Rose, a dedicated and optimistic CMMB community health worker (CHW) in Mutomo, Kenya, eagerly walks more than 100 miles every month to care for 30 families. Her cheerful and sweet-natured attitude towards life uplifts others and keeps families in anticipation of her visits. Despite Rose’s past life struggles, involving the death of four out of five of her children and a shocking diagnosis with HIV, Rose never fails to keep a beautiful, vibrant smile on her face.

Rose has utilized her personal life tragedies to help others avoid what she has had to endure. For example, Rose encourages people in her community to get tested so that they can know their HIV status sooner than later, helping to prevent potential death of offspring. Rose has hope that there will soon be a cure for HIV and that she will become strong and healthy again. Rose serves as a reminder to us that even when life gets hard, there is always going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It is just a matter of continuing to push forward, have hope, learn from experiences no matter how tragic, and arrive at one’s purpose.