My name is Mercyline Owino. I am a 29-year-old mother of three from Kianoe Village in Subukia Ward, Nakuru County. My context is this village, this ward, this county. But as I found my own footing over the past two years, I began to notice young people in other villages, towns and cities across Kenya finding theirs too in different sectors, facing different challenges, but reaching for many of the same things. That is where this story begins.
Before I was mapped by GROOTS Kenya in December 2023, I was running a small salon and doing my best to make ends meet. I was working hard, but I felt I needed more knowledge, direction and opportunities to grow. I had a strong desire to do more with my life.
Being mapped introduced me to the Jiinue Growth Program, and for me, it became a turning point.
Through the program, I received training in financial literacy, savings, group dynamics and women's leadership. I gained more than knowledge. I began to understand my potential. The training changed how I thought, how I planned and how I approached challenges. Most importantly, it gave me the confidence to try something new.
Together with other young people, we formed Pamoja Tujinge, a group of seven young women and three young men. We took a bold step into poultry farming after receiving Jiinue loans from Ksh. 11,000 to Ksh. 33,000.
For me, this was about more than starting a business. It showed me what young people can achieve when they organize, support one another and have access to the right opportunities.
As the chairlady of our group, I also learned that leadership means being willing to find solutions when things do not go as planned.
Our first major challenge was finding a market for our chickens. I remembered reaching out to our community coaches for support. Within 24 hours, we had secured markets at Top Market and Gilanis Supermarket.
Later, we faced another setback when Newcastle disease caused us to lose 72 chicks within two hours. It was discouraging, but I reached out again to our community coaches who connected us to poultry training at Charis Farm in Naivasha. The training strengthened our knowledge and helped us understand the dos and don'ts of poultry farming.
These experiences taught me that leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing when to seek support, bringing people together and finding a way forward.
In mid-2024, I became a Youth Champion in Subukia Sub-County. It was one of the greatest milestones in my journey because it gave me a greater sense of purpose and an opportunity to give back.
My first role was to mobilize young people.
Since then, I have mentored seven active groups, including Kianoe Self-Help Group. The young women in this group contribute KSh 50 every day towards their goal of purchasing a piece of land and dividing it among themselves. They meet every month and I join them to mentor them and witness their dream slowly becoming a reality.
I have also mentored two young women. One now rears 300 kienyeji chickens, while another manages two broiler units of 400 birds each.
I supported Canaan Youth Group to access a four-day potato farming training in Subukia. Today, the group farms half an acre together.
These experiences have shown me the importance of young people learning from one another. Sometimes, what another young person needs is simply someone who has walked a similar path and is willing to say, "You can do this too."
My journey has also taught me that leadership cannot stop with our own groups or businesses. It has to extend to the wider community.
I have participated in a celebration for persons living with disabilities at Nyayo Gardens in Nakuru. I also helped map people in marginalized areas of Aqusi in Waseges, Subukia, and supported persons living with disabilities to access information and training about the movement and the Jiinue Growth Program.
These experiences reminded me that good leadership is about making sure people who are often left out are also seen, heard and connected to opportunities.
In October 2025, I attended my first GROOTS Kenya Annual Grassroots Assembly. I sat among strong women, listened to conversations about empowerment and leadership, and in that moment I saw clearly how much I had changed.
I was not the same young woman who joined the program in 2023.
Today, I see myself as a leader, mentor, farmer and changemaker.
My experience has also changed how I understand governance. When I sit with Kianoe Self-Help Group as they decide together how to save, when to meet and how their land will eventually be divided, I am watching governance in practice, not in a policy document. It is organizing ourselves, making decisions together, and being accountable to one another — ensuring that community voices are part of the conversations that affect our lives.
As young people, we may come from different communities and face different challenges, but many of our aspirations are the same: we want opportunities, dignity, decent livelihoods, a voice in decisions that affect us and the chance to build better futures.
That is what this year's International Youth Day theme, "Different Contexts, Common Aspirations," means to me.
My context may be different from that of another young person, but our aspirations can connect us. And when young people come together, support one another and take up leadership, those shared aspirations can become collective action.
I am no longer just part of a program. I am part of a movement.
