A few months ago, I experienced one of the proudest moments of my tenure as a founder of FDAzilla…

My family and I had been living in Kenya for the last 3 years (it’s a long story). Sufficed to say, we fell in love with the country and her people. We met so many courageous, thankful, witty people who have changed our lives for good. Pictured here are 12 of those people.

These folks each have major disabilities but refuse to let it define them. They are part of a group I met called “The Final Step” which connects business process jobs (and, thus, meaningful, fair-wage work) with those who would otherwise be forgotten. Most of them have some sort of congenital spinal defect that usually keeps them wheelchair-bound and prevents them from doing physical labor.

As we went around the room and I heard a small bit of each person’s story, I was amazed at their perseverance and gratitude. One of the ladies even broke out into tears, thanking us for this opportunity to work at “the best job I ever had.” After a cup of great Kenyan chai, I was even more impressed when we started talking business — they asked nuanced questions about our business and made valuable suggestions for increasing our productivity. I left the meeting with quite a few to-dos!

As FDAzilla continues to grow, we believe we must do our part – locally and globally – to do good by doing well. We believe that one of the best ways to help people is job creation and economic development. It’s an honor for us at FDAzilla to be making a small difference in the lives of these Kenyans.