From The End of the Road to Reshaping Women’s Futures

Story By Tabitha Mwai From the End of the Road to Empowering a Generation

“I’m a product of mentorship by women, some not even related to me, who have challenged me at every stage of my journey”

A social advocate for justice and peace with global accolades, Betty Adera has carved a trail for herself as the world grapples with embracing women’s leadership. She is a global public health specialist in adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights.

Betty is also in the political space. She believes “political influence is key to achieving goals for communities, particularly for women.”

Upbringing

Born and bred in Migori County, in a village known as Wuoth Ogik (Dholuo for ‘the end of the road’), having a career as a woman seemed like a distant dream.

“I could see my classmates, a good number of them, today they were in school, tomorrow they were not,” she recalls.

A lot of young girls had to drop out of school due to teenage pregnancy and others were forced into marriage to manage the embarrassment, which is still a reality in many areas, not just in Kenya.

Having been raised by educators, her parents prioritised their education. Her father would tell the girls, “Your job will be your first husband.”

The statement made little sense then but, in the fullness of time, Betty has come to understand the analogy.

“I am the sixth born in a family of eight and we lost our dad when I was in class four and none of my elder siblings had finished school,” she says.

This left her mother, a primary school teacher, with the burden of educating them. She did all that was humanly possible to educate them and would take all kinds of loans available to keep them in school.

Betty has much admiration for her mother. She was widowed at 32 and left to care for eight children. She focused on her children and never remarried yet she was still in her prime.

In Betty’s view, there was something extraordinary about her mother. She was not a mother to just them but also to the cousins who lived in their household.

“As we went on with our daily lives, she always covered us with prayer. If she was not in class teaching, she was somewhere kneeling in prayer,” Betty says.

The Journey

Ms. Adera is now a mother of two young men, a title she carries with honour and pride. She believes that being a mother is one of the greatest tasks that God gave her and one that she has given her best shot.

For her, it was a deliberate decision to choose her sons after going through divorce. She has let go of many attractive opportunities because they did not serve her sons’ best interests.

It is their unwritten rule to be home by seven o’clock to have dinner together. This is a time to bond and a way for her to know what is happening in her sons’ lives. Otherwise, it is so easy for family members to be estranged despite living under the same roof.

“Like everyone else, life has done life on me.”

Betty had to raise her children by herself from a young age, following her encounter with domestic violence, an experience that she endured for 18 years, including emotional and physical scars that outlived the marriage.

Over time, with a lot of work towards healing, Betty has been able to speak up about her experiences to inspire others.

Betty vividly recalls the day she went public with her story. She had been invited as the chief speaker in an international event focusing on women’s empowerment. As the master of ceremony introduced her, enumerating her achievements, she was struck that she did not see herself that way.

She points out that violence has a way of tainting how one views oneself, different from those of their admirers.

“Any form of violence, particularly against women and girls, takes away something from you. It rips your confidence and your drive and tears you apart. If not handled professionally, even capable productive women may end up lost on account of damning mental health issues.”

As it were, that is the introduction that sparked the courage to speak out. Ms. Adera decided to share her story. It was a surprising story to many, but its outcome was even more shocking, perhaps overwhelming.

Betty started getting calls from dozens of people, both male and female. People from all walks of life, including women high up the corporate ladder who had endured violence at home and in the workplace.

“No matter the level of education or exposure or position in society, violence is violence,” she says.

Betty Adera Foundation

Exactly one week after Betty shared her story, the Betty Adera Foundation was born.

The foundation is a platform that offers a safe space for people experiencing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). They offer a listening ear and work collaboratively with the victim to develop mitigation measures.

Their interventions are guided by professionals.

For those who choose legal redress, a team of lawyers working on a pro-bono basis helps them understand what the process will look like.

Those who seek reconciliation are also supported through counselling, and those with physical injury are given medical care.

She says sadly that they have not won every battle for every woman or girl.

“Nonetheless, many stories need to be told even if they are hard to listen to.”

Leadership Journey

From an early age, Betty held various leadership positions — class prefect, games captain, choir leader — despite her not being the best.

At home, she was a ‘Daddy’s girl’ and would get more responsibilities than her siblings.

By the age of seven, she was already cooking for everyone. Betty reveals she was also a snitch and would tell on her siblings.

At times she acted as their bridge to seek favours from the father.

Betty’s earlier roles did not feel like leadership to her, yet at every level in her life it appears she has been in charge of something, including projects, teams, and departments at work.

Currently, she is a senior technical advisor for HIV/AIDS and health at Global Communities.

Achievements

She has won numerous awards locally and internationally.

2025: United States President’s International Leadership Award
2024: Ambassador for Peace – Universal Peace Federation
2023: Outstanding Women’s Voice – Humanitarian Awards Global
2020: National Ambassador for Clean Content – Kenya Film Classification Board
2020: Role Model of the Year – Talent Prenuer Awards
2019: UNESCO’s Books for Peace Award
2019: Humanitarian Medal of Honor – World Peace and Diplomacy Organization
2019: Global ICON Award – Passion Vista
2018: CEO of the Year – Global Communities
2015: Exceptional Field Staff – Global Communities

Betty believes leaders must be knowledgeable, intentional, and empowering. They must be accountable and make intelligent contributions to society.

Despite her focus on global public health, she also holds multiple postgraduate diplomas in diverse fields including climate change.

Ms President & Media Focus on Africa

“Any form of violence, particularly against women and girls, takes away something from you.”

Her participation in Ms President, a reality TV show developing women’s leadership skills, aired on Kenya Television Network. It gave her a platform to showcase her leadership ability and brand herself.

“Our society still has a long way to go in embracing women in leadership.”

Girl Child Education

Betty is deeply passionate about girl child education.

“If I never went to school, I wouldn’t have managed to take care of my children and me… that means I wouldn’t have a story to tell.”

The Betty Adera Foundation, in partnership with Rise Up, is working on a project advocating for young and teen mothers to return to school.

She explains the issue is rooted in lack of information about sexual health, poverty, and neglect of girls’ education.

“Like everyone else, life has done life on me.”

With some parents prioritising boys, girls are left vulnerable. The foundation uses a multi-sectoral approach to bring girls, families, and stakeholders together to get girls back to school — even through adult literacy programs.