing to get this to the people who need it the most? Because I'm told this can last up to 10 years. What is the Grace Cup doing as an organization doing to get this to people who need it the most? Yes. So as an organization, what do we do? Because at the end of the day, we're still a business. We're not an NGO. Like recently, we partnered with FCA, FCA's Finchurch Aid. So we're working with girls in Kakuma. Because something else I did not mention, and I should have said it in the intro, by the way, is that I am a certified menstrual hygiene trainer. I'm actually very proud of that. Say that again. I am a certified menstrual hygiene trainer. I was certified by the Ministry of Health in Kenya. So what my job basically is, is I talk to people, both boys and girls, all ages about menstruation. Because we've realized there's a very huge gap. Even adults don't know much about when it comes to periods because for a long time it was seen as a woman's issue and not really everybody's issue. That's why we still have a problem with pads right now that people are not talking about because it's a very secret issue. So we're trying to make it public. So what I do is create awareness when it comes to, hey, we have a problem when it comes to menstruation. Our girls are not talking about this. Even our women, older women who have, say, domestic workers, they cannot go to work when they have their periods because they don't have the necessary products to use. So we're trying to create this awareness. So with FCA, what I'm doing with them and the girls in Kakuma and the boys is where we have a curriculum where we strictly talk about menstruation and things to do with menstruation. Like why is it coming? Why is it painful? Why am I having a mood swing? How does it work? How do I calculate my dates? Because it's a very big problem where girls are just sitting in class and all of a sudden, whoop, I'm having my period. You didn't know your dates. I don't know how to calculate my dates. No one told me how to do such things. So we have a situation where the teacher is expecting the parent to talk to their girls about it and the parents are like, well, I'm paying you so you should talk to my girl about it. You know? So there's pointing of fingers. Yes. I was a reception for the boys because I remember when we were in primary school it was such a taboo. It was not anything to be talked about and girls were going through their periods at an early age like that one. They were looked at some type of way. So I was a reception for the boys at this day and age because girls really need the support. Yeah, I'll tell you a little secret but actually my favorite people to train are the boys because boys are always so curious and they have all these questions and finally when they meet someone like me who they're very comfortable with they finally ask everything. I've always wondered. I see my sister doing this or my mom doing this or my girlfriend but I never know who to ask. So they're always very curious and I teach them even about the cup I teach them how to use the cup because we're living in a generation where we're having single dads and raising girls. So why should a sensitive topic when it comes to this as a dad you're like go talk to your aunt you're my dad if I can talk to you about everything I should be able to talk to you about my period. So as a parent or as a single dad you should also be able to authoritatively teach your girl about this and even if it's not your girl your sister what I love about the period is there's always a menstruating girl near you who is guaranteed there will be a girl who's in a menstruating age that could benefit from this. So I always teach boys about it I teach girls as well and the reception is very good they're always like oh thank you you've answered questions that I always I always ask and the thing about menstruation is it's very close to reproductive health so sometimes I try as much to create the line because now questions about sex always come up boys it's a guarantee every time I talk to the boys they're like can I get a girl pregnant if she's on her period such questions always come up but you try to draw the line because you try to focus on this particular topic so how can they get a hold of the Grace Cup online before we proceed to your next project so the Grace Cup it's the Grace Cup just Grace Neyama and Cup like Yicombe that's Instagram it's the Grace Cup on Facebook it's the Grace Cup on YouTube it's the Grace Cup and our contacts are there as well we also have shops at Valiacade and also in town we have shops where you can just walk in and buy it and if you're not in Nairobi don't worry we deliver everywhere in East Africa Alright a quick one somebody's asking how how did you get to be a trainer what did you call it again? A menstrual hygienist how did you get to be that because she thinks the more the better it is for the girls around so the guys from I guess people are just watching me I don't know but the guys from the Ministry of Health they're the ones who actually sent me an email one day and they're like hey we're having this training so they got basically all stakeholders people are interested in matters pertaining to menstruation and they got us all at Safari Club and we all met there and they trained us it was like a three day training they trained us, they gave us certificates and they're like go forth Alright so white 54 channel on Twitter white 54, underscore channel on Instagram and white 54 on Facebook I should guess why in the morning I'd never ever forget where you're watching us from keep your questions coming I direct them to her she'll be very willing to answer them I see your Instagram on our screen right there and I see you teach a lot on your Instagram it's not about selfies for you Yeah I teach a lot because I find there's just a lot of like the Bible says my people perish because of lack of knowledge and I find that the more you know about what products you're using and what's happening to your body the better it is for you so I'm not saying don't use this, don't use that but I'm saying do you know what's in this do you know what's in that so that you get all the information and at the end of the day decide you know what this is still the product that I choose so it's about options and choices I had a scare about this topic because I knew the questions were going to come in numbers so we'll address the last one and this one is about how do you clean it after oh yes that's also very important with detergent or with what so the good thing about the cup is that it's very cost effective in the sense of maintenance so when it comes to sterilization in between the period you don't have to do you just rinse it with water, plain water, no soap because it's something that's getting inside your vagina so no soap, just rinse it with plain water plain clean water, reinsert then after the period is completely over that's when you boil the cup to sterilize so the best before you store it so they usually come in a cute little bag so you will boil it for two to five minutes just boil it and then keep it