Fidelis Wainaina

Who was Fidelis Wainaina?

Fidelis Wainaina was the founder of Maseno Interchristian Child Self Help Group, an organization that strives for self- sustainability through agriculture, for the people of rural western Kenya. She won the Yara Prize in 2006 alongside Celina Cossa of Mozambique.

A former school- teacher, Wainaina abandoned her teaching career to eradicate poverty and hunger, assisting impoverished families by participating in the African Green Revolution. Popularly known by the Luo people of western Kenya as Nyar Okuyo, Wainaina was a champion of "gender revolution" in advocacy for women empowerment. Her focus groups in development were mainly street children and widows, especially those ravaged by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

She died on March 5, 2008 at age 46, after being diagnosed with cancer.