The extraordinary story of how an 18-year-old Australian girl set up a grassroots development organisation in Namwenda, Uganda
At the age of 18, Nikki Lovell was a typical schoolgirl, finishing her exams and planning to study journalism. She had a boyfriend whom she loved; she had done well at school; her future looked bright. But first she planned to take a gap year and volunteer at a school in the small Ugandan village of Namwendwa. Little did Nikki know that decision would change her, forever. Here is the story of how Nikki became a part of the Namwendwa community, and of how their needs and her capacity to empower them changed the direction of her life. But it's also the story of how one teenage girl dealt with the loneliness of living in a foreign land, the heartache of a relationship ending, the torment of being torn between your parental home and your spiritual home, and ultimately learning to follow your heart and your dreams. For someone so young, Nikki has a wealth of passion and experience to share, and her story is by turns captivating and inspirational.