Despite her challenging background growing in a big Maasai family in Narok, Kenya, Valentine is an exceptional human being who has worked tirelessly hard to support and transform the lives of others. She has been bringing Nottingham Kenyans and the whole of Nottingham African Community together while creating opportunities for them to work together and support each other. Everything she touches seems to bring communities and people together thus promoting community cohesion and integration of African communities with other communities and stakeholders. Nottingham African community was a divided community a few years ago but Valentine and her team at Mojatu Foundation have managed to bring everyone together and form one African Voice to Nottingham which even the local authority and other bodies have commended.
She continues to empower people through her projects most importantly on women empowerment, health, education and media initiatives. She is very well known in our region and beyond especially because of her work in tackling Female Genital Mutilation, inspirational talks and other health promotion work with Mojatu Foundation. She doesn't stop and keeps going. Even when she was doing her full time MBA, it did not stop her giving her time to the community. She organises community activities like sports tournaments, summer farm festivals, cultural festivals promoting Kenya and Africa, dance and dinner events among others. She founded and chairs the Nottinghamshire Community Steering Group that has more than 90 members from over 30 countries majority of whom come from Africa. Through the group she has helped organise national and international conferences, developed training materials and delivers the same to professionals and communities on FGM and social entrepreneurship. Valentine has been inspiring young people from all walks of life through her ‘Raising Aspirations’ talks in the community, schools and colleges while promoting Kenyan and African cultures and promoting cultural diversity.
She has been invited and spoken at local, regional and international conferences including those organised by United Nations, Women’s Federation for World Peace International, Women Economic Forum among others.
Under her leadership and guidance through the Mojatu Foundation, she championed the official declaration of Nottingham as a City of Zero Tolerance to FGM in September 2016- the first city in the UK to do so. This involved working with local leaders, politicians, the community and other stakeholders where the Sheriff of Nottingham tabled a motion at the full council house. She then took the campaign to a national level at the Houses of Commons in October 2016 working with MPs and policy makers. The Women Federation for World Peace International then invited her in November 2016 to Bratislava at their international conference to present the model of community and political engagement that led to Nottingham’s declaration. Due to this work, the United Nations recognised her work and an international conference was called in March 2017 where she presented the model and worked with the Sheriff of Nottingham to showcase Nottingham’s work in tackling FGM with the hope to duplicate the model in other parts of Europe and beyond.
She has recently come back from Kenya for a 5 weeks field trip on a campaign and FGM awareness especially in the remotest parts of Kenya like the Maasai Mara. For two weeks, she was accompanied by the Sherriff of Nottingham and other delegates from UK and Kenya. She has established working relationships with Kenyan government bodies including the National Anti FGM Board, universities, faith leaders, CBO, community leaders and other campaigners. Mojatu Foundation will be launching new community programmes by December 2017 working with communities in remote areas to support girls and women. She has also helped establish Mojatu FGM and other media work in Somaliland, Gambia and Burkina Faso.
She is also the Organising Secretary of the Kenya Nottinghamshire Welfare Association tasked to organise events, support youths and promote opportunities for the community. Valentine has also been volunteering supporting the Kenya High Commission’s work through supporting Kenyan students in UK through conferences organised by the Commission to bring students together and raise their aspirations to create and grab opportunities available. She also mentors young Kenyan women supporting them to explore opportunities while linking them to supportive networks back in Kenya and UK to grow their confidence and self-esteem including links with Face of Kenya UK.
Most of the community work she does is on voluntary basis given that her young charity is volunteer led.
Despite losing many years at home after being thrown out of school due to lack of school fees in primary school and secondary school in Kenya, Valentine knew it was only education that would change her life, that of her family and others in need. As a young Maasai girl, she had to fight for her education to an extend of writing a poem to her father to consider her education questioning why she was different from her brothers. See video at https://vimeo.com/10067804. She learnt from an early age to fundraise for her education and look for scholarships after her extended family said they could no longer afford to support her education. She currently holds a diploma in Creative Writing and Film Making, Degree in Business Management, Masters in Business Administration(MBA) and hoping to start her PhD in January 2018.
Her work and service in the community has been recognised by different individuals/organisations/bodies including: United Nations, The British Council, The Archbishop of York, Women Federation for World Peace International, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, The Sheriff of Nottingham Awards, Kenya Nottinghamshire Welfare Association, Nottingham Trent University, York St John University, The Nottingham Post among other community led organisations.
