 Good morning and welcome to Y254 in the morning, just in case you're joining us. It's WCW, a segment where we celebrate the strength of a woman. Keep engaging us on all our social media platforms at Y254 channel. Engage me at faith in solely across all my socials. In today's studio we got an up power woman, so selfless. A woman who has been a beacon of hope to so many teenage mothers out there. The founder of one bra, one girl. Her name is Rose Nyaboke. You're welcome. Yeah, Rose Nyabote. Nyabote, sorry. Rose Nyabote. If I say Nyabote, my people will be very mad. I get this. So, who is Rose Nyabote? Rose Nyabote. I'm just Rose Nyabote. I don't know why I can describe myself, but it's just me. Yeah, it's just you, but what do you do apart from the foundation? What does Rose like doing? Now, I'm called Rose Nyabote, I'm a social worker by profession in school. I took social work, but outside here I came and went into media for a while because that's what I loved. So, then out of that, out of the two, my passion and also the one I took in school, so I'm able to balance and all of them I'm practicing at the same time. So, you did journalism in school? No, no, no. I wanted to do journalism, something we had this. I wanted at around the age of around five, I wanted to do... We did not even have a radio radio during those early years, so my mum was a hookah. These women on the road, you meet in the evening. So, one day I told my mother, one day she will see me on TV. My mum was just sitting there, she just laughed, looked at me and said, where were you? I told the people, we don't even own a radio, it will never happen. So many years later, when I wanted to take journalism, my uncle was the one sponsoring me. So I asked him if he could allow me. He told me, no, you are not beautiful. That career needs beautiful people, choose another one. So, since I also have passion in working with people, I say let me take social work. So, you ventured into social work in school? Yes, I did, I did minxumupolitechnika. So, I went because even initially before that, I was volunteering, I was exposed to these two NGO things when I was still... I was taken to a girls' health project that minted me. So, from around class 7, going up. So, because of that kind of mentorship, you are being chosen as a leader. So, it prepared me to know what I would take alternatively. So, what was the motive, what pushed you into starting the foundation of one bra, one girl? Okay, one girl, if you call it, one girl, one bra. And why didn't you call it two bra, one girl? You see, what happened was, I told you I have been in the media for a while, for long long long time. So, I have my fan base, I used to be in classmates. So, I have some fan base of my friends and I normally engage them online at times. So, during this time of corona, I was working at a relative's hospital, I was just doing cleaning. We had those people who decided to let us do anything to survive, to be alive. So, then I was cleaning, I do cleaning in the morning, not cleaning in the morning. So, I was listening to the radio. Then, I heard that Nika Skia was still in Gapi. That's the day where the statistics were coming. 5,000, 3000 girls pregnant. So, people were talking, people were so mad about it. Then, I remembered something. I remembered like, wait a minute. I was at that, I was still in Gapi. I was still in Gapi. What made me, Nika Peter. Then, I remembered that time. I was around 13 years old. I had a big breast already. Half of you know we have different types of breasts, of which so many people don't know. People just know the breast that is standing and the one that is sleeping. They know and they make it as a joke. So, I just remembered how at 13, I had a big breast and they were facing down. Others in my class who, some of us, we used to be told to sit behind in the village. So, we used to sit in a kanyuma. We were the people who go to fetch water for teachers when the cooks are not around. They prepare some roles for us. The big girls? Yes, they even ask me, I will transfer from one school to another because my uncle is a policeman. The one who was taking care of me during those times. So, you will see. As I am going now, we used to sit in a kanyuma. So, the people used to make a joke of me. I used to be a performer. I started going down. So, at one point, when I was in klasit, now this story, how this foundation started, I was just remembering the whole thing. Nika na nika kachini, Nika nika nika sama baidewe. So, ma'am, when I was in klasit, I knew that because the moment you wanted to hide, I could not tell my uncle that I was in klasit. So, I started working like this. By the time I was in klasit, he was not there. He was there. Exactly. He was there. He must have been there. That's why. So, this ma'am called me. He called me in klasit. I said, go put on this one. He said, I want you to come. He said, he is here. He is a lady. He is a prostitute. Yes. So, when I was in klasit, I said, it is normal. Now she started mentoring me. I said, it is normal. But you know boys who are in klasit, even these funny people in the village, they want to be in klasit. I think I am ready. Yes. So, my classmates, I know, when I was in klasit, I said, ma'am, I want to use this bra. I