THE RIDING LION

‘It is not all about the salary, it is not all about being at your comfort zone. Follow your calling in regard to meeting other people’s needs, and in no doubt yours shall be met automatically.’ These tremendously powerful words from one of Kenya’s most celebrated woman, did not just make sense to me as an interviewer but also challenged me as an individual following my career path.

Born and raised from a very humble background, by a teenage mother whose only source of daily bread was coffee picking, no one would ever tell that she would achieve so much in life. ‘I went to school on barefoot, and I was not a smart student per say, I failed most of the times in my exams’ she recalls. Everybody has a story, and even though it’s a cliché, I will still say that for every successful person, there are series of terrible fails.

We all know how finding a job in our beloved nation is quite a task, many jokes have been made and many say, that the process of finding a job in Kenya is already a ‘job’. Things were never a crystal stair to her, as she also faced the same job seeking headache. ‘I went for my first job interview without the knowledge of what the job was all about. I did so well to the satisfaction of the interviewing panel, only to be told that the job was for a messenger who should be a good rider!’ she narrates. She agreed to it despite her gender and to make it worse, she did not really know how to ride (she had to lie), she needed a job and to her it did not matter what kind of a job, as long as it would bring food to the table and sort out bills.

 She was offered the job opportunity and therefore riding was not an option, it was mandatory. ‘I was forced to beg a neighbor who owned a motorcycle to help me learn the much I could, he agreed to it on condition that I was the one to fuel the motorbike’, our conversation continued. The ‘border bullies’, as she termed them, did not spare her with critics, remember the good old days where traditions were treasured and a woman on a bicycle or motorcycle was a taboo? Yes, but she gave them all deaf ears. She was that lion, her focus was on that job, and against all odds she must have been one of a kind employee, the very first female gender as a rider(and riding has been her hobby since then).

What would prompt one into leaving a well-paying job, into an unknown mission of helping the less fortunate with absolutely zero hopes of a salary or income? No not one! Many would say, who doesn’t want that money anyway? But her case was different, she must have been very bold, to resign from her well-paying job, in order to get back to her mother land (Meru County) to try and give hope to victims of HIV/AIDs, and this is where her journey of becoming a human rights activist commenced, what a golden heart!

What a journey! From an aspiring lawyer, to a human activist who does way much more than what lawyers do, it is like receiving your request in double portion. Mercy Chidi Baidoo, is a woman of substance, a woman to be celebrated and above all, a woman to inspire many, I call her the ‘lion’. Her passion for children, tender hands to care for them and the burning desire to see happy faces of children despite their backgrounds, made her realize her dream and she came with a child rights organization by the name ‘Ripples International’, of which she is now the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) as well as the founder.

The award winning human rights activist has done so much, not only in Kenya, but across many nations, that echoes a force to reckon with. She is a mother to thousands of girls, and has restored hope to many, especially those that happened to have been sexually violated. Riffles international has been on the front raw, in fighting for children’s right, it is literally their voice. With the corrupt nature of our police system, it is not easy to seek justice for the victims, but Mercy has never lost hope. She opened her inner ears and eyes to the women and girls that are dying in silence.

Mercy has handled enormous violation cases that she cannot recall, but there are those that still linger in her mind so vividly. ‘There is this girl that was impregnated by her own biological father, and she kept asking me what will be the relationship between her child and her father, will the baby call her father, father or grandfather? I would breakdown for lacking an appropriate answer to give her. ’ she tells me. With Riffles International, Mercy has opened up a rescue home, by the name, Tumaini home in order to help abandoned children. The home majors in adoption of abandoned kids, fostering, accommodation, medical help especially for reconstructive surgeries, legal address, and child witness support and training for prevention of child violation. How would you describe such a person?

Everyone has a story, and this is Mercy Chidi Baidoo’s. Though not so much has been brought to book, this is the kind of a person to emulate. She could be a rider, riding her dreams into a better world that she desires, and if only we could follow suit, we would make a better Kenya, if not a better world. We could be crawling, walking or riding like her or even flying, let us just try and do it the right way. Be that lion in your own kingdom, have your focus and strategies just like she did, and you will live your dream. ‘So how can you describe yourself in one word?’ my final question as the interview comes to a valediction. ‘Go-getter’ she replies. Strive to achieve your dreams, not by doing things because people are doing, or because you need the money, do it because it is the right thing to do. Be that go-getter!