The sky is not even the limit for her and I believe she is a global citizen and a powerful agent of change enroute to greater things changing people’s lives!
A Champion in Community Cohesion and FGM Campaigner, who helped Nottingham achieve the first FGM intolerance City in UK which the UN and Women Federation for World Peace International recognised.
She continues to empower people through her projects most importantly on women empowerment, health, education and media initiatives. She is very well known in our region and beyond especially because of her work in tackling Female Genital Mutilation, inspirational talks and other health promotion work with Mojatu Foundation. She doesn't stop and keeps going. Even when she was doing her full time MBA, it did not stop her giving her time to the community. She organises community activities like sports tournaments, summer farm festivals, cultural festivals promoting Kenya and Africa, dance and dinner events among others. She founded and chairs the Nottinghamshire Community Steering Group that has more than 90 members from over 30 countries majority of whom come from Africa. Through the group she has helped organise national and international conferences, developed training materials and delivers the same to professionals and communities on FGM and social entrepreneurship. Valentine has been inspiring young people from all walks of life through her ‘Raising Aspirations’ talks in the community, schools and colleges while promoting Kenyan and African cultures and promoting cultural diversity.
She has been invited and spoken at local, regional and international conferences including those organised by United Nations, Women’s Federation for World Peace International, Women Economic Forum among others.
Under her leadership and guidance through the Mojatu Foundation, she championed the official declaration of Nottingham as a City of Zero Tolerance to FGM in September 2016- the first city in the UK to do so. This involved working with local leaders, politicians, the community and other stakeholders where the Sheriff of Nottingham tabled a motion at the full council house. She then took the campaign to a national level at the Houses of Commons in October 2016 working with MPs and policy makers. The Women Federation for World Peace International then invited her in November 2016 to Bratislava at their international conference to present the model of community and political engagement that led to Nottingham’s declaration. Due to this work, the United Nations recognised her work and an international conference was called in March 2017 where she presented the model and worked with the Sheriff of Nottingham to showcase Nottingham’s work in tackling FGM with the hope to duplicate the model in other parts of Europe and beyond.
She has recently come back from Kenya for a 5 weeks field trip on a campaign and FGM awareness especially in the remotest parts of Kenya like the Maasai Mara. For two weeks, she was accompanied by the Sherriff of Nottingham and other delegates from UK and Kenya. She has established working relationships with Kenyan government bodies including the National Anti FGM Board, universities, faith leaders, CBO, community leaders and other campaigners. Mojatu Foundation will be launching new community programmes by December 2017 working with communities in remote areas to support girls and women. She has also helped establish Mojatu FGM and other media work in Somaliland, Gambia and Burkina Faso.
She is also the Organising Secretary of the Kenya Nottinghamshire Welfare Association tasked to organise events, support youths and promote opportunities for the community. Valentine has also been volunteering supporting the Kenya High Commission’s work through supporting Kenyan students in UK through conferences organised by the Commission to bring students together and raise their aspirations to create and grab opportunities available. She also mentors young Kenyan women supporting them to explore opportunities while linking them to supportive networks back in Kenya and UK to grow their confidence and self-esteem including links with Face of Kenya UK.
Most of the community work she does is on voluntary basis given that her young charity is volunteer led.
Despite losing many years at home after being thrown out of school due to lack of school fees in primary school and secondary school in Kenya, Valentine knew it was only education that would change her life, that of her family and others in need. As a young Maasai girl, she had to fight for her education to an extend of writing a poem to her father to consider her education questioning why she was different from her brothers. See video at https://vimeo.com/10067804. She learnt from an early age to fundraise for her education and look for scholarships after her extended family said they could no longer afford to support her education. She currently holds a diploma in Creative Writing and Film Making, Degree in Business Management, Masters in Business Administration(MBA) and hoping to start her PhD in January 2018.
Her work and service in the community has been recognised by different individuals/organisations/bodies including: United Nations, The British Council, The Archbishop of York, Women Federation for World Peace International, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, The Sheriff of Nottingham Awards, Kenya Nottinghamshire Welfare Association, Nottingham Trent University, York St John University, The Nottingham Post among other community led organisations.
The sky is not even the limit for her and I believe she is a global citizen and a powerful agent of change enroute to greater things changing people’s lives!
A Champion in Community Cohesion and FGM Campaigner, who helped Nottingham achieve the first FGM intolerance City in UK which the UN and Women Federation for World Peace International recognised.