want to use bra as a drive to figure it out. So, when I was in klasit, when I was in klasit, when I was pregnant, I became pregnant in mothers. They are those ones. Those ones that people think I am a mother. You know that, those ones are the ones who have been targeted. Now, how can I reach to them? How can I tell them you are beautiful? How can I restore their dignity? So, I just wrote within no minute, it went, I can say it is viral in a small way. Because it was shared so many groups. Because I had said, I am going to give bras, under top bras, so, as I go, I talk to them. Since I am a social worker, I am able to talk to them free of charge. So, now that is how, my fan base Facebook, I support them. I have never used a single saint that belongs to me. The power of social media. And also grace. And I usually say, one girl, one bra. I want you to do this. It is going to be one girl, one bra. Every girl. I am going to reach this type of people. So, I said, I am going to reach this type of people. Number one, most of our primary, when you have breasts, they are not able to afford. I can give them mentorship. Those ones who are already pregnant. Now, we write them off. We have been writing these people off. I ask them, you are at 16. Those are the ones who are beaten nowadays. Those are the ones when you end up in divorce, because you can imagine a 19-year-old boy with a 18-year-old girl, they don't know what they are doing. So, I said I am going to reach this type of people. So, I can imagine a 13-year-old. Yes. You are giving a 13-year-old bra. Yes. There is... At first, there is just this tigmaya. I am young. You are giving me a bra, despite the fact that I have a big bust. But there is this tigmaya. See where is the bra? So, how do you convince them? Actually, you see like in the... You were supposed to put on boobs. Boop tops. Boop tops. Yes. I was like, ah, no. In the village, they say when you put on bra, you embrace them in a... In a sag. Those things are supposed to support you. Yes. So, I am going to reach this type of people. Yes. They are going to reach this type of people even if they don't know what they are doing. True. So, what happens is, we teach them. Actually, in the 13-year-old, nowadays, we don't know what we are doing. We talk to them. The main thing is to talk to them. So, we know the way you are, breast system. We have those ones that are round. We have those ones that are apopa shaped. We have those ones that are in the chini. We have those ones that are athletics. Athletics is an athletic. They have no idea how to use another word. Then, we have those ones that are east and west. So, as you are growing, you understand the normal. We allow what we are going to teach. We teach about just breast health in general. Now, since I am not a a very good expert, now when it comes to medical, so now that is what we are going to do. We are going to do network. So, like there is a time, we are going to do in charge of breast cancer. So, they come and detail them. You know those ones. So, you find it in a kava kila kitu. Right. So, you you give the bras to each and every girl or you just select selectively like. The ones who already have a big bust or you just give to any girl who is above 13 years. Now, what's happening is it now depends. See like in most cases it does not speak like tomorrow you just wake up to some people. It's just like from nowhere. Yes. You see now we are growing. I told you this is something that I'm not funded. I'm not funded. Any agency is not funding me. It's people. Like even now the one the project I'm going to do it's my classmate, my class one classmate. Somewhat I studied with in 1996. And I think I left, we separated around 98 when my mum passed on. So, he was the perfect and I was the monitor. So like he has come up. He has given me more than 200 bras to go and distribute. Now what I do, I do select we select. We go like now we are going to a school in Yatarewa. They have already they gave birth. They are back in school. So if they are 100 each of them has to get it. Because you will find like even in the slums where we have been going like I went to mostly I'm in Kajiadu although I go to other places and lady say I'm a single mother. I'm 17. I have a baby here. Am I supposed to between buying a bra and buying food for my child? What am I supposed to do? I buy food because that is what my child depends on. So we give them just one or two. Actually we normally we say it's one girl on bra but we find you will get even two. And we have a variety. Those booked up. Those sports bras. So all of them. Yes. We give all of them. So we will pick any one but we are doing selection with time. We will be targeting a particular and we are doing trainings. So like in school we will be taking we are going to take peer supporters or peer educators. So like where we like if you know you are in class 7 you are enrolled you can talk to another person you will be a representative. So we will talk we give what we give to you then we will tell you we don't have to have in fact at the end of the day because of the stigma of just putting on a bra given on the stigma of having the bra. Yes. But another thing is nobody will undress you. Exactly. Nobody will undress you. We just put it