Ovation for Kenyan girl at New York women's summit

DALLAS, TEXAS

A Kenyan girl received a resounding standing ovation in New York for her recital of a poem that highlights the plight of children in Kibera.

Eunice Akoth, 10, who is a pupil at the Kibera School for Girls took to the stage on Friday at the sixth annual Women In The World Summit with her poem “My Dream”.

The crowd looked on as Akoth walked on to the stage and uttered the familiar line heard during poem recitals at drama festivals.

“Eunice Akoth presents 'My Dream'. Welcome,” she said with a smile before giving a little bow.

The crowd, seemingly appreciative of her humility, applauded as the composed Akoth smiled back.

Things changed, however, as seconds into her recital, tears started streaming down her face as she recounted life in Kibera.

“My present situation, not withstanding, it’s a mere passing cloud. Every mighty king was once a crying baby. Every great tree was once a tiny seed! … And so is my dream.”

GOING TO OVERCOME

To Akoth, the poem seemed to bring back memories of her life in Kibera though she maintained that whatever she was going through was not a permanent situation and she was going to overcome it.

She pumped her fists in the air and walked with ease across the stage.

“It’s not where I am, but where I am going that matters. My future has nothing to do with my past or my present. The hard times I have had, have made me stronger and better. The inner courage in me doesn’t roar. It just whispers. So I dream my dream”, she concluded.

As she bowed, the crowd at the Lincoln Centre erupted with an ovation that lasted nearly a full minute.

Akoth seemed pleasantly surprised by the reaction from the crowd.

SHINING HOPE

After the performance, she sat down with New York Times Deputy International Editor Lydia Polgreen where she talked about life in the slum. Ms Polgreen was the moderator of one of the last sessions of the day, dubbed “Kenya’s Shining Hope”.

When Ms Polgreen asked her what inspired her poem, Akoth said it was the experiences she had in Kibera where many of her age mates were sexually abused and had their dreams broken.

“I was inspired by my life in Kibera. Most of the kids in Kibera are raped, some are neglected by their parents, some are homeless,” she told the moderator, fighting back tears. “Most of them have dreams, but they don’t know how they can achieve them, so I had to write a poem that tells them that they can achieve their dreams.”

Akoth was accompanied by the founders of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner-Odede. The organisation provides free education for girls and offers programs that seek to eradicate poverty in Kibera.