Vanessa Kambi was born in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She graduated from African University in Zimbabwe with a BA in agriculture and a Mastercard Foundation Scholarship. She discovered her mission to farm and feed the hungry through the extreme hardships she endured in her childhood. Having suffered from malnutrition as a child, Vanessa experienced first hand the way hunger can affect a child's self-esteem and marginalize them in their own community. This inspired her passion for farming in order to provide healthy food to kids, as she did not want them to go through the humiliation and suffering that she went through. Vanessa founded Malisho Bora Kwa Afiya which means “Better Nutrition for Health'' while she was being mentored by the CIYOTA community and she currently mentors young girls in her community. She was introduced to Golden Bridge via her mentor and long-term SomaSource student Claudine Mgisha. Vanessa is currently part of Claudine’s team serving the newly emerging project NGUVUYAAFRICA. Vanessa is a gifted dancer, poet, and performer.
“Being part of the Golden Girls Global leadership development program has sharpened my leadership skills and capabilities to work with girls and women in my community. It has also helped me in my healing process to focus on the path towards my dreams. As a farmer, I dream of a world with no malnutrition, a place where every family has enough food on their table. I live to feed the world.”