on and you look beautiful. So now that is one thing because you know like from my psychology part of it I am not so good at it because people can attack me. If you tell somebody if you tell somebody you are beautiful as a mother if your mother you tell your son you are beautiful your son says you look good your father can be able to tell you my daughter you are beautiful. If she meets another man your mother will say you are beautiful I already know my father told me Exactly. Like myself in my situation I lost my parents at a very early age my mother never lived to see me on TV by the way she never lived to see and this one thing that I really feel I know I feel Yeah, it's alright. I don't know why you still have that KBC in London. I'll tell you what I'll be in KBC in London those were the days. But my dreams came true because I've been in your sister's station for long for a while and you're here even if you're not a journalist but you're here on TV Yes and I've been I've been working in a very one of the biggest media house in Kenya for a while but that was out of determination so I myself I was I don't call myself an orphan but I was once an orphan I could not see kwa na pata any basics also also that's another thing because I'm giving out the little you have want to reach to people somebody was asking why do you give at times when you don't have exactly like once they drive the drive is this when my mother went past one I went through and the hands of of guardians you understand a guardian and I appreciate them one thing I usually say as before even say the whole thing mean appreciate them because at least they stood to be counted but now there are those things that kwa na pata I lack basics now I'm at my adolescence I was living in a police station I'm living in a man you're having periods you're using a blanket no I didn't use a blanket but I don't want to say who gave me the first pad that one will be another story for another time but now I needed a woman you know the police came everybody is a man my guardian is also a man alafu ya kuna other business we have those people I think he believed alafu again he saw me with big breath he was asking me where was young when I was 14 or 20 so like to me what happened was my adolescence was I wrote an article the other day it's on my Facebook adolescence was taking me I was taking me to a camp my breath was so big but I want to say that those people that were living in the camp they never exploited me that one I'll say in fact they were the ones who used to protect me also but life in a camp I don't know hormones in a rage now community I went to the church kuna siku emusiyon zili nipele kasi lewinin nantendekia my uncle told me sorry my uncle sorry he told me you know where were uta-utashika mimbawa where were he could remind me every time niki fanya makosaki dogwa nani kumbusha utashika tu mimbawa we'll be pregnant and we'll go like whatever and you know he kept saying and in our community where we come from in Africa when your relative sees utafanya niga manakulani yes so I was wondering then I remembered my own sister after my mum passed she became a teen mother and then I remembered my mother gave birth at around 14 so I caught up my uncle what he will be telling me is that he's seen the cycle repeating itself itself so this time I'm seated in the house alone because he could leave me alone for a while for a while for a while so I said I want to break this cycle of being a teen mother for example when I went to school he told me I want to get pregnant I want to get pregnant I want to get pregnant even those kind of things so he's getting from the age of 12 12 13 and to make it to make it worse you already have a big bust big bust so you kind of like you're already a mother I'm already a mother I don't I was not loving myself because I was saying I didn't love myself trust me I just think God is my position not my risk I am my mahali because maybe I had a plan that I want to reach to people but I can tell you I didn't love myself I was telling myself I was not in a position to get pregnant in the same way I was in a police line so I asked I was not in a position to get pregnant so I went to bed and I'm around class 7 As i say, it is a risk to me to admit that I am in this issue, I don't know... I feel mostemo. Kanya, in the middle of this, I have to tell myself, God, do you know what? I have to argue with you. I have to argue my kids with you. God, I don't wanna get a husband who will... Who will become sick. And at that time he is in class seven. Yes, and you know how old I was. So I went to China and I told myself, So, if she's a god, she knows she's serious. She goes to that crusade, you know, him, he's there? So, you go there and argue your case. You'll find someone who can help prevent it, if it's the wife and the dog. Because, something was happening to me, and she told me, she's not going to be pregnant. So she said, something weird. The first time my mother took me to school in Nassari in 1995, when she was leaving, my daughter informed me that she was in class 3. Nataka wiki sooma, oni soo me pia Finish where I left Mi yadas yu kandika, yu kizungu So I want you to know English So my sister is here also She wanted you to achieve her dreams My