To begin my essay for a Chewing Scholarship, I want to provide examples of my recent experiences. I worked as an HIV/AIDS program manager in Nyanza region in 2013. This made me realize that many orphaned children lacked information about sex and sexuality, making them more vulnerable to early sex in an attempt to make ends meet . I saw myself as part of them and the desire for justice burned within me. Courageously, with no parenting experience, I developed a parenting skills curriculum that develops the skills of parents and caregivers to have effective parent-child communication, especially on sexuality education. Through the support of World Vision International, I led a team of facilitators who implemented parenting skills training in 13 counties in the Western and Nyanza regions of Kenya. We have managed to train 1,096 healthcare workers who care for over 70,000 orphans and vulnerable children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Later, I returned to my village where teenage pregnancy and school dropout were rampant. I founded CECED; an initiative that provides young women and girls with sexual reproductive health information. With the support of the African Women Development Fund, we have reached over 2500 girls and young women through sports who have seen delayed sexual debut, increased supply and demand, and uptake of reproductive health services across the country . In recognition of my efforts, I was selected for the prestigious Young African Leadership Initiative regional scholarship to enhance my leadership skills. I was also selected as a demographic dividend advocate by PRB's PACE project for stellar work in advocacy. As an expert on issues related to reproductive health and gender-based violence, I have played an active role in engaging in various activities to address the challenges of reproductive health and gender-based violence both locally and nationally through sports, cultural events , mentorship programs, radio interviews. aimed at educating the public on sexual reproductive issues. I was also a member of the team that reviewed the 2007 national youth policies. I currently manage the Health Renaissance network; a platform that seeks to improve the county's healthcare sector and cultivate the interests of young healthcare professionals, as well as share experiences, challenges and best practices on the healthcare profession. In 2018, I was selected as the first youth governor of Kericho to represent a population of over 300,000 youth. With the advent of devolution and the creation of county governments, youth affairs were not prioritised. This role led me to advocate and push for marginalized youth to be meaningfully involved in agenda setting, policy formulation and implementation. I represented and fostered the interest of youth across the county leadership team during the development of the Kericho County Integrated Development Plan 2018-2022 which saw some of the youth issues taken into account in the plan, provided oversight and facilitated implementation of 30% procurement law in all departments, planned and hosted youth forums aimed at building their capacities on issues affecting them which created hope, proactivity and resilience among them, strengthened collaborations and partnerships with financial institutions which havestrengthened entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy and economic empowerment, and developed and offered consultancy and professional skills development programs across the country and beyond. A leader not only prepares for the comfort and predictability of yesterday, but also for the realities of today and the unknown possibilities of tomorrow. Networking is made up of human connections and relationships established with people. Echoing the words of Arese Ugwu, “Having an extensive network allows you to maximize your potential. There is no level playing field, but it can be argued that in Kenya the field is a little more uneven. A person's ability to lead and influence others is closely linked to their ability to grow and leverage their network to capitalize on opportunities." In my HIV/AIDS volunteer programs in 2013, I had the privilege of meeting children, youth, and adults of low and high economic status affected and infected by the disease alongside HIV program experts. I often asked questions about their experiences, found common points of interest, and found interesting tidbits about myself in the conversation. The older people shared knowledge which formed insights when writing the curriculum on parenting skills. This is also where I found mentors who invested in my growth and saw me succeed in community programs through the introductions I made through their guidance. They connected me to opportunities and shared with me how to convert networks into opportunities. The young children still remain my friends and I offer them tutoring as a reward. In 2016, I attended the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) training in Nairobi for 8 weeks. It was full of speeches, presentations, panel discussions, virtual learning and interactive sessions. The training represented East Africa's regional platform where young leaders shared experiences and learnings on a journey to success as community leaders. It was invigorating as leaders were not only making a huge positive impact in communities, but they were also making a killing financially. The network has allowed me to deal with different professionals from the public sector, academia, government and business and from different cultures. This is where I worked with a team from 5 countries on a design challenge, a real life challenge for a real client with learning programs. After the training, I leveraged connections and mobilized $15,000 worth of resources to launch a sexual and reproductive health program and later conducted online activism against gender-based violence. To this day, we still share opportunities and continue to mentor each other. My work with county government and advocacy organizations was instrumental in creating the vast network that became a springboard for me as a youth advocate during integrated county development as part of the budget advocacy process. I could get crucial information, especially about public participation. It also made me interact with CEOs of different county departments, county economists and county assembly members and discussed the need to invest in youth to achieve demographic dividend and social economic development. It also gave me the opportunity to share the information I gained through my networks. The county's final five-year integrated development plan took into consideration some youth proposals. Additionally, I engage in youth and women health awareness and empowerment activities as a speaker, facilitator and mentor. InAs a youth governor, I organized youth networking forums with stakeholders to stimulate social, political and economic development and, through this, I engaged in different media platforms, coordinated with organizations such as Center Study for Adolescent to engage, connect, collaborate, update and find opportunities beyond reproductive health. A diverse network is a source of better identification and higher levels of solutions through divergent thinking. The Chevening platform will help me build quality friendships around the world that would transform lives by attracting new businesses, gaining access to partnerships, and raising funds for health equity. In seeking advice on how to advance my career, professionals and previous Chevening scholars recommended UK postgraduate studies. Together with the thirst to meet new people from different cultures, backgrounds and nations to connect with, I choose the United Kingdom. Furthermore, I need to discover the world and enhance personal development through adopting new culture, beliefs and climate in addition to education. I wish to study health policy with City University London, a leading provider of health education and research with exceptional teaching and clinical facilities in the heart of London. The specialist academic team is interesting as it meets the health and social sectors involved in developing practices and policies that inform current and future healthcare systems globally. The CPD portfolio is unique in that it tailors activities to professional and personal development. Superb internal facilities such as the clinical skills centre, VERT and speech therapy center reflect the real healthcare environment. The UK Health Policy and International Health Systems module will provide me with the skills needed to manage international organizations and strengthen transnational links. This is invaluable to me, being a healthcare worker in a rural setting with limited resources and healthcare inequities. The course will provide me with the skills needed to help meet people's changing health needs, understand, analyze and influence the health policy process and to operate within a complex political environment. London Metropolitan University offers health and social care policy and management. His CV focusing on policy, management and collaborative working structures is interesting. It is desirable to be endorsed by the Royal Society for Public Health and recent revalidation and refocusing increases the opportunity to combine the study of health and social policy with special modules in assessment, management, social care practice, regeneration and health public. The fact that 100% of graduates work or continue their studies within 6 months is really fascinating because healthcare education in Kenya is not connected to the reality on the ground and the number of healthcare providers is too limited. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay I look forward to pursuing health systems and global policy with Queen Mary University of London as it addresses how public policy and market forces operate to shape the principles and practice of effective, provision and improving efficient and equitable healthcare across countries. Studying with Dr. David McCoy, who has worked in public health and health systems development in South Africa which transformed the South African healthcare system, is inspiring. I will learn the role of institutions)..