Looking Back to Move Forward will mean something different to every reader, depending on what they choose to shine a light on and take with them.

My early life in Kenya inspired this book. Because of the hardships I saw children and women go through, I vowed that one day I would take up a cause to challenge unjust customs and practices and deliver change for Kenyan women. I know that unless someone speaks up and does something to help the community, nothing will ever change.

Twenty years ago, I started a conversation with Mum about the inequalities she faced and how she felt as a girl growing up and, later as a woman in Kenya. I did not know where to start. Mum smiled and said, “Kagendo, these things are heavy in my heart, but I do not know what we can do to help change.”

My sister Florence is a teacher and a very beautiful woman. She is kind, genuine and inspiring. She has gone through similar experiences to my mother. She had to look after all of us when we were growing up. Although her back problems have almost crippled her, she still works as a teacher.

I have bought land in my village for the women’s shelter, but it has not been easy to plan and build. The timing had never been right, but I believe the time has come for this initiative to begin.

Local women will run the women’s shelter to provide some purpose and impact on the community. Girls will feel empowered, they will have something they resonate with, role models in the community, someone to counsel and inspire them to reach their dreams and a changed community perspective from what has been engrained for centuries. I feel that the time to start is now, and I am excited to finally unveil this concept that I have carried with me since my teenage years.

I am very privileged to be born into an era where I can look back on decades of turmoil and see the potential for a shift. My early experiences did not break me, but they made me brave and insightful, and taught me resilience.

When I speak with children in Australia and we compare my experiences and those of others still in my village, the plight of their overseas counterparts touches them, and they would do anything to help.  They encourage me to continue to share my stories.

I will keep going, with much support from my mum, sisters, community, and well-wishers. We will start a change, however small, and we won’t stop.