mother wanted you to achieve her dreams Then here I'm reminded I'm going to be a teen mother So andizu ndi wiki tu renyaz ena fana pia na kwa na passion Okay I went to that church I sat down I could not pray So I decided to tell God you know what You have to fight for me Let us fight this And by the time I left there Mi si kwa ikuana yu wherever So immediately A teacher from another school Aka request my uncle nika kwa transferred Community around Parent who aka nipatia maungu Mugini mafuta Mugini lunch program Mi mi a community fought for me So when you see me trying Fighting for others However little it is I just want people to look at me And know they can make it Kamu meza Mi I know my sister Aliza So no I am sure mumangu wu kama ngepata second chance Okay you know another thing is You know my mother was killed She died at a very young age Because ya So na naka naji uliza Mumangu wu ngepata second chance I will be ready back to school She will have been better She will have been the one talking here Because me and her we are the same person So if she will have been given a chance So me I want to reach Our mother was telling me You are not a reject You deserve a second chance And you want to break that cycle So when I give you a bra I am giving you knowing that is symbolic You look at that bra and you know that you are beautiful And you deserve a second chance Kamu mta kwa me shika mimba Mami ya zay Don't force them to go to somebody mo nya Because myself community fought for me I will be ready back to school So you are kind of giving back You are kind of giving back to the society Because of what the community did to you Yes And I just am compelled And the kind of satisfaction I get When I see somebody saying thank you When I see somebody na vana na skia Zuru afu na jwa Adakum mongelesh Una dekitu importance na na ni kongelesh amtu Gili na mongelesh amtu na na ni You know what I understand Like there is a place we went If I go to places I go with other various people Like I have Tu na zenda tuongi mamba mental health We went somewhere I took a lady Who went through domestic violence Akenda kongelesh was chanati Mothers in a particular forum that you were I saw a girl in the crowd crying She cried She came and hugged this The speaker that had come with Then akamombia Mi have been hurt So when you see Such things Zina fanya na skia vizuri saan Because He has been hurt Amu na desana da ladya mi make it So he na girl akini angaliya adue Rose was alone Rose ame fika ame kwa apa So that one enough I am very happy True So speaking of mental health Have you met these girls Young girls, teenage girls Who have They are growing They are developing But they just don't know what's happening in their body And then they are so much Disturbed like what's happening Because in most cases You find that When you reach such Such a certain edge These are the changes you will see in your body Have you met these teenage girls Who are disturbed by The physical changes in their body I have met them And I tell them you know what So I am proportional My body is proportional Maybe you look and say I am like proportional There was a time People would say Now that is how people used to know me Even in college People will use that as a symbol Because So I will tell them you know what We go, we talk When you take We go through that When you say Someone who has been hurt Will show another person who is hurt That it's well So I have seen them and I want to Reach to many of them And it's normal And don't stigmatize your children Don't drive them off And also Apart from that We have mental issues We have those ones where Kizofrinia We have so many other mental disorder We have even more disorders We have all of them So we are also trying to Bring community Some speakers So as we go We go to the same topic We go to places Maybe as you go We go to psychologists And they will say They can talk to the person Which is so good And we need it by the way You know some things we normally say Atu ni uchawi sujuna niali alimroga Sujuna niali fanyanini Like you know already I believe That we are a caste generation My mother is a teen mother My sister I decided to use religion That was available I prayed I argued with God That was not a prayer So he intervened in my case Now Another person can also help Intervene to another So Mr. Semati uchawi Apia ni decision So yoku break sako ni kitu importan sa ana True So speaking of breaking the sako You said you also give Brats to teenage mothers And you go to schools Talk to them Do they come out Because being a teen mum It's a It's a stigmatization in its own way Like you feel so much stigmatized To just come out And say I'm a teen mother And so I need a bra Say what we are doing We are thinking of First of all we are mentoring teachers We want to train teachers Teachers, policemen Teachers, policemen ask me why A policeman can handle Defilement We come to realize It is not their classmates When they misuse them Because if you make a child pregnant That is Yoni ma kosa Yoni ma kosa So like we train police How they will be handling them We exchange notes We let the department And say teachers also We are going to organize We have a teacher I have 20 in my class They have come 15 The rest of the 5 So then who