On 15 October 2013, Dr. Auma Obama, founder and director of Sauti Kuu Foundation, returned to a familiar place as she often does – the small, picturesque town of Bayreuth, Germany, where she graduated with a PhD in 1996. Dr. Obama had a roundtable discussion with students of the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) and engaged with members of the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies.

Also present at the discussion were students of the Markgräfin-Wilhelmine Gymnasium of Bayreuth, 16 to 17 year olds who through a BIGSAS school project have the opportunity to meet African students and challenge media stereotypes of the continent with the personal stories the BIGSAS students tell.

Auma Obama’s Kenya-Germany relationship began many years ago when as a young girl she discovered and fell in love with the works of German authors such as Heinrich Böll or Wolfgang Borchert. Dr. Obama describes being a foreign student in Germany as not having been without its challenges. As someone who is passionate about intercultural communication, Dr. Obama regaled her listeners with anecdotes about feeling like “the other” for the first time and rising above the pressures of constantly being “confronted with oneself.”

While she comes from an academic background, Auma Obama has always been interested in the practical approach to things. This need to balance “talking”, or as she puts it intellectualizing, with “doing” now has her inspiring the youth in her ancestral home of Alego, south west Kenya.

Meet Kennedy Omondi, an engaging young man in his first year at university in Kenya. Kennedy has been with Sauti Kuu since the beginning when Auma would sit with him and other youth under a tree in Alego, brainstorming about how best to tackle the issues and challenges of the region’s youth. As Auma fondly recounts, Kennedy was shy and struggling with a stammer back then. Fast forward to today and Kennedy is holding the room’s attention as he eloquently explains how Sauti Kuu helps Alego’s young men and women develop the confidence to believe in and articulate their ideas and together think up sustainable ways to effectively use local resources – no stammer.

We all know the controversy surrounding development aid and the “victim of poverty” mind-set that has developed across the African Continent. Sauti Kuu’s concept is a different take on teaching someone to fish instead of giving them a fish – how about asking if the person you would like to teach fishing eats fish in the first place, tailoring the solution to individuals and their particular needs. The uniqueness of Sauti Kuu’s approach is also its main challenge: how to convince youths that participating has benefits. Project Field Coordinator, Dan Oduor, tells of young people who turn their backs on the project after a while, or parents who deter their children from participating on realizing that Sauti Kuu is not about free hand outs. The NGO/victim of poverty mentality is alive and kicking in the community. It is not easy to explain that first the youth must recognize that they themselves are the solution to their problems and that they need to develop their potential to make a difference instead of relying on outside saviors. This approach requires painstaking patiece while the preferred and familiar donation approach is often perceived as a route to quick results.

Dr. Auma Obama & BIGSAS representatives/Photo: BIGSAS

Dr. Auma Obama & BIGSAS representatives / photo: BIGSAS

comes from an academic background, Auma Obama has always been interested in the practical approach to things. This need to balance “talking”, or as she puts it intellectualizing, with “doing” now has her inspiring the youth in her ancestral home of Alego, south west Kenya.

Sauti Kuu is Kiswahili for “Powerful Voices” and is trying to give perspective to disadvantaged children and youth by helping them unlock their potential, in particular through Life Skills training and educational opportunities that lead to economic sustainability. The foundation is based on the principle of ‘Self-Help’ and aims to support and motivate the younger generations to take their fate into their own hands and be the makers of their own destiny – sautikuufoundation.org.

Meet Kennedy Omondi, an engaging young man in his first year at university in Kenya. Kennedy has been with Sauti Kuu since the beginning when Auma would sit with him and other youth under a tree in Alego, brainstorming about how best to tackle the issues and challenges of the region’s youth. As Auma fondly recounts, Kennedy was shy and struggling with a stammer back then. Fast forward to today and Kennedy is holding the room’s attention as he eloquently explains how Sauti Kuu helps Alego’s young men and women develop the confidence to believe in and articulate their ideas and together think up sustainable ways to effectively use local resources – no stammer.

We all know the controversy surrounding development aid and the “victim of poverty” mind-set that has developed across the African Continent. Sauti Kuu’s concept is a different take on teaching someone to fish instead of giving them a fish – how about asking if the person you would like to teach fishing eats fish in the first place, tailoring the solution to individuals and their particular needs. The uniqueness of Sauti Kuu’s approach is also its main challenge: how to convince youths that participating has benefits. Project Field Coordinator, Dan Oduor, tells of young people who turn their backs on the project after a while, or parents who deter their children from participating on realizing that Sauti Kuu is not about free hand outs. The NGO/victim of poverty mentality is alive and kicking in the community. It is not easy to explain that first the youth must recognize that they themselves are the solution to their problems and that they need to develop their potential to make a difference instead of relying on outside saviors. This approach requires painstaking patience while the preferred and familiar donation approach is often perceived as a route to quick results.

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