Every year on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the women and men who shape our futures through their patience, strength, and vision. But for many girls, a teacher is more than an educator. A teacher is a defender of their rights, a voice that insists they matter, and often, the first person who shows them they deserve to take up space in the world.
This year, we honour Madam Pauline Omonge, a teacher whose work in Ndhiwa has been nothing short of transformative.
When Teaching Becomes Liberation
When Pauline joined Twende Pamoja in 2020 as a Girls’ Advocate at Ndhiwa Primary School, she didn’t just teach. She created a safe space for girls in a society where too often their voices are silenced and their dreams overlooked. She listened when they shared their fears, she guided them through challenges, and she reminded them of their worth at every step.
Her lessons went far beyond academics. Pauline spoke about self-care, resilience, and self-pride. She taught girls that their bodies, their voices, and their futures belonged to them. That kind of teaching is revolutionary, because it plants the seeds of confidence and resistance in girls who are growing up in a world that doesn’t always affirm them.
It was no surprise when her leadership earned her promotion to Deputy Headteacher. Yet what makes Pauline remarkable is that even in this new role, she has never stopped centering girls. The ones she once mentored still carry her lessons, walking taller because she once believed in them.
A Trophy for Every Girl’s Voice
Pauline is not only a teacher. She is a poet, a storyteller, and a woman who knows that words can change the world. In her poetry, she challenges the stereotypes that tell girls to shrink themselves. In her stories, she reminds them that their voices matter. And she does not keep this gift for herself. She invites her students into that same creative space, where every poem, song, and performance becomes an act of freedom.
This year, that freedom carried her learners all the way to the Kenya National Music Festivals. They returned home as champions, holding a trophy that spoke louder than any doubt cast on girls from Ndhiwa. For Pauline, the victory was never only about winning. It was about showing her girls that they belong on national stages. That they deserve to be seen, to be heard, and to be celebrated.
Yesterday, the country saw what her community has always known. On World Teachers’ Day, Pauline was honored as a Distinguished Awardee, recognized for her exemplary work, her tireless commitment, and her outstanding contribution to shaping both individuals and society.
Today, she continues her journey at Pala Primary School as Deputy Headteacher, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow educators, and keeping girls at the center of everything she does. She also gives her time to Twende Pamoja’s holiday programs, where she uses poetry, songs, and drama as tools of empowerment. In every space she steps into, Pauline shows us that teaching can be resistance, and that classrooms can be places where girls find their power.
A call to celebrate teachers
Today, we celebrate Madam Pauline Omonge. We celebrate her courage to lead, her commitment to girls, and her unwavering belief that education must also mean empowerment.
To our partners and supporters: when you invest in education, you are investing in women like Pauline who are rewriting what leadership, teaching, and advocacy look like for girls. And through them, you are investing in generations of bold, confident young women ready to transform their world.
