- From newsroom facts to development knowledge.
- Delivering USAID’s Nawiri Transition Event during COVID-19.
- USAID lessons powering the launch of PNTV Africa.
I first engaged with the amazing USAID team in the midst of a crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced companies to shut down, organizations were laying off staff, and business was at an all-time low.
Fresh from the newsroom, I quickly realized USAID would completely change how I thought about development work. In journalism, we always thought we were “well informed” and to some extent, it was true. But my USAID experience helped me appreciate something deeper: information is raw data, while knowledge is information analyzed, contextualized, and applied. In the newsroom, I often chased facts and headlines. At USAID, I learned to ask: What do these facts mean? What can they teach us? How do they shape decisions?
That shift transformed me. As a communication consultant, I began to value going beyond quick news stories. I learned the art of proposal writing, documentation, and detailed reporting that drives both learning and impact.
I started with the Resilience Learning Activity (RLA) team, just as resilience programming in Northern Kenya was gaining traction. Our mandate was simple but not easy: keep moving forward despite the challenges of COVID-19. Together, we covered nine counties from Northern Kenya to the South Eastern counties of Kitui, Makueni, and Taita Taveta ensuring learning and collaboration never stopped.
Through this role, I also engaged with PREG meetings, where the spirit of collaboration and learning truly came alive. A highlight for me was applying my production background to deliver learning events for USAID programs. The most memorable was the USAID Nawiri Transition Event, where we connected five satellite locations across counties with the Nairobi team an incredible moment of innovation and teamwork, brilliantly steered by Antonina (Ann) Miceli. Another milestone was the Greater Horn of Africa Regional Knowledge Sharing Meeting, which gave me a broader, regional perspective on resilience and learning, with Joshua Wathanga delivering with precision.
Since joining USAID as a consultant, we’ve had the privilege of supporting major events and producing hundreds of learning modules through audio and video. None of this would have been possible without incredible colleagues and champions along the way. A special thank you to Mercyline and team, and to Anthony Nyandiek, Margaret, and Gabriel from CRS whom I fondly call “Theory of Change” after one unforgettable presentation that was bigger than our LED screens! I am equally grateful to the RLA team and Jennifer Maurer, Dorine Genga, Jim Flock, Ibrahim Somo, Yasmin Farah Mohamed, Hussein Nur, and Faith Njoki Njung’e, whose support was instrumental.
Today, as the world faces yet another crisis with global aid cuts, I believe new opportunities will still emerge. Just as we started our consultancy firm as greenhorns during COVID-19, we now stand at the cusp of launching #PNTVAfrica a dedicated TV channel that will continue telling stories of resilience, development, and innovation across Kenya and the wider region.
The experience I had with USAID remains a foundation for everything we are building today. It is also a reminder that even in times of crisis, opportunities can arise and that collaboration, creativity, and knowledge can light the way forward.
#CelebratingUSAIDLegacy #CelebratingUSAIDImpact #CelebratingUSAIDVoices