Grassroots Stories

Motivate & Inspire

Hello! I’m Melissa.

In 2008, I landed on Ugandan shores without knowing anyone and 2 weeks later I had organized a fundraiser for an orphanage and raised $12,000. Why and how did I do it?

As humans, we all seek growth and development, finding purpose, and ways to make an impact.

But in a world saturated with self-help talk/ books /gurus (I know, my bookshelf is filled with them) it can all get theoretical, whereas in reality impact comes from being inspired and taking action.

Since we all need a little inspiration and motivation, I am dedicating the next year to capture grass-root stories of resilience, kindness, and inspired action as these may be the stories you need to set your star ablaze.

In the meantime, back to Mel’s Matatu… I had been planning my trip back to Uganda for a while. I was living in Vancouver working as a manager in hospitality but I had a calling to do something philanthropic. One of the girls, where I worked, connected me with a young lady who connected me to an orphanage that she was supporting.

The first evening at the orphanage, the director and his wife invited me to take a shower (a bucket of water in the corner of the room) and they gave up their room for me. Once I had got settled into bed, a woman and a child came into the room and slept next to me on the floor.

I felt really uncomfortable taking their room, I wasn’t able to sleep.

My family, friends, and work colleagues know that I am adaptable and adventurous and love variety but when, the next day, I was offered a boiled potato for breakfast, and no coffee to be seen, I wasn’t sure how quickly I would be able to adapt.

Since I can be quick on my feet, resourceful, and seem to constantly generate a stream of ideas, I sat down with the director and we spent all morning brainstorming ways I could help. I am a big picture person so I wasn’t getting bogged down in detailed procedures, routines, and what ifs.

Although my philosophy is very much live and let live, I am motivated by offering help and being of service to others, as well as being a life-long learner.

After a good brainstorm, I offered him the only thing I could think to offer him, for me to go back to town where I knew a few people ( I really didn’t yet) and organize a fundraiser to get him a matatu.

With a major in Anthropology, it’s no surprise that I am passionate about community and human potential. The core of what we do as humans is to connect over shared passions, find creative solutions, and create impact which is where the power to change and transform begins.

I am curious about women in leadership and have studied business and leadership with a recent course at Oxford University’s Said Business School on Woman’s Leadership. My #1 take-away, from these studies, is the understanding that at our deepest level humans are motivated by a need to connect and create solutions together, which results in impact.

So, in search, of making my own impact for the orphanage, I reached out to one of my new contacts and shared the news. 2 weeks later we had our fundraiser organized and $12,000 to put towards the matatu! Read the full story here.

I’m excited to share grassroots stories, of my own efforts, and others, with the goal of inspiring women who want to take action and make a difference.

At a deeper level, I am driven by the silent pain of mental health challenges my brother endure over the years. My brother’s mental health problems quietly lived, during a time when it was still a stigma to talk about them. He later got diagnoses with schizophrenia and it took us all, as a family, years to understand but we were still in the dark. He committed suicide in 2017 and left us all with such a deep longing and more questions.

I currently work with individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges. As I help, I connect with professionals who are on the cutting edge of this field, I also learn. With this knowledge I hope to make an impact.

Along my journey, I have been enterprising and tried my hand in business, I have successfully sold two turn-key businesses and have a passion for selling, fundraising, and jewellery… and what women doesn’t like a bit of jewellery!

I hope you enjoy the stories and feel inspired to create an impact in your life, however big or small. We all have the capability to be leaders of our life.