That blogging has made its mark in Kenya is an incontestable fact. What with the resounding response from philanthropic Kenyans to aid one Jadudi’s fundraising and facilitate his brain tumor surgery? This was after Jackson Biko, a blogger, highlighted Jadudi’s circumstances here.
Bloggers continue to make an impact in our society by shedding light on issues affecting the common Kenyan. As if to put a stamp to this fact, two bloggers made the list of the recently released Top 40 women under 40 by Business Daily.
Patricia Andago started a blog aimed at inspiring healthy, loving relationships at a time when lasting relationships are proving difficult to uphold. Displeased by the spiraling rate at which marriages and relationships are failing, she felt the need to create a platform that would work towards reducing this trend. That is how Pendotalk was birthed.
Patricia’s efforts have made an impact in the Kenyan online space, in a considerably short period. This impact is bound to be felt even further now that she made it to the Top 40 women under 40 list.
“How does it feel? Exciting! And shocking as well.” Patricia said when we called to congratulate her. “It is especially unexpected since I feel like I am just getting started.”
Patricia’s blog boasts of close to 40,000 views already and she is humbled that what she does is being appreciated. Having won the award for the Best New Blog in this year’s BAKE blog awards the 23 year old has clearly made her mark as a blogger and a social entrepreneur to boot.
Patricia admits to being aware of the pressure that comes with this achievement. “People expect more from me now and I intend to go the extra mile. I hope to start an environmental conservation project and also do community outreach in collaboration with other bloggers”
Another blogger to have made it to the Top 40 Women under 40 is Sitawa Wafula. Sitawa started her entrepreneurship journey through blogging and has made a remarkable contribution by creating awareness on Mental Health conditions in Kenya.
As a 30 year old woman who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her second year of campus, Sitawa would not allow any challenges to define her destiny. She instead uses the same challenges to grab the many opportunities out there and help others in the process.
She is the Founding Executive Director of My Mind My Funk (MMMF) and sits on the National Mental Health Policy Review Committee. Sitawa has evidently immersed herself fully to supporting people suffering from mental illness. MMMF offers much needed information on mental illness, and counseling services as well; an initiative that has seen Sitawa support over 9,000 Kenyans so far.
Her blog gave her an avenue to share her life experiences and from it, she became aware of the glaring information gap on mental illness. She has since become an anchor of support to persons suffering from this illness.
Being achievers at a young age, nothing but greatness awaits Patricia and Sitawa. We congratulate and celebrate these bloggers, not forgetting all the other remarkable women who made it to the list.