My Personal Story of Challenge and Triumph: Cycling for Dignity

The first time my bike was stolen, I felt a strange sense of relief. I never really liked that bike anyway. But the second time, it was a different story—I was heartbroken. That bike was my pride and joy. By the third time, the sting of loss had dulled. I calmly walked to the Boda-Boda riders' stage and told them my bike had been stolen again. One rider stepped up and promised to find it within five hours. True to his word, he brought my bike back in just three. Grateful, I treated him to lunch as a thank you.

My name is Melavin Muthamaki. I have been at Village HopeCore International since 2015 when I interned. I joined as a full-time staff member in 2016. I was born, raised, and educated in Chogoria, my hometown, and I have pride and joy.

Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a scientist, except for class 8 (grade 8), when I wanted to study law. However, I dropped that quickly after realizing I would be a very good lawyer. The thought of winning a case and having a murderer walk scot-free did not sit well with my soul.

My thoughts of becoming a lawyer stemmed from my love for newspapers. From class 1 (grade 1) until I completed my campus education, I had been reading the daily paper cover to cover. This broadened my worldview in ways that formal education could not.

I come from a poor family. My family had to cut and sell trees on our farm to allow me to complete my secondary education. In my third and fourth years on campus, I had to pay my school fees. How was I able to read the paper daily? Well, I befriended the guys who sell the papers. I would pass by each morning, read the paper, and then report to school thirty minutes late.

My parents and teachers did not understand why I was always late to school. I would get punished every day and suspended once, but I did not mind that. I knew that my gamble would pay off one day.

It did. I was usually among the best in English class. The course I studied at university was extremely simple because of the knowledge I gained.

However, not everything was easy. Reading newspapers opens you up to other people's lives, and you empathize with their struggles. One challenge that has always been dear to my heart is the lack of sanitary towels for girls. It is simple to solve but has always been ignored by the government. The girls who bear the brunt of this are those who come from poor families like I did.

In the first quarter of 2024, I led the organization in assessing the status of menstrual hygiene in Tharaka Nithi Sub-County. We found that 4% of the girls did not have access to sanitary towels during their menses. This translates to about 1000 girls in Tharaka Nithi using clothes and tissue paper during their menses. HopeCore has done a lot in combating this by distributing annual sanitary kits to 2985 girls in 2024. Consequently, the level of absenteeism due to menstruation in sub-counties where we have distributed annual kits has dropped by 35%.

These findings compelled me to get out and do something. I decided to cycle from Chogoria to Tanzania, a distance of 400 km, to raise funds for this program. I shared this with my friends from my cycling club, and from July 12th to July 14th, we will cycle from Chogoria, Kenya, to Tanzania. We hope to raise 1000 USD to buy sanitary towels for 100 girls for one year.

We hope our journey inspires others to support this important cause and empower young girls to pursue their dreams without limitations.