Nana Wanjau Explained

Nana Wanjau is a Kenyan philanthropist known for her work as president of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East and for her founding of the non-profit Power Woman International that works to help widows in Kenya.

Early life

Wanjau was born on October 26, 1979, to a Kenyan father and a Tanzanian mother.[1] At early age, she was raised by her grandmother in Bukoba, Tanzania. When her grandfather died, the community forced her grandmother to leave the community because of her grandmother's position as a widow.[2] After her high school years, Wanjau went to stay with her mother in Lusaka, Zambia. Her mother, a medical doctor, influenced her to enroll to medical college and study medicine. Wanjau attended the program for 1 year before dropping out of college. Subsequently, she moved to Ivory Coast where her father was based, at the age of 21, her father’s work brought him back home, so Nana came to Kenya and settled.

Career

Wanjau initially worked in information technology, but then became a stay at home mom.[3] She became interested in charitable work after watching her mother run a medical clinic in Zambia.[4] She joined the Rotary Club in 2005, and served as president of Rotary Club of Nairobi East, Kenya for one year long, from 2015 until 2016.[5] [6] [7] In this period she worked to expand libraries in Korogocho,[8] and she joined a group of people who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for charity.[9]

In January 2023, she was appointed as chairperson at Commonwealth Business Women Africa,[10] and in this role she worked to increase digital literacy for girls.[11] In 2022 Wanjau talked about the organization's role in promoting gender equality for women in Africa.[12] As of 2023, she was chief gender officer at Pan African Chamber of Commerce.[13]

After completing her term as president of the Rotary Club, she started Power Women International, a non-profit that aides widows in Kenya.[14] The organization helps widows remain in their communities through building houses and providing training, a need Wanjau recognized because her of experience as a young child and further developed in Wanjau's conversations with widows.

She also founded Branding Beyond Borders (network for various professionals), and Saltaway Investments Ltd, a Kenyan real estate company.[15] [16]

Honors and awards

Wanjau is the winner of 2019 East Africa Woman Leadership Award.[17] [18] [19]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ashley . Diana . 2017-07-01 . Nana's Dedicated Service to Ostracized Widows . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170829134853/https://mkazi-magazine.com/nanas-dedicated-service-to-ostracized-widows/ . August 29, 2017 . 2024-02-11 . Mkazi Magazine . en-US.
  2. News: July 15, 2017 . No husband no dignity? Group helps widows rebuild their lives . The Star (Nairobi, Kenya) . Gale (publisher).
  3. Web site: AKELLO . ESTHER . NANA WANJAU Woman without limits – Parents Africa . 2024-02-13 . parentsafrica.com.
  4. News: Munde . Claire . October 22, 2016 . I blend my charity work with personal growth . The Star (Nairobi, Kenya) . Gale (publisher).
  5. Web site: 2015-06-01 . Nana Wanjau takes over as Rotary Club president - Business Today Kenya . 2024-02-13 . en-US.
  6. Web site: MEET THE COVER MODELS – Parents Africa . 2024-02-13 . parentsafrica.com.
  7. Web site: Nana Wanjau » Rotary Club of Nairobi East . 2024-02-11 . Rotary Club of Nairobi East . en-GB.
  8. News: 30 July 2015 . Rotary Club Working to Improve Literacy in Korogocho Slum . AllAfrica.com; Washington.
  9. News: Kimutai . Carole . January 24, 2015 . Kilimanjaro: Life changing five days of pain and pleasure . Daily Nation, Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya) . Gale (publisher).
  10. Web site: Susan Nyawira . The star . 2019-08-21 . Kenya launches the Commonwealth Business Women Network . 2024-02-11 . The Star . en-KE.
  11. Web site: 2024-01-05 . Commonwealth Business Women Africa signs deal to equip 1 million girls with coding skills . 2024-02-12 . Citizen Digital . en-KE.
  12. News: Janga . Edwina Sia . March 14, 2022 . Sia Bayoh Talks About Mainstreaming Vulnerable Women in Education . allAfrica.com; AllAfrica Global Media . Gale (publisher).
  13. Web site: 2023-12-10 . Our Team - Pan African Chamber of Commerce . https://web.archive.org/web/20231210200955/https://panafricanchamber.com/our-team/ . December 10, 2023 . 2024-06-05 .
  14. News: April 25, 2017 . Kenyans speak out against widow-cleansing tradition . Al Jazeera America . Gale (publisher).
  15. Web site: Ogina . Elvis . Agency to train women in business . 2024-02-12 . The Standard . en.
  16. Web site: 2017-03-20 . How I moved on after losing my husband at 15 » . 2024-02-11 . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Nana Wanjau – Global Council for the Promotion of International Trade . 2024-02-11 . en-US.
  18. Web site: Wanjau . Nana . 2023-09-08 . Women of the Global South Are Key to the Energy Transition . 2024-02-12 . Modern Diplomacy . en-US.
  19. Web site: Motivational speaker Wale Akinyemi Inspires . 2024-02-12 . The Star . en-KE.

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