I saw myself in her.

On March 14, 2025, I received a message from one of our local partners in Kenya, Mwendwa, a longtime friend currently volunteering as a HopeWorks Global program coordinator in Kenya. He had just returned from a community outreach trip to distribute food in Samburu and sent over a series of photos.

As I scrolled through them, I froze.

My heart sank. These weren’t just pictures, they were memories. They were my childhood.

One photo in particular gripped me: Namunyak (not her real name), a little girl in her school uniform, crouched over a muddy puddle, drinking water poured from a plastic container. Livestock surrounded her. Her uniform was clean, her posture humble, her need undeniable.

It was as if time hadn’t moved (I'm the girl in the blue sweater). The same struggles I once lived were still playing out, frame by frame, through his lens. The dust, the thirst, the quiet resilience etched into each child’s face was all too familiar. And what struck me most was not how far I’d come, but how far too many have been left behind.

That girl could have been me.

I grew up in Kitui, a dry region in Eastern Kenya. By the age of ten, I had mastered the art of carrying a 5-gallon water container on my back. During school holidays, we stayed with relatives where our days began at sunrise herding livestock, working the fields, digging for water in dry riverbeds. That same water muddy and shared with animals was used for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.

Poverty wasn’t just our backdrop. It shaped every part of my life.

I still carry the physical scars: a burn on my arm from fighting for food, a scar on my foot from stepping on a nail while walking barefoot in worn-out shoes. I carry emotional scars, too from witnessing domestic violence, surviving abuse, and losing a family member who was trafficked and later died of HIV-related complications.

This is not just about Samburu. Many communities across Kenya live with the same daily hardships. In Samburu, girls are still being married off for livestock. They’re still undergoing female genital mutilation. And they’re still drinking from the same water holes as animals.

But there is resilience here, too. The same community creates stunning handmade jewelry full of culture, skill, and beauty.

That’s why I helped create AfroKouture, a purpose-driven fashion brand that partners with artisans in these communities. While AfroKouture is not a nonprofit, it’s part of the solution. Every item sold provides income to women and helps fund prevention programs through HopeWorks Global including this campaign for clean water.

Why Water? Why Now?

Because traffickers prey on desperation.
Because girls who walk miles alone for water are at risk.
Because when families are in survival mode, they become more vulnerable to false promises.
Because when we provide water, we remove one of the greatest risks of exploitation.

Water is not just a basic need.
Water is protection.
Water is prevention.
Water is power.

Our Goal: $38,000

We’re raising $38,000 to drill clean water boreholes in Samburu and expand our human trafficking prevention programs.

With your support, we will:

Provide clean, sustainable water to vulnerable communities
Keep girls in school and reduce their risk of early marriage and trafficking
Improve health, nutrition, and community resilience
Equip families to manage and maintain their own water systems
Expand training and awareness that protects children and restores hope

About HopeWorks Global

HopeWorks Global is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking by addressing its root causes poverty, lack of education, and absence of essential resources like clean water.

We provide prevention training, empower women, equip families, and build long-term solutions in high-risk communities.

This Is Personal. This Is Prevention.

I didn’t choose where I was born. But someone chose to help and it changed everything.

Now I’m choosing to pay it forward. I’m choosing to help the girl in that photo. I’m choosing to fight for clean water, dignity, and freedom.

Will you join me?

Give water. Give safety. Give hope.

Together, we can stop trafficking before it starts.

She Was Me: Why Clean Water Is Our Best Defense Against Trafficking