Celebrating One Month since Nyandu Spark Initiative was Launched | A Founder’s Story By Athieng Riakbai
When Advocacy Was Just Milk
Before microphones, before policy tables, before the name Nyandu Spark — there was a barefoot girl in a cattle camp.
I was five. My brother, also a child, was denied his rightful nourishment. His cow reassigned. His hunger dismissed. When weakness set in, they didn’t offer help — they gave him names. Lazy. Useless.
On the third day, I refused my milk.
No tantrum. Just silence. Then tears. Then questions. Until the elders gathered, and I stood and asked:
“How can I eat while my brother starves?”
That moment gave my brother milk. But it gave me something more.
An elder tapped my shoulder, looked into my eyes, and said:
“Keep that heart, my niece.”
I have.
Nyandu Means Your Daughter
The name Nyandu Spark is not random. It’s rooted in Dinka truth.
Nyandu means your daughter.
To us, every girl is someone’s daughter — someone worth protecting, empowering, and believing in.
At Nyandu Spark Initiative (NSI), we stand with daughters:
- Traded into child marriage
- Silenced by gender-based violence
- Denied by inequality
- Daring to dream — whether barefoot in cattle camps or bold at policy tables
Our Spark Is Survivor-Led
NSI was born from memory. From witness. From refusal. From resilience.
We don’t just build programs. We ignite courage.
- Child marriage must end; because childhood is not a contract
- Gender inequality must be challenged; because dignity is not negotiable
- GBV must be confronted; because safety is not a privilege
- Youth voices must rise; because justice begins before adulthood
Nyandu Spark means advocating like you’d fight for your own daughter — because that’s who she is.
Today, as we mark one month since our launch and unveil our official website, we honor the journey that began over three decades ago. A journey sparked by a child’s refusal, and sustained by a heart that never stopped fighting.
We carry the elder’s blessing with us:
“Keep that heart, my niece.”
And we will.
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