Judith, a single mother-of-three from Kenya, is no stranger to adversity.

"It took me more than 10 years to leave an abusive relationship. As soon as I left high school I got married. It was not happy from the start and the circle of violence began almost immediately,” Judith said. “You make excuses and try to convince yourself this person will change, then you blame yourself. It’s hard to break away, but I knew I had to do it for myself and for my children to set the right example.”

The parallels between her own struggles and those involved in the survey fuelled her passion for the project.

Courage and education were Judith’s salvation. While working in clerical jobs, Judith completed a diploma in business management. She went on to gain two degrees, first studying communication and sociology then following her passion and achieving a Masters in gender and development studies.

“Walking away and being independent has not been an easy path. What I did was frowned upon, coming from a culture which condones violence against women,” Judith said.

While working for the judiciary, she developed her research career and founded the Association of Gender Studies in Africa.

“The office is my house, but I am determined to use my own experience to drive positive change in society through research. I truly believe evidence-based interventions can build communities and be used to improve policy,” she added.

Coming to Bristol having won a Chevening Scholarship was another leap of faith, which involved leaving behind her two grown-up children, who are now studying at university, and her 12-year-old daughter in the care of her sister.

“I chose Bristol because it was the first higher education institute in England to admit women on an equal basis to men,” Judith said. “It was my first time in the UK and when the pandemic hit and we couldn’t go out, I found it extremely hard and felt more isolated than ever away from family and everything that was familiar.”

True to her hard-working and selfless nature, she applied for an internship with the Wellspring Settlement project to analyse data about how residents were coping and could be helped in lockdown.

“If I hadn’t got the internship, I would still have volunteered because the aims of the scheme are so close to my heart and the challenges facing residents mