Margaret Kenyi
Margaret is the Founder and Executive Director of Step by Step Learning Center (SSLC), a non profit inclusive special needs educational program established in Arusha, Tanzania. It provides high quality special education for students and adults with learning difficulties at all stages of their development.
What is your definition of changemaker?
A changemaker is someone who decides to take matters into their own hands and find a solution when the world tells them ‘no’ or ‘you can’t do that’.
What is the biggest challenge you have experienced as a changemaker?
Lack of resources and financial support has been a consistent challenge. I find that many of the expansion ideas we have for SSLC are slowed down or put on hold because identifying funding through grants is an unpredictable and sometimes complicated process.
How do you bring about change in your life, in your community, or in your field?
SSLC opened its doors for the first time to my autistic daughter Ruth, its first student, on the 29th September 2005. It was a dream come true for my family and I after many years of frustration in trying to find a suitable quality education for Ruth in a country where resources for people with learning disabilities are scarce. I founded SSLC so that other parents would not have to go through the winding and painful path that I did. It is a place where children and adults with learning difficulties and their families will always feel welcome, safe and supported.
What is your hope for the next generation of changemakers?
I hope that they continue not taking ‘no’ for an answer because the solutions to the world’s problems lies within them. Keep challenging the status quo and building stronger, more inclusive communities!
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