A special screening of the Africa Academy Award-winning film NAWI: Dear Future Me, based on true events written by Kenyan teen counsellor Milcah Cherotich.

Milcah Cherotich was working as a teen counselor in Kenya when she entered a nationwide writing competition. She wrote about child marriage because she watched it destroy people she loved. Her sister was forced to marry at 13. A childhood friend was dragged away from a market by men with sticks.

She won that competition. 

Her story became NAWI: Dear Future Me. The film, which has won 25 International Festivals, is coming to North America this March.  

In NAWI, a 13-year-old finds out her father is selling her to a much older man for a herd of goats. On her wedding night, she escapes and walks to Nairobi to pursue her education. When she learns her infant sister is being forced to take her place, she returns. Her defiance sets off a chain of events that challenges tradition and demands change.

In 2025, the film became Kenya's official submission "Best International Feature Film" category of the 97th Academy Awards. It was directed by Kevin Schmutzler, a filmmaker known for producing documentaries that fund schools and shelters across Africa and South America (Biking Borders, Robin: Watch for Wishes).