I grew up on the Huruma Estate in Eldoret, Kenya's fifth largest town, during the 1980s. I often wondered, “Why is poverty so rife in my community?” As I became older and more politically aware, it occurred to me that it was due to poor choices in managing public finances and resources. This realization inspired me, after moving to the UK in 2008, to develop my innovative approach to sustainable change through 10 years of research, before registering African Development Choices (ADC) as a social enterprise in 2019 and recruiting hundreds of volunteers from different parts of the world to help bring my vision to life. I believe the way to achieve sustainable impact is by empowering communities to become self-sufficient, which requires building their capacity to influence decisions that affect the quality of their lives. ADC uses Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects in Africa to set new precedents that will give local communities new perspectives on how they can do similar projects for themselves; the new perspectives will empower them to play an informed role in decision making, especially in the management of public finances and resources.I have published a small collection of poems titled "There is Shade" to creatively explain this innovative approach that ADC is using to fight poverty, and also to help raise awareness and funds for ADC projects in Africa. The book is available now from Amazon, and I would be delighted if you would consider purchasing a copy via this link https://mybook.to/TISHADE. Thank you.