My Voice, My Story
My Voice, My Story
Finding the words to express feelings is often difficult for many children. Some children speak through words, others through play, and some through quiet moments of creativity that slowly reveal their confidence.
One Saturday in May at Olturoto Children’s Village (OCV), our After-School Programme created space for exactly that. Through a storytelling session titled “My World, My Story,” we encouraged children to explore their voices, imaginations, and experiences in ways that felt safe, personal, and empowering.
Advisory Board Member Janice Njoroge facilitated the session. She introduced the children to a powerful idea: every child has a story worth telling. More importantly, children do not have to write stories. They can draw, act, speak, imagine, or share them through poetry.
As the session unfolded, creativity and excitement quickly transformed the room. Some children carefully wrote stories about future dreams, moments of courage, or people who make them feel strong. Others picked up pencils and crayons to draw places that bring them joy and peace. A few children chose poetry, while others created imaginative stories about kindness, superheroes, and the world they would create if given the chance.
The growing confidence behind the creativity stood out. Quiet children became deeply engaged, proudly sharing their ideas and expressing themselves freely among their peers.
One child excitedly shared:
“I can now write my story and draw my happy place.”
For us at Kickstart, the session represented something much deeper than storytelling. It became another important step toward helping children understand that their voices matter. Following recent safeguarding sessions around speaking up and staying safe, the activity reinforced that children can communicate thoughts, emotions, worries, and hopes in many different ways, especially in ways they feel comfortable with.
At OCV, we believe that when we give children safe spaces to express themselves, they do more than tell stories; they build confidence, discover their identity, and begin to understand that the world deserves to hear their voice.
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