Today we’d like to introduce you to Desange Kuenihira.
Hi Desange, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Desange Kuenihira, I am a refugee from DRC, and my journey as a refugee has not been an easy one. But I have enjoyed it, it has been an interesting journey. It has been hard to find my way, and I didn’t always feel capable. While growing up, I was called a “meaningless girl”. They told me that I would never achieve anything or do anything with my life. At one point I believed it and stopped valuing myself. Now, I realize that no one has a say in my life but for me. I came into this world with a purpose, and I am capable of finding it. I am capable of finding my way in this world, and pursuing what I am passionate about. I have proven them wrong. I have passed all the places that I was told I will never get to. No one has control over your story, you are the only one who has control over that pen, keep writing your story. I’m asking everyone to join in this unDEfeated movement. unDEfeated’s mission is to provide education for underprivileged youth with extreme financial hardship and support single mothers to operate their own businesses to feed their families in Uganda.
Ntoroko, one of the poorest districts located in the Western Region of Uganda has been prone to early child marriage and lack of education which lead to a high poverty circle in Uganda. Cultural beliefs are forcing teenage girls out of school in the Ntoroko district, which has caused a high rate of school dropouts. It’s common among the Batuku and Bakonzo, the two major tribes in the district, to marry off girls at an early age between 13-16 years. Some of the girls are also denied education and forced to work as maids. Girls dropping out of school are common in Karugutu, Rwebisengo, and Kanara sub-counties.
Fifty girls aged between 12-16 years abandoned school and were married off by their parents. That some of the pupils who perform poorly are not given another chance, but are forced out of school by their parents and are given employment to work as maids. At Rwebisengo Secondary School, seventeen girls in senior one and two dropped out of school in the past six months. Although culture plays a big role, early marriages are also caused by extreme poverty that makes parents marry off their daughters in exchange for the bride price.
When a girl gets pregnant before marriage, she is seen as a disgrace to her family and society, and the only solution is for her to leave school and get married. unDEfeated wants to give youth and women a voice and a second chance at life!
I’m asking everyone to join in this undefeated movement. Together we will defeat all the negativity that tries to hold us down.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road; there has been a lot of learning. I started the unDEfeated as a student who was minoring in Entrepreneurship. I underestimated the work that goes into creating a nonprofit. Getting donations has been one of the challenges.
Sometimes I did not have time to do things due to school; school took up most of my time. But I was determined to push this organization to success, and it was not about me. It was about the people I wanted to help and the community I come from. Look how far I have come, and the people supporting me to get where I am today gave me the strength to put in all the work I needed.
Growing up, I was told that my only l worth was the dowry; a much older man would pay to marry me as a pre-teen. Repeatedly, friends were taken from the camp and forced to marry a stranger, have his children, and serve as his slave. Typically, the marriages don’t last long, and soon she returns to her parents with her children, a ruined reputation, and no options for her future.
I was one of the lucky ones. I had the opportunity to have a different future when I came to the United States. But those girls are always in my heart and on my mind. I’ve created this program for my friends and countless young women in Uganda who don’t have someone to value their worth. Having someone who believed in my potential and value gave me an incredible life where I determined my future. I’ve created unDEfeated to do the same for them. Every struggle with this organization is worth it if it means someone’s life will be better.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
unDEfeated is a non-profit working in Uganda in the ntoroko district. We will help alleviate the poverty circle in the Ntoroko district by providing educational training, which will include entrepreneurship training, financial literacy training, leadership training, and other business workshops to train women and youth to start and operate their businesses that will provide a sustainable standard of living to their families.
We will also decrease the illiteracy rates in the Ntoroko district by providing scholarships, mentorships, and personal development training to the youth from preschool through college to educate them about the impact of early child marriage and help them pursue their careers goals and aspirations.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is growing up with my grandmoms and mothers, and I am blessed to grow up around stronger women! one of my grandmas had one arm, did everything with one arm, and never asked for any help. And most of them were single mothers. I grew up around women who knew to speak their minds, women who have shown me that tears are strength. I grew up around hardworking women, and women went against all odds to make sure their children got an education and were raised in the right way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.speakundefeated.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undefeated45/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desange.kuenihira.9
Image Credits
Marty Nicole
Courtney McOmber
Liz