you We have this project in itwa My sister's keeper Your boys Because again Exactly Because as you are talking to the girls It takes two to tango So you can't be talking to girls So girls Yet for the girl to be pregnant A boy has to be involved We are going to have My brother's keeper My sister's keeper In that We grow Modern We grow Earlier than the boys So when I was in high school I was pregnant in primary So we want to make sure That these two boys are going to be We will We will be able to take care of them We will stand We will not be going to do this So talk out So a lot of teachers Teachers will be able to Boys will be making fans I think it's boys who used to Make fun of me But you know the only thing That I used to beat them So I'm number one in that class Despite the fact that you have So you tell me And I'm like But with the time It got into me By the way So inferiority complex But before Because I was a bit vocal So I was vocal I used to do a lot of poetry I used to vent na poetry So I was all over But later on Then what happened How come? Because you were No harassing Something Your back is hurting So imagine the pow pow So my dream died Sorry And you live to fight another For some reason I don't like I don't know any football I don't see why Like how this man will run over one ball And he will love theirs So it was a different To make myself look good After that So Teenage pregnancy You giving out bratu girls You said you giving Boxers to boys And you will start to And teenage pregnancy Is just not a menace That is going away anytime soon There are so many people involved You talk of boda boda menace You find that these girls Are going like for example During lunch hour They are going out to look for food Not each and every student Or pupil will afford to buy food Or carry food from home They are going out there They are being lowered into so much things Because of into sex To be specific because of poverty So what are you There are girls who are even having sex Because of lack of pads So what are you doing Towards that It will have been I have a story If I would not I almost experienced it Because you can imagine How much it is for me How much it is for food How much it is for me During those times we used to work I used to love a green one So I used to look at it this way Come and see what will you fight here You know this thing is true You are seated here Kwanzaa when you don't have parents Actually How I am mapping out Child headed family Mama kufa Baba kufa Mama kufa Mama kufa, Baba kabaki We assume role here Parent in a way We assume role God is in me I want a community to raise I was raised in western region And I come from Kisi But these people they owned me Up to now they usually say Mutotowetu Because I was raised by the community Now I want to I will not be able to do everything At that time But I know Now that I have started this project We will go We will go nationwide This is a project that This project will live after me It will live after me And the generations to come And I am sure This is a small step to me To it goes a few And it goes a few Like there will be other roses Other roses will come Other roses will crop up You never know in the next 20 That is what will happen So when I project We will have other roses They will be better than me They will have better ideas They will reach others But as it is now We will have a teen pregnancy And we will have a place We will have rampard vibhaya And it is a menace That is not going away any time But with people like Kew Who are trying to put one two together We just make sure That it dies with time We celebrate you I want you to look into that camera And just encourage young girls Who are watching you Tell them a word of confidence And just give them an advice Before that We are going to involve the cancer The breast cancer ladies I told you But now we are going to have them From October We are bringing them In the slums So they also benefit So bright for everybody For girls out there If you are given birth You are not written off You are not Don't get married to a man you didn't want Don't You deserve a second chance You will make a mistake Mistake is normal If you have big breasts At least you are manageable Because my body is something like that Know that you are not the only one And we have so many types of nini And if you are maybe a no fun You don't know How you are going to manage yourself From where you are Look at me, this is Rose Rose didn't have anything But the community fought for her So if You can always reach me I have a page So if there is a need If you want to reach somebody You can reach to me Because I have other friends We are a community You are not alone in short And if help reaches you Be another Rose I really wish that in the next 23 years We have so many roses Main roses sprout Naikal chaya Ya tin pregnancy We break that cycle with time And you are the best by the way You are wonderful We celebrate you Rose And keep doing what you are doing Keep encouraging those girls Keep motivating them And The girls who are watching us This morning If you have a big breast Know that the best accessory That a woman can Ever wear is confidence I have been your host Faith Musoli Up next is Kaisu Stay tuned with Galstuk