Pendo’s journey creating impact in her community began not with a plan, but with a deep sense of compassion for girls who had experienced trauma, abandonment, and loss.
During her time at the Global Leadership Academy in 2025, she found the clarity, tools, and support to turn that compassion into action – creating a project that would restore dignity, hope, and a sense of belonging to some of the most vulnerable young women in her community.
What Is Project Vitalia?
Project Vitalia is a community outreach initiative focused on supporting pregnant teenage girls and young mothers living in rescue homes. The project centres on restoring hope, self-worth, and belonging alongside meeting essential physical needs.
Pendo brought her project to life at a rescue home in her home country of Kenya. This rescue home is a charitable institution that supports pregnant teenage girls and survivors of sexual abuse aged 12 to 17 – girls in the same age range as Pendo and her friends. She organised a special visit during the Christmas season to create an explained experience filled with warmth, care, and connection.
With the help of family, friends, peers, and community members, Pendo raised Ksh. 32,708 (approximately US$ 250) and collected in-kind donations including food, personal care products, baby items, blankets, and diapers. She and her volunteer team (seen here in the photo at the rescue home) also prepared meals for the girls and caregivers, allowing staff to rest while creating space for meaningful interaction.
Yet for Pendo, the heart of the project wasn’t the supplies, it was the moments of connection that reminded each girl she was seen, valued, and worthy of love. “Vitalia means life,” she explained. “My goal was to revive a spark, bring back life to the girls since they deserved more.”
Pendo’s “Why”
Pendo’s motivation – her “why” – stemmed from her emotional reaction to this issue. Pendo shared: “When I learned about the teenage girls in the rescue home, something inside me broke knowing that these girls deserve more. They are not just girls; they are survivors of pain they never asked for. When I thought of them, my heart broke…”
Pendo was also moved by her empathy for these girls her own age as they faced judgement and abandonment from those around them. “I chose this project because I believe no girl should ever feel like her mistakes, her trauma, or her past make her unworthy of a future,” she reflected. “My motivation wasn’t pity; it was love, it was empathy.”
For Pendo, this project is now deeply personal. “It wasn’t just community work, it became fulfillment of my heart.”
Turning Compassion into Action
During her time at the Global Leadership Academy, Pendo developed the idea and plans for Project Vitalia based on her unique passions, values, skills, and the issues that motivated her, all supported by step-by-step guidance from her leadership coaches. But not only that, the feedback from other participants and presenting Project Vitalia at the end of the program took it from just an idea to a real commitment. “I was motivated to continue with the project after Global Leadership Academy because it was not a mere project to me, it was a commitment I had made.”
Bringing Project Vitalia to life required careful planning, emotional readiness, and persistence. Pendo began by visiting the rescue home, learning about the girls’ needs, and building trust with the staff. From there, she organised logistics, created posters, contacted potential donors, and coordinated volunteers. She was also able to get in-kind donations from multiple local shops, including diapers and blankets.
She recruited a team of eight female peers and three supporting adults to work together during the event at the rescue home. By involving others, Pendo also inspired them to learn more about this issue and become more motivated to be of service to their community. “The project succeeded in building awareness and empathy; it reminded others that these girls need understanding, not stigma.”
But as Pendo emphasised, “preparing for this project required more than just planning activities, it required preparing the heart.” Throughout the hours of planning and preparation Pendo put into this project, she had to remind herself and her team that “this project was not about achieving a mere goal, it was about being present, listening, and showing kindness.”
The Impact of Project Vitalia
The tangible outcomes of the project included financial support, essential supplies, and meals, but the deeper impact was less quantifiable.
During the visit, Pendo saw the girls begin to open up, laugh more freely, and speak with renewed confidence. Conversations, creative activities, and shared meals created a space of safety, trust, and belonging. “I saw them start to smile more freely, speak more boldly, and see themselves not as victims, but as survivors with a future.”
“On a personal level, I consider the greatest accomplishment to be the emotional connection formed. Every hug, every “thank you,” every tear wiped away became a symbol of impact. This project taught me that real accomplishment is not about numbers but about making an impact on someone’s life. And I believe I made an impact on those girls that day.”
Pendo’s Leadership Journey
Pendo credits the Global Leadership Academy with helping her understand that leadership is rooted in service, empathy, and responsibility.
The experience of implementing her Dream Project strengthened her commitment to advocacy, compassion, and action. “True leadership isn’t measured by numbers,” she says. “It’s measured by how you make people feel and the change you help create.”
And now, after the success of Project Vitalia, Pendo is committed to continuing this work beyond a single project. She plans to stay connected with the rescue home, organise future donation drives, and maintain relationships with the girls she met. “I realised that real change doesn’t end with a single visit or a single project, it grows through consistency and continued effort.”
She also hopes to raise awareness in her school and community about the challenges faced by pregnant and victimised teenage girls, encouraging understanding, empathy, and support rather than judgment.
Advice from Pendo
For young people who want to make a difference but feel uncertain where to start, Pendo encourages leading with heart and staying committed – even when the work feels heavy.
She wanted to remind others that change can begin small, and the heart of change is compassion. “No act of kindness is too small to change a heart, and that healing begins the moment someone chooses to care.”
Pendo also encourages young leaders to see mistakes and struggles not as limitations, but as opportunities for growth. “Mistakes are not labels rather than lessons that give us an opportunity to grow,” she shares.
Above all, she believes that compassion, presence, and courage are the foundation of meaningful leadership. “Most of all, I want to keep being that person and leader who listens, who shows up, and who reminds others there is hope.”
Pendo and her Dream Project, Project Vitalia, reflect the heart of the Global Leadership Academy: empowering young leaders to turn compassion into action and create meaningful change in their communities.
—
Using the power of experience-based learning, Powerful Youth is an award winning social enterprise dedicated to providing the best leadership training for youth world wide, helping them uncover purpose, fueled by their passions, to create positive and lasting change in themselves and their communities.
Ready to create your own change? Apply now to attend Global Leadership Academy.