Amina’s Story

Amina is a postgraduate programme scholarship recipient from Kenya. This is her story.

After completing her studies in Agroforestry at Bangor University, Amina was keen to use her newly acquired skills and knowledge to not only improve her life, but also to serve and impact her community. Amina returned to Kenya and resumed work at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI). She worked here prior to her study in the UK, but returned to a promotion to the position of Research Officer and a transfer to the KEFRI office in Garissa town, which is her place of birth. Amina admits that the training from Bangor University has provided opportunities for her to serve her community in a bigger and better capacity, which has ultimately impacted positively on the lives of those around her.

Amina now runs a mentorship programme for girls in secondary schools in Garissa County that seeks to bridge the gap in access to education for girls from her community. Activities involve mentorship to encourage more girls to undertake STEM courses, providing guidance on higher education opportunities, and supporting girls to navigate and overcome the cultural barriers to the education of young women. 

She is also keen to continue with her research and is particularly passionate about research that addresses climate change issues. Amina was part of a flood risk mapping training in Garissa where she tabled her intervention innovation presentation “Planting bamboo species for the protection and conservation of water and soil in the River Tana”. Her innovation was subsequently adopted. 

Amina is grateful for the Windle Trust International Postgraduate Programme; an opportunity that she says gave her a “global focus”. She looks forward to collaborating directly on mentorship, career guidance, training and school activities such as tree planting as a give back initiative.