Mr David Kamau told us: ” You are going back in your respective countries after one month of training and sometimes, you will be discouraged towards your commitments but DON’T GIVE UP!”

It was on the commencement day. None of us wanted to leave this place, I remember. But we had to.

Writing is my passion since I was a little girl, 10 years of age. Ask me to describe a person, a situation or even a feeling, the best way for me to do it is trough writing. So, let me describe the feeling I had after hearing that someone could apply 17 times for a training.

Mr David Kamau, was the chief of Party at YALI during our training. Then, before going on with his speech, he said : ” Can you tell us how many times you have applied for this training before being selected? ”

“17 times”, said Steve Osero.

I thought that I didn’t get well what he said and I asked Doreen, the fellow beside me: ” 7 times or 17 times?” And she answered with a smile :
” 17 times”.

She had probably noticed how much I was surprised. I turned my eyes back to Osero, to pay attention to his story. I was speechless of course.

“I started applying for YALI regional leadership program from Cohort 1 while still in third Year University. By then, not many students knew about the program. I later realized I had been rejected in the first cohort of the program. Like most youth do, I felt losing hope, but hell no, I picked up the pieces, and was ready for Cohort 2 applications.

My twin brother by then, who we were in the same school, did not have the energy to apply again. After taking his essays and submitting for him (at the same time submitting my own application) without his consent, He was admitted and I was rejected.

Cohort 3 applications were open, and I was ready for applying, but this time with the end in mind-rejection. After the results were out, you can guess the answer, I was rejected again. A series of applications, followed by a series of rejection, is what ensued, cohort 4,5,6,7 all rejected. I felt like not applying again, what’s wrong with my applications?

But you know what?? My heart didn’t allow me to write off the story with- I GAVE UP. The more I was rejected, the more the energy to apply again ameliorated. Rejection is the best word I can use to describe all the applications from cohort 8-16.

By the time cohort 17 was open, I had geared myself not only to apply, but to get the famous email of rejection, but this time, I had pinned it and was admitted to the program.

I can say 17 is my lucky number.

But above all, persistence is the key to success, Imagine if I had lost hope in cohort 1 and never applied again. Opportunities can’t look for you, step out of your comfort zone, move past the panic zone and work from the stretch zone, and you will achieve what you want in life. Provoke yourself with persistence, persistence, persistence every time you feel like quitting.”

This article aims to inspire, motivate and encourage whoever has applied so many times for a training or for a job, to whoever is working on a specific project and who is facing some challenges, and especially to those who are applying for the actual cohorts at YALI Program. If it happens you read this, this is for you. May every word of this story, lift you up.

 

My training at YALI has been a Life Changing experience. Beside the intellectual package I got from different courses like Design Thinking and Design Driven Entrepreneurship which help me actually in my daily work at SBS , YALI has also been an unforgettable motivational journey. Moreover, YALI has encouraged me to follow my passion fearlessly.

Yet, I remember , on the first day of our training , Mr Imran Vaghoo, the Admissions Director at YALI saying: ” Don’t mess up. Don’t think you have come in Nairobi to have fun. We have received more than 5000 applications and only 90 have been selected. ”

I was like: ” OK. No time for a little break here”.

But….!! When he said: ” Dare to have crazy dreams. Raise your bar”. Then, I definitely realized how much I was privileged to be in that place. I told myself: ” This is the place to be”.

Do you know why? Frankly speaking, I meet very rarely in my country, people who encourage me about my dreams and my work.

I’m often told: ” You should remember that you are in Burundi, Darlene. Be realistic. We need to work for a living, not only for passions.

And please while talking about your dreams, are we really living in the same country or you are just living on your own planet!?”

And somehow, it really does make sense. So, words like these used to discourage me. But it was before YALI.

Because now, I know that young people with unbreakable hope, with great vision and with great spirit, young Africans with determination fighting against all odds exist somwhere in the world.

Like Steve Osero… Steve Osero is a kenyan citizen aged 25 years. He is an environmentalist and at the same time working to empower women and children in Slums.

Steve Osero was this tall guy who used to joke during the Team Building Class: ” My name is Steve Osero but call me Steve Jobs.”

Behind jokes, behind natural smile on the face, was a brave man, one of a kind. The one who could apply for a training since the first Cohort , until he gets selected to the 17th one. What a perseverance!

His story has motivated me and is still motivating me in my daily work.

In fact, people often ask me how I get money from SBS…

Well, I know that we really need money to live.

I do need money….
You need money….
We all need money. I know.

I have recently read this on twitter, from Kenneth Kaniu, the CEO Britain Asset Managers: ” Setting up a business to make money may be a challenge since businesses take long to make money. Consider making a difference, changing lives”.

I think from this tweet, I found the answer for that question. Money will follow, folks.

Maya Angelou has said it very well: ” All great achievements require time”. I don’t rush. I embrace the journey, every day. I persevere, like my fellow Steve.

We are on the second month of the year and you may have set so many goals at the end of 2017! Go for your goals. Don’t give up. Falling down happens to all of us, but always get up and keep moving.

Personally, I have 1000 reasons to get hopeless in my everyday work, but I refuse to be.

” I think it’s pointless to be hopeless. If you are hopeless, you waste your present and your future ” has said Malala Yousafzai.

Be a winner in 2018 and for years to come!

Darlène Keza.