Although it is quite painful to continuously be reminded of the past, Mende has had the ongoing courage and strength to attend conferences addressing the issue of modern slavery. It is by looking to the future, however, that she has renewed her energy and passion to realize her dream of bringing education and accessible water to her homeland, the Nuba Mountains. Through the help of trusted friends, she gathered the required support to launch a foundation in her name to realize this dream.
In the past few years, Mende’s story has taken on new wings with the motion picture, the play and now her foundation. The reason being is because her story is timeless. She was a beaten and raped teenage girl with nothing but the shirt on her back. For her formative years she was called Abda, which means slave or person with no name. She was someone who had every reason to give up on life. But she did not. She had faith and hope. This testimony transcends ethnicity, religion and gender and it is the magnet that has drawn in people from all over the world to support her efforts. With this new awareness it is our wish to turn your enthusiasm for her story into schools and water works in the heart of the Nuba Mountains. We are excited but patient and experienced. Most importantly we believe. This is a story about faith after all.