Gachie to the globe: A fierce fight for a brilliant future

In Grade Three, she was elected head girl of the lower section and this was an affirmation that she was born a leader. However, during one of the assemblies where all representatives were supposed to address the students, she froze and no words would come out. 

“This encounter led to my immediate demotion, but it also awakened something in me. At nine years old, I promised myself that I would never again freeze before an audience.”

By the time she was in Class Eight, she was the only girl in a class of 13 boys. “Girls kept transferring to other schools. By Class Six, we were only three girls and by Class Eight, I was the only girl left,” she says. But that loneliness turned into a training ground for resilience and adaptability.

She scored 386 marks in KCSE, topping her class. She secured admission to a well-known girls’ boarding school in Central Kenya. We were not well financially but my dad was determined to see me admitted to the top school. We knocked on every door possible – from relatives, friends, strangers, even churches—just to raise money. As we did this, my dad travelled to the school to seek more time and commit that I would join, albeit late.”

 Eventually, they scraped together the fees. The family traveled joyfully to the school. Then the unthinkable happened.

“As we waited for my dad to clear with the administration for me to be admitted, we saw him walk out of the administration block crying,” recalls the firstborn of two siblings. “We found out later that my spot in the school had been sold.”

Devastated, Alice told her father, “I don’t have to go to a boarding school. Just take me to the nearby day school.” And he did. She enrolled without fuss, determined to still shine.

Two weeks later, one of her uncles posted her predicament on Facebook and a miracle happened. Mr Ndung’u Nyoro, founder of the Affecto Foundation, saw it and offered to sponsor her. Affecto Foundation sponsors bright students who are financially needy. “I remember I came home from school one day and found him in our house. He interviewed me and that was the beginning of my journey of hope and favour.”

She transferred to Muthurwa Girls High School and initially struggled to catch up. “I scored 18 per cent in history, but I also had 84 per cent in mathematics. I told myself, again, that I would lead the school.” And she did, becoming academic prefect in Form Two and head girl in Form Three through to Form Four. She scored a B+ in her KCSE in 2021 and secured a place at KU to pursue economics and statistics.

Eager to avoid the inertia that often drags down youth in her community, she asked Mr Nyoro if she could volunteer at Affecto. “I started one week after high school. I just needed to do anything meaningful.” She took charge of customer service, eventually moving into finance and donor relations. She continues to balance school, volunteering, and an internship with Smart People Africa, a tech firm.

Along the way, Alice caught the development bug. “I didn’t know much about advocacy or sustainability when I joined campus. But once I started volunteering, I found my purpose,” she says. “I don’t want my impact to be felt just in Gachie. I want it to be felt globally.”

Alice has represented Kenya in Tanzania, Thailand, Dubai, Turkey, Rwanda, and Ghana, speaking on everything from peace leadership to gender equality and political change. She has received multiple international accolades, including the Emerging Leader Award and Best Female Delegate Award.

At only 22, she is the founder and CEO of Bold Girl Unite, an organisation that has reached over 10,000 students with mentorship and empowerment programmes. “I wanted girls to dream beyond what society imagines for them. If you’re told you can fly, don’t just think air hostess, think pilot, too,” she says passionately.

Bold Girl Unite runs four programmes: Mentorship, period positivity, youth in green action, and free monthly webinars on life skills. The organisation has also planted over 600 trees and partnered with groups like Green Generation Initiative. One campaign by the organisation, #MyFirstPeriodStory, tackles menstrual stigma. “65 per cent of women lack sanitary towels. We’re normalising conversations so girls don’t feel ashamed.”

Alice’s drive stems from her fear of poverty. “Poverty denies you dignity and keeps you away from opportunities. I lost my high school slot because someone had money and bought it off.”

She still prioritises her education and mental balance. “You have to sacrifice idleness. Even going out with friends has to be intentional,” she says with a laugh. “My ideal fun is cinema dates at Garden City or exploring museums, but not parties.” She also says she is always looking for something to do to push herself ahead, as she acknowledges that good things often come disguised as work. “I am acutely aware of the weight I carry, not just as a firstborn, but as a community beacon.”

“In December, I will be the first person in my extended family to graduate from university,” she says with pride. “I am happy that I have made my parents proud. They say God used me to cover their shame.”

Faith is Alice’s anchor. “Ground yourself in faith. Hold on to hope. You can lose everything—but never lose hope.”

Her perspective on today’s Gen Z stereotypes is refreshingly balanced. “Yes, some lack focus, but many of us are building organisations, advocating for global change, and juggling books. What role are you playing to help the ones who seem lost?”

When asked what motivates her, she doesn’t hesitate. “My dreams. I dream big and my dreams scare me. I want Bold Girl Unite to be like the Mandela Washington Fellowship one day or even bigger. I want to live for something bigger than myself because there is a level of satisfaction that comes with that.

“I consider myself a child of the community. Affecto is funded by small contributions—from people I’ll never meet. It is those Sh100 donations that got me through school. So yes, I owe it to them to rise. And I want every girl out there to know that your background does not define your ceiling.”

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