in your bag and I know the next question is going to be which Sufria will I use? Is it the same Sufria that I used to cook for my tea? I always get it the answer is no please have a special Sufria just any cheap Sufria a very tiny one you don't need a big Sufria a very tiny one they usually go for like two, three hundred Bob and that's it and it's not something that you're buying every month you're just buying the one time so it's a one time investment the same way as a cup it's a one time investment can you just boil water and just dip it in a cup and just boil it for a couple of minutes and then you have a solution but then you must get like a sterilizer like Milton's like something that can help disinfect because you see you're not boiling you just soak it for ten minutes we're actually working on getting a solution so that people who don't want to boil they can actually just add a few drops of the solution and then it sterilizes all right thank you very much hashtag formnigani this is another project of yours a project where we're just it's a new campaign where we're talking about where's our country going or where are we as individuals moving to so basically the president coming back coming back from 2063 and I see that Kenya is a beautiful place everything works perfectly but then the thing for us to be in a perfect world in 2063 it means that there's a lot of work being done right now and the decisions and the right decisions being done for us to have a better 2063 so it's basically just asking people formnigani what's your plan what's your plan for the future where do you see yourself in the next ten years where do you see yourself in 2063 where's your family, where's your kids how are they do we ever think of the future because there's a lot of Borauhai that is going on you have another hashtag which is what you're about which is formnigani but formnigani it reminds people that we need to plan why 2063 in particular well 2063 is where we're projecting the population would have definitely grown a whole lot by 2063 and also if we were to change a few things then projections by 2063 will be very positive but now like I said change has to be made right now in 2019 or else this future that we're projecting will just be a dream so you're an activist in other words kind of you're the first person to call me an activist because you're passionate about good governance for us to make this possible there has to be good governance there has to be education as a pillar we have to invest in the arts and we have to invest in information to baptize you as an activist so you have issues of magazines under this hashtag I've read a copy I read an issue and how can people get to know about this particular agenda that you're pushing so the film itself will launch tomorrow then after that then we'll let you know where else you can find it but right now everywhere on social media I think we're very loud on social media but until tomorrow when you actually launch the film and everything comes and we actually see what it is about then it will make more sense as to where we're heading with this whole campaign so how can they get to see the film for it to make more sense to them so it will premiere tomorrow at power from 6 to 9 and at 6.80 so 6.00 from 6.00 to 8.00 from 6.00 to 9.00 so that's when we launch the official campaign and then be sure you'll be just seeing us everywhere in your face so after tomorrow will they be able to see it online the people won't be able to make it to the power to fight for of course we know not everybody's going to make it so it will be definitely on YouTube YouTube channel just let them straight into their eyes and tell them so we will let you know which exact YouTube channel that we're going to put it in because we still want to keep everything Chinya Maji for now until they launch the official launch so after the official launch definitely on our Instagram you can just find formnigani it's already there so you will find more details about when it's going to be uploaded and what to expect and more campaigns that are coming up what do you think we can do right now for Besser 2063 according to this theory that you have or this concept that you have so I can say it's the little things that count people just think of huge things and big money but it's the small things as not accepting a bribe and doing things the right way you know when you see something is being done in a wrong way like for example the expose that was there the meat thing so if you see that is being done it's about you as an individual just say hey no, this is wrong let us not do this so for example if you're the health inspector and you're coming in and you're seeing this is happening and someone is saying you know what Choray story as the person you should be able to say hey I've been entrusted by the people of this country to make sure that this does not get to their mouths one million will not help me in any way and this needs to stop so it's about not accepting bribes it's about not littering something as simple as littering which is a very big pet peeve by the way just the small things that make a huge difference because if you are all doing it then it becomes something very collective you see so we don't have to sit here and say because we can say idea ourselves so to have a clean city we should not just litter the city yeah it's just a simple thing it's nothing what we're talking about in the form of Negani it's also about planning for your future so whether it's planning for your city how clean do you want Nairobi to be in future whether it's planning for your family like how many kids do I how many kids do I really think I can handle you know like I would love to have ten kids but can I afford ten kids and it's about ok then if I cannot afford ten kids then can I afford five ok yeah that's possible then let's have family planning it's just planning in every in every aspect because if you want to see a better 2063 we must start planning on it right now in 2019 alright so Form Negani is age less there's no particular age that is involved in Form Negani we can have the kids from primary school to the oldest people being involved in Form Negani everybody should be involved from all ages from nursery to the people in their 90s alright your camera is still number 4 your last remarks to the people as we wrap this up please join the movement hashtag is form negani f-o-r-m and then negani form me ako negani what's your future plan what's your plan for today what's your plan what's your plan and in every aspect alright your social media handle one last time so they can follow follow follow for more information yes so social media for the grace cup like I said it's the grace cup everywhere YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and then my personal social media is on Instagram it's at ebiweime and on YouTube it's at the grace cup alright ebiweime founder of the grace cup grace and strength of a woman Calamity Valley is coming up next with Girl's Talk hot topic you don't want to miss it very more, it's very more on every social media platform