Community Development Worker | Menstrual Hygiene Management Champion (MHM) | Founder
I am Bilha Joy. A community development worker, a menstrual health and hygiene management champion, a youth empowerment advocate, a communication assistant, and founder of Precious Lives Ministries. My journey has and still is of a humble start (if I may say). After leaving home because of the "unstable condition" back in December 2016, I found myself looking for something to do in the meantime as our University (Maasai Mara University) was on strike. A few days of searching in vain, finally the last day when I almost gave up; I got an internship with Africa Hope as a receptionist. My naive self then, and it being my first time stepping into the office space, had to figure it all out on my own and on the spot.
Fast forward to 2020, I worked hard through the ropes - and assumed a few assisting roles etc. In my perspective this was more than just being a receptionist, it was a startup to my livelihood and an opportunity to serve people uniquely by listening and taking care of people who walk through our doors. My goal was to make sure you leave our establishment heard, seen and satisfied.
What were the biggest initial hurdles and how did you overcome them?
In 2020, during the corona pandemic I tried my hands on a few things and I eventually settled on making reusable sanitary napkins for the girls and women in the rural parts of Narok. However I was not able to pull it off because I realized it took me 3 days to just homemade and handmade from scratch one towel. Therefore, this was not going to be able to serve the thousands of girls that were having no access to sanitary products.
So after a few weeks of prototyping, I embarked on venturing onto my dream. This time round with commercial sanitary products. Since my first outreach in 2021 April - the journey has been successful and I am so grateful. So far, we have worked with different organizations, schools, orphanages, churches etc. Precious Lives Ministries, have created that safe space for girls, women and youths to OWN their stories authentically. Meaning start small and utilize the available resources to fulfil that dream (baby steps). The idea is to empower them - they are not alone and they are created to be amazing. My humble beginning began as an intern, then full-time receptionist then founder of a youth based ministry; is a testimonial story.
Your advice to an upcoming youth or talents locally and internationally? It doesn't matter how small you start. Life is and will always be for the bold and courageous. I believe finding your purpose always comes with pain, therefore be ready! Thank you. Social Media Handles: Facebook @Bilhajoy https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009170378462 Instagram @joybilha27 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilha-joy-a04b3218a https://preciouslivesministries.org/