I don’t know about you but for me, the end of the year is always a period of reflection where I contemplate what I’ve achieved vis-à-vis what I had planned when the year began. The reflections are not always happy ones, sometimes bitter sweet, but always, there is a sense of hope that whatever dreams I have, will come to pass in the New Year.
For many infertile couples, getting to hear about in Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), offers hope of a new dawn after years of stigma with the wife bearing the brunt. Cruel relatives have by then called her all sorts of names, often urging her husband to get himself another wife to bear him children, never mind that he could be the one with the problem.
Although IVF has been around for a decade in Kenya, it is still controversial. Surrogates have been called everything from gold diggers to adulterers, and couples deemed selfish for spending so much money – sometimes millions – in the quest for a child who carries their DNA. Our second issue explores all things IVF; from the business end of the procedures, to the ways in which infertile couples, egg and sperm donors, surrogates, doctors and other stakeholders are navigating this minefield, courting cultural and religious taboos at every turn, while a legal vacuum compounds the agony for couples fortunate enough to be blessed with an IVF baby.
In this issue we also walk with Zain Verjee, former CNN anchor, as she embarks on a journey into entrepreneurship in the digital space. Kenya’s most popular blogger, Jackson Biko has honoured us with a rare interview and Them Mushrooms, still going strong after four decades, share their musical voyage, filled with triumph and tragedy alike, as well as their plans to take their music in a new direction. These are just a few of the gems we prepared for you, so turn the page and get reading. We love to hear from you, so drop us a line when you’re done, or talk to us on social media.
Wishing you a joyful and fruitful 2017.