With My Own 2 Hands

We create sustainable clean water and agriculture solutions in East Africa to generate socio-economic opportunities and a more equitable world.

With My Own Two Hands was founded in 2011 to address the critical need for clean water, sustainable agriculture, and economic opportunity in climate-vulnerable communities in East Africa. Inspired by the resilience and hope of the communities they encountered, founder Lindsey Pluimer and the WMO2H team have worked tirelessly to implement community-led, long-term solutions that prioritize basic human rights and build pathways to prosperity.

Since its founding, WMO2H has directly impacted over 161,150 lives by providing clean water and sustainable food sources across 65 communities. WMO2H has implemented 50 clean water projects and 54 sustainable agriculture projects with a targeted focus on rural communities and informal settlements.

There is a dire and increasing need for clean water and sustainable food systems in East Africa amidst the escalating challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. Despite Africa contributing only 2% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, the continent suffers the most from climate impacts (World Bank). This global issue is close to home, as the US ranks second in carbon emissions globally.

The water crisis is huge, over 2.2 billion people globally lack access to safe drinking water. And yes our organization addresses and prioritizes clean water access, but we don’t stop there. We take it a step further and provide extensive financial literacy and community buy-in training with our women-led partners, teaching them to use the clean water and farming produce to generate income for their micro-lending groups. We are fostering entrepreneurship within these communities so that these women can start their own micro-businesses, send their children to school and provide for their families. Our programs put ownership and agency back in the hands of the community.