I grew up believing that change only came from people with titles like our town councillors, teachers and politicians. Girls like me? Never imagined myself as a change maker and as much as i can remember we were expected to obey, survive and keep quiet. For years, I carried questions about my body, my health, and my safety that I never dared to ask out loud. But everything changed the day I stepped into a Her Voice Fund session when a friend of mine invited me to their space. I did not know it then, but that was the day I met the girl I was supposed to become and i knew i was going to love it.
What struck me first was how different the space felt. No judgement. No shame. Just girls, some mothers, some students, some still figuring life out sitting in a circle and learning about our bodies, our rights, and the power we never knew we had. For the first time, someone explained to me why girls face higher risks of HIV, why period poverty is not a personal failure, and why silence is the biggest enemy of our health. As the discussions deepened, something inside me slowly untangled, that knot loosened, the fear I had carried for so long.
My turning point came during a meeting we had with policy makers and policy implementors. That day i learnt that my voice is evidence and my lived experience is data. At first I stood up trembling to ask, but I spoke about the long distance girls walk to the clinic, the shame around asking for contraceptives, and how some AGYW are ashamed to be disclosed their HIV status. When I finished, the room had people nodding in acknowledgement and that moment unlocked something I did not know was inside me that’s courage. I found myself presenting our message calling for safer spaces for girls, better access to SRHR services, and the end of practices that put us at risk. To my surprise, the leaders did not dismiss us. They listened. They asked questions. They promised action. And when I walked home that day, dusty shoes and that feeling of having been seated among “the big guys” as I would like to call them, I felt like I was walking on a path I had built myself.
Her Voice Fund did not just teach me about SRHR. It taught me to understand the politics behind my health, to challenge the norms that silence us, and to believe that girls deserve to sit at decision-making tables not as guests, but as contributors. Today, I am the friend who encourages other girls to get tested, the sister who knows how to start tough conversations at home, and the girl who no longer lowers her voice when talking about her rights.
I am still learning, still growing, still stumbling but now, I carry a truth I wish every girl knew that when we speak, things shift. It may not be instantly, maybe not perfectly, but they shift with time which is why we continue to advocate for change and sometimes, all you need is one brave voice to start a conversation that reaches places you never imagined.
Her Voice Fund gave me the platform, but the voice was always mine. I just needed a space to hear it.