Impact in Focus – HELGA
Empowering Women, Transforming Communities

As we work toward our 2025 #OneTeam for Kenya campaign goal, we never lose sight of the fact that real impact isn’t measured solely in dollars raised—it’s measured in the lives and communities transformed. Behind every contribution are stories of resilience, hope, and the power of education to break cycles of inequality. We want you to understand exactly what you’re supporting when you donate to our campaign or join us on an Impact Journey to Kenya. 

Among our trusted partners in Kenya is HELGA (Humanitarian Efforts for Learning of the Girl Child in Africa), an organization dedicated to protecting girls from harmful traditional practices while empowering them through education. Their work addresses critical issues at the intersection of our core focus areas: social equity, access to healthcare, and access to education. Through comprehensive programs that include rescue, education, counseling, and community reintegration, HELGA is creating lasting change—one girl at a time. 

The stories that follow put a human face on HELGA’s vital work and demonstrate the ripple effects that occur when girls are given the opportunity to pursue their dreams. 

From Survivor to Entrepreneur: Anna’s Transformation

Anna’s journey began in 2009 when she arrived at HELGA’s rescue center as a young girl escaping sexual violence. What she found there was more than safety—she discovered her potential. Through HELGA’s holistic approach combining education, counseling, healthcare, and vocational training, Anna not only healed but flourished academically, rising to the top of her class. 

Her growth extended far beyond the classroom. Through empowerment workshops, Anna developed the confidence to become an advocate for girls’ education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she gave back to the organization that raised her by helping streamline operations, demonstrating natural leadership abilities. 

Today, Anna holds a diploma in Human Resource and International Relations and has launched a successful beauty and haircare business. She manages three shops in Nairobi while offering beauty therapy services for events. But perhaps most remarkably, Anna has chosen to transform her pain into purpose—regularly visiting HELGA to mentor the next generation of girls and sharing her story as proof that transformation is possible. 

Anna’s journey illustrates how comprehensive support can help survivors not just recover, but become change-makers in their own communities. 

Building Bridges: Lavender’s Path to Tech Leadership

When Lavender arrived at HELGA in 2017, she was seeking refuge from forced marriage and female genital mutilation. While the Center provided immediate safety, it also addressed a deeper challenge: the emotional distance that develops between rescued girls and their families. 

Recognizing this need, HELGA launched a groundbreaking reintegration initiative. Before any girl returns home, the organization conducts thorough home visits to assess family dynamics and create reintegration plans built on respect and shared hope. When HELGA visited Lavender’s family, they found parents eager to reconnect but unsure how to support their daughter’s new dreams. 

Today, Lavender is thriving in high school with her sights set on becoming a software engineer—a career path that seemed impossible in her village. Her passion for technology is driven by a desire to create solutions that improve lives, particularly for women and girls in underserved communities. She has become a vocal advocate, participating in the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM and speaking out against the very practices she escaped. 

Lavender’s story demonstrates HELGA’s understanding that true empowerment requires not just rescuing girls, but helping them rebuild connections with their communities on their own terms. 

Creating Generational Change: Sisita’s Circle of Impact

In 2014, Sisita fled her home to escape forced marriage, arriving at HELGA’s center with nothing but hope. As she progressed through primary and secondary school, embracing the Center Director’s words that “education is your armor,” Sisita discovered her calling in service to others. 

After graduation, she chose to stay and volunteer as a storekeeper, providing quiet reassurance to newly arrived girls who had walked the same painful path. Her dedication led to her appointment as Youth Representative on the Board, giving voice to the girls she served alongside. 

When Sisita learned that her twelve-year-old sister and thirteen-year-old niece were at risk of the same fate she had escaped, she didn’t hesitate. “Give them the chance I had,” she told the Center Director. Today, both girls are thriving at HELGA, their fears replaced by dreams of their own futures. 

Now serving as a matron and storekeeper, Sisita organizes workshops on leadership, self-defense, and education. Her message to the girls resonates deeply: “You are all warriors. You have the power to change your stories. Never forget—you are not alone. We are a family.” 

Sisita’s journey shows how HELGA’s impact multiplies—creating not just individual success stories, but generational change as survivors become protectors and advocates for others.  

The Ripple Effect of Compassion in Action

These three stories represent just a fraction of HELGA’s impact, but they illustrate something profound: when girls are protected, educated, and empowered, entire communities rise with them. Anna’s entrepreneurship creates economic opportunity. Lavender’s advocacy challenges harmful traditions. Sisita’s mentorship ensures the cycle of empowerment continues. 

This is the power of strategic partnership and collective action—core principles of the Richer Life Foundation’s approach to creating lasting change. Through our #OneTeam for Kenya campaign, we’re not just funding programs; we’re investing in a future where girls like Anna, Lavender, and Sisita can transform their communities. 

We’re deeply grateful to our partners at HELGA for their unwavering commitment to girls’ empowerment. Whether you choose to support through our Impact Fund or experience this transformation firsthand on one of our Impact Journeys to Kenya, you become part of a story that extends far beyond any single contribution—you become part of a movement that believes every girl deserves the chance to write her own future. 

Join us

To learn more about or contribute to our #OneTeam for Kenya campaign or to contribute to our Impact Fund, visit richerlifefoundation.org/otk. To explore our Impact Journeys to Kenya, visit richerlifefoundation.org/impact-journeys.