Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Pluimer.
Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It all started with a girl named Shanti, who I met 11 years ago while visiting South Africa during my offseason of playing professional basketball. Shanti was an orphan from Mozambique and she carried the HIV virus. She particularly caught my eye because she was standoffish with me throughout my whole trip – making sure to keep her distance. But one day, our group brought donated clothes for the kids and we made sure to give Shanti long sleeves to cover her lesions. Sure enough, the next day we show up at the orphanage and Shanti is smiling ear to ear. That was right before the life-changing moment happened for me…
We’re playing soccer when suddenly I feel her hand slide into mine. I look at this little girl and think about how one act of kindness was able to change her confidence and her world. That special moment completely changed the trajectory of my life. I called my agent, retired from my professional basketball career and never looked back. It just took that one simple yet transformative moment that led to the birth of With My Own Two Hands. So then I came home, called my agent to retire, and never looked back.
Because if a small act like a donated outfit could bring that type of happiness to a little girl, imagine what the gift of clean, running water or sustainable farming could do. Imagine girls like Shanti in school instead of searching for water. Or how fresh food could help diversify diets, especially for girls like Shanti who need those nutrients to maintain their health.
And now, 11 years later, we have reached 100,000 more people like Shanti through our water and agriculture programs! That’s 100,000 mothers, daughters, teachers, farmers, nurses, students who benefit from access to clean water, nutritious food sources and income opportunities nonexistent before.
Girls like Shanti will always be my “why” and the motivation behind doing this important work day in and day out. And I look forward to working with our local community to help reach and uplift the next 100,000 lives!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
These last couple of years, every nonprofit has experienced the challenges and impacts of Covid-19, inflation, war and climate change. We at With My Own Two Hands are no different. But our biggest challenge to date is that of climate change.
I returned back to Kenya in May of 2022. It was my first trip back since the pandemic. And on my trip, across the board, nearly every community, especially the more rural ones, voiced how climate change, like drought and unpredictable weather patterns, have created extreme hardships for them. Women from two in-progress water project sites shared how their day is consumed by sourcing water – spending hours and long, tiresome walks for water. I personally saw these water sources – they were contaminated, unsafe for consumption, and looked as though they would dry up in a matter of time. These two communities also shared how many people have lost cattle to the harsh drought conditions, meaning a loss of income for them and their families.
Water to them literally means everything – time, health, income and opportunity. It was abundantly clear that we can’t solve major problems like poverty, gender bias, illiteracy and so forth without starting with access to clean water. It reminded me again of the power and importance of our work.
One of the ways we are working with our community partners to address the impacts of climate, especially as it relates to farming, is through the rollout of our regenerative agriculture program. This style of farming helps reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and soil biodiversity. This practice helps restore degraded soil, resulting in the drawdown of carbon, which helps enhance water, vegetation and land productivity.
We are committed to helping our partners on the ground navigate the challenges of the changing climate.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
400 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to clean water. And women and children spend 40 billion hours walking for water each year. Our programs are designed to meet the needs of women and girls, build leadership capacity, and create opportunities for financial resilience.
Our mission it to create sustainable clean water and agriculture solutions in East Africa to generate socio-economic opportunities and a more equitable world.
For us, it all starts with water. We work relentlessly to alleviate poverty and gender inequities by eliminating the financial and time burden of sourcing clean water. We build clean water and agriculture projects WITH communities. We listen, empower and set economic goals to develop practical solutions that our partners need most. We believe that every person has a fundamental right to clean water, nutritious foods, and economic access.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Our WMO2H team both in the US and in East Africa work relentlessly to further our work and impact. We all do this important work, day in and day out, for our beneficiaries on the ground. We have met them, connected with them. We show up for them every day knowing the transformation our water and agriculture programs bring them and their families. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and the impact that has been created thanks to their hard work and passion for our mission.
Pricing:
- $30 gives one person clean water
- $150 gives one family clean water
Contact Info:
- Website: www.withmyown2hands.org
- Instagram: withmyown2hands
- Facebook: withmyown2hands
- Twitter: withmyown2hands
