Selam & Hello

History has taught us that during times of global crisis and epidemics - longterm outcomes are worse for women than for men. Data indicates that women make up a majority of essential workers, from health care to markets, and in the midst of lockdowns and school closures - domestic labor and the education of children falls disproportionally on female caretakers. Julie Mwabe, a Gender Advisor in the Executive Office of the President and previously a communications and policy specialist at the CDC and UNICEF, joins us to discuss how to better support women and girls during this pandemic. By elevating their needs, Ms. Mwabe guides us towards thoughtful solutions to resist the patriarcy and root dignity for women and girls. In this episode we discuss domestic violence and if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse or GBV - please call the 24hr toll-free Kenya National Hotline at 1195. To support Laja Trust (lajatrust.org)distribute sanitary pads to women and girls in need during this pandemic, you can send local donations to: MPESA PAYBILL: 839900 and ACCOUNT: 1003028000924. This episode was edited by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah.

Dr. Michael Chung is an infectious disease and internal medicine physician with an MD from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Public Health from Harvard University School of Public Health where he also completed his internship and residency. He and his family have lived in Nairobi for 18 years and he is a Professor at and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Aga Kahn University in Nairobi and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Chung joins Up/Root today to answer all our questions about COVID-19 and give us the latest updates from the scientific community. Please consider giving to support Shining Hope for Communities (shofco.org)who are providing critical food and medical assistance to poor families in Mathare and Kibera. For the latest information and assistance on COVID-19 in Kenya, please go to: http://www.health.go.ke/ or call 0800 721 316 or 0709 931700. This episode was edited and recorded by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah.

It is an absolute honor to welcome Freweini Mebrahtu to Up/Root! Freweini is a global leader in menstrual health management and CNN's 2019 Hero of the Year for her work to eliminate the stigma associated with periods and her 15-year campaign to provide women and girls in Ethiopia equitable access to reusable pads. She started Mariam Seba Sanitary Products Factory in Mekelle, Ethiopia in 2005 and her factory is staffed by over 60 women who now produce over 1 million reusable sanitary pads annually. Freweini partners with Mekelle University and Dignity Period in her mission to restore period justice to Ethiopia and since 2009, they have reached more than 800,000 students. Research shows that schools visited by Dignity Period have a 24% increase in attendance among girls and for only $5 a year, you can support a young girl's access to the sanitary pads she needs. Please go to dignityperiod.org to read more and contribute to her extraordinary work in Ethiopia. If you want to help end period poverty in Kenya, please consider giving to Project Imagine (projectimagine.net), a student-led campaign that was established in 2015. For more information on how you can get involved in the period movement in the US, go to https://www.period.org/. Useful data on the issue in Ethiopia can be found here: http://www.pma2020.org/sites/default/files/ETR5-MHM%20brief-v1-2017-08-14_0.pdf. This episode was edited and recorded by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah!

Author and professor Samual Nyanchoga joins Up/Root to talk about why Black History Month still matters, Black historical heroes and how Blackness is a universal civilization. Dr. Nyanchoga is a Dean of Faculty at the Catholic University of East Africa and Fulbright Scholar (Boston College) and is the author of seven books: Author of Aspects of African History, Contemporary Issues in Kenyan History, Citizenship, Ethnicity and Politics of Belonging in Kenya, Governance in Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Slave Heritage and Identity at the Kenyan Coast. This episode was edited and recorded by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah!

In part 2 of our conversation, some of the Too Early for Birds family, Ngartia, Abu, Mercy and Mugambi, talk more about the role gender, language and joy played in creating this three-hour epic story of one of Kenya's native sons and heroes, Tom Mboya. We talk Jay-Z, we cry, we laugh and by the end - they offer us hope for the future and clear direction on how to support the arts and make sure these stories keep getting told. Thank you TEFB for letting me fangirl for 2hours with you! This episode was edited by Janet Onyango of J Communications (https://www.jcommunications.online/) and engineered by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah!

Tom Mboya is a hero of Kenyan history and in October 2019, the Too Early for Birds storytelling theatre production group told Mboya's story in the "dopest, funkiest ways you can imagine." This is the fifth show they have put on in Nairobi and their performance was so popular they had to add four more shows in November 2019. The Tom Mboya edition was transformative, electric and challenged all of us to think and act more consciously based on the lessons of history. We go deep in this conversation - so much so there are 2 episodes, an Up/Root first! Writers, actors, researchers and director - Abu, Ngartia, Mercy and Mugambi - sat down in front of a live audience to talk about Mboya's legacy, Kenyan politics, censorship, the n-word, what it was like to perform the show the day Mboya's children attended and why it is absolutely critical we know our history and we support our artists. You will be inspired! This episode was edited by Janet Onyango of J Communications (https://www.jcommunications.online/) and engineered by Bukachi Akatsa of BTSU studios ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle is performed and written by my daughter, Selah!

Olympic marathon gold-medalist and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge is a living legend and a global inspiration for his incredible feats of athletic dominance. In October, he became the first person to run a sub-2hour marathon and captured the imagination of an international audience with his endurance, tenacity and brilliant run. Kipchoge shares with Up/Root how he trains, who his heroes are, why mental agility is as important as physical strength and why he believes that sports can be an instrument of peace in our communities and world. It was a gift to interview Eliud Kipchoge and learn from one of the world's greatest long-distance runners.

Huwaida, Sam and Jason share how their identities, linked to language, religion and race, have affected their Kenyan and global lives. They answer questions about privilege, gaps that exist between generations and how they respond when someone asks, "are you really Kenyan?" Up/Root is grateful to Trademark Hotel in Village Market that sponsored this live recording on December 11, 2019. Sound recording and editing provided by Bakachi Akatsa for BSTU Nairobi ([email protected]). Photography courtesy of Armstrong Kiprotich ([email protected]). The Up/Root jingle was written and performed by Selah Piper, my amazing daughter. This episode is dedicated to my friend George Wolf. We miss you, George.

When Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, many Ethiopians and Eritreans marked the historic moment with pride and celebration. It was also an opportunity for me to re-visit the shared and intertwined history of the two sister countries with my friend Moges. We talk, laugh and discuss our Eritrean and Ethiopian identities and examine the important moment where our histories diverge. I learned so much and was reminded that coffee will always be a shared value and perhaps the secret to peace is in the shurro. This episode is edited by Bukachi Akatsa ([email protected]) and the Up/Root jingle is written and performed by my wonderful daughter, Selah.

Stephen Ucembe and Ruth Wacuka grew up in "orphanages" despite having parents. Their story is true of 80-90% of children living in orphanages and children's homes: they have a living parent. Well-meaning and good-intentioned people like you and I keep children's homes and orphanages in business by volunteering there, patronizing them and contributing money and resources to their work, often rather than supporting vulnerable families. In today's show, Stephen and Ruth share what it was like to grow up in an institution and what they are doing to help end orphanage tourism - and how we can join them in their pursuit of justice for families and children. In Nairobi, you can channel your support towards the following organizations who support families: Kenya Society of Care Leavers: https://www.kesca.org/ Shining Hope for Communities: https://www.shofco.org/ Dignitas: https://dignitasproject.org/ Food 4 Education: https://food4education.org/ To learn more about the problem of orphanage tourism, you can go to: https://www.helpingnothelping.org/ https://rethinkorphanages.org/resources https://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/program-areas/youth/changing-the-way-we-care Dan Adachi ([email protected])recorded and edited this episode. The Up/Root jingle was written and performed by Selah Piper.