Barefoot Advocate offers advocacy, research and stability services and support for those experiencing trauma through aging, disability, or disenfranchisement. Barefoot Advocate is under the Sagehorse Umbrella as a program. Barefoot Advocate has offered research and advocacy for adult survivors of childhood trauma, stability support for families facing homelessness and educational support for disenfranchised children and adults. 

Sagehorse Digital has been a volunteer project mostly for the Peace Alliance through Truth Storytelling and the Peacebuilders Series. Truth Storytelling is in its 6th year and has a YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@truthstorytelling

Training4Hope began its planning stages in 2021 and launched small-scale efforts in 2022, focusing on manual labor, moving services, landscaping, and semi-skilled residential home maintenance. Most of its work has centered on assisting individuals facing challenges due to illness or disability.

In several cases, Training4Hope has supported families during difficult transitions, particularly when elderly individuals were terminally ill and later passed away, leaving out-of-state relatives in need of local assistance.

The organization’s purpose is to provide short-term skill-building opportunities by connecting individuals with the tools, resources, and mentorship needed to improve their employability and strengthen their prospects for the future.

A project Sagehorse supports is the Rusinga Community-Based Organization, led by Samwel Ogalah—a network that includes more than 200 parents working together to strengthen their community and education. Rusinga Island is located in Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. What began as a shared vision over 10 years ago has grown into a deeply rooted collaboration centered on education, peacebuilding, and collective resilience. At the heart of this effort is the school building, a multi-purpose education and peace facility designed to serve both children and adults. After years of planning and collective effort, the center officially opened in early 2025, marking a significant milestone. Since 2023, Sagehorse, has been a witness to Samwel's remarkable and sensitive leadership and his dedicated network of local peacebuilders.

In September 2024, Kenneth launched the Wasichana Wasafi (“Dignified Girls” in Swahili) project under his Community-Based Organization (CBO), the equivalent of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States. What began with a single, aging sewing machine has grown into a vibrant cooperative of 50 trained women, now working together with more than six machines and a shared sense of purpose. As their skills and capacity continue to grow, the group is preparing to create high-quality, marketable goods for the Western market, with the goal of establishing a sustainable and reliable income stream. Kenneth is now actively seeking partnerships with other women’s sewing cooperatives, ethical buyers, and mission-aligned organizations in Western markets who are interested in collaboration. His vision is to build a network that connects local craftsmanship with global opportunity—expanding impact while maintaining the integrity and story behind each product. A respected leader in permaculture, forestry and food production, Kenneth also runs an orphanage that cares for more than 25 children. His work was recently recognized with an honorable mention in the 2025 Humanity Flourishing Prize. Sagehorse is honored to play a small role in supporting the ongoing, deeply rooted efforts of Kenneth and his organizations, which continue to create meaningful change every day in Western Kenya.

Spotlight: Ruth Akinyi — From Survival to Empowerment

At just 16 years old, Ruth Akinyi’s life was upended by poverty and early motherhood, forcing her to leave school and work in neighbors’ gardens simply to survive. What once felt like the end of her future became the beginning of something far more powerful.

Everything changed when Ruth discovered permaculture. After completing her first Permaculture Design Course (PDC), she began growing organic food, raising chickens, and selling her surplus to support her family. What started as a small kitchen garden grew into a sustainable livelihood—and a renewed sense of hope. With her earnings, Ruth was able to return to school and complete her exams.

But Ruth didn’t stop there. Drawing from her own experience, she began teaching other young mothers how to raise poultry using permaculture methods. Through her efforts, twenty girls have been able to return to school—transforming not only their own lives, but the future of their community.

Today, Ruth continues this work in her ancestral home of Kanyawegi, even as her land faces the threat of government development projects. Her resilience and leadership remain unwavering.

Sagehorse is honored to help support when possible Ruth Akinyi and her women’s permaculture group as they continue to cultivate hope, sustainability, and opportunity for the next generation.