Women Leading Change by Tova Tampe
Reflections from a First Visit to Samburu
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Reflections from a First Visit to Samburu 〰️
These moments were very different — a nursery school lesson under a tree, a group of women dancing through the gate of a clinic, a bead seller greeting friends along the road, more than a dozen hands raised in a circle of women who had turned reclaimed time into new livelihoods, and a group of girls seated in three rows under a tree, honest enough to tell us what they still need.
But together they show something important. Change does not only come from outside programs or projects. It grows from the leadership and initiative of women within their own communities. And it grows from the kind of trust that takes years to build — the trust that is visible in every interaction between The Samburu Project's staff and the people they work alongside. Nowhere is that more evident than in the well committees, where community members themselves take responsibility for maintaining and protecting their water sources.
“These are not passive recipients of outside help. They are partners and stewards, invested in what they have helped to create.”
Tova and the TSP team at their Wamba office
In Samburu, women are shaping that change every day — caring for their families, supporting one another, building livelihoods, and creating new opportunities for the next generation.
Spending time there was a powerful reminder that when communities have access to something as fundamental as clean water, and when that access is built on genuine partnership and trust, women lead the way in turning that opportunity into lasting progress.
I left Samburu feeling deeply privileged to be joining the board of an organization doing this work with such integrity and heart. The Samburu Project is not simply delivering services — it is walking alongside communities as they define and build their own futures. I look forward to bringing my passion for health equity and women's empowerment to the organization's programming and strategy in the years ahead, and to being part of what comes next.
Tova experiencing her first Samburu sundowner!
Tova and Linda heading home with AirKenya