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Sharon (aged 34) left Kenya in 2018 to go to the Netherlands.
Sharon was inspired by her mother’s fight to give her daughters a better life, motivated by the lack of opportunities for graduates from Kenyan higher education, and encouraged by her Dutch partner in Kenya, to apply to do a Masters in Globalization and Development in the Netherlands.
Although adapting to a new life in the Netherlands has come with challenges, the move has allowed her to live in line with her feminist values. At the same time, her transnational connections to family around the world provide her the resources to build this new life.
During her interview, speaking of her decision to leave Kenya rather than be a stay-at-home mother, she declares that “for me, it was such a powerful thing to do, because I thought, I’m not going to be what they expect me to be, I’m going to be different.”.
For her, the object that best represents her migration experience is a photograph of her mother, who inspired her to seek a better life abroad.
Interview conducted by Brigitte Le Normand on 30 May, 2023 in Maastricht, the Netherlands
To cite this interview: Le Normand, Brigitte (30 May 2023). Interview of Sharon (from Kenya to the Netherlands). Maastricht, the Netherlands (2:45 min.)