In 2015 (ten years ago!), I had the opportunity to visit East Africa, where both my mother and father grew up.

There were so many meaningful moments from that trip that remain close to my heart—but one that stands out the most is when I volunteered at a local school in Nairobi, Kenya with my sister and aunt. We helped serve meals during lunch, and as each student smiled and walked past me in line, I noticed that nearly every child was drinking cloudy water from reused soda bottles.

That image has stayed with me ever since. So now, as I prepare to visit my mom’s birth country, Tanzania, I’m raising funds to support charities I feel personally connected to.

The majority of the donations will go to UNICEF: Tanzania and Charity: Water—raised mostly through The Little Lotus Café, a pop-up I’ve been running from my apartment kitchen in Seattle one Sunday a month since March.

If you feel called to contribute, please join me in supporting this incredible cause that helps bring clean water to communities around the world.