IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 25

©SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/LUMEZIA.COM
manageable. It is also a big help to the
community as when our girls benefit,
the community benefits. "
The community is the Samburu tribe,
one of the 47 tribes in Kenya. Samburus
are pastoralists, or nomads, and pastoralists
are traditional practitioners of FGM,
despite the practice being illegal in Kenya.
One of the leading communities of FGM,
the Samburu tribe has a violence rate
more than 80%, according to Wahome.
She is not pastoralist herself; Wahome
was born and raised in Nairobi and was
working as a banker in the city when she
was invited by a friend to an event aimed
at creating awareness of the Samburu
Girls Foundation. Of meeting the Samburu
girls for the first time, she says, " It
was like watching a movie, but when I
heard their stories, the reality of the situation
hit me. There were 12-year-old girls
forced to get married or FGM, and that
was new to me. "
She took an opportunity to visit the
area and was again shocked by the reality
of what she saw: unlike Nairobi, Samburu
lacked electricity, clean water, the Internet,
and more. " I was there for around
three days and by the time I got back, I
was so disturbed I could not stop thinking
about what I could do to help. Would I be
able to make their lives any different? "
Wahome had kept in touch with Dr. Kulea
since the initial event, continually asking
how she could help, and eventually the
two women decided Wahome should join
the Foundation. " It wasn't easy at first, "
she shares. " When you're used to working
a well-paying job in the city, the transition
to a different life is tough. My family also
was not very understanding about why that
area, why those particular girls, when there
were plenty of girls that needed help in Nairobi. "
But she was already invested. " I'm
not from the same tribe, " she explains, " but
I was once a young girl. "
Wahome began as a volunteer, working
her way up to programs lead as financing
JUNE 2022 IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE
25

http://www.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/LUMEZIA.COM

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - Cover1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - Cover2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 4
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 5
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 6
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 7
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 8
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 9
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 10
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 11
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 12
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 13
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 14
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 15
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 16
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 17
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 18
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 19
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 20
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 21
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 22
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 23
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 24
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 25
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 26
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 27
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 28
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 29
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 30
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 31
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 32
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 33
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 34
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 35
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 36
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 37
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 38
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 39
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 40
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 41
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 42
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 43
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - 44
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - Cover3
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2022 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_june2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_june2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_june2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_june2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_june2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_december2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_summer2008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/womenengineering_winter2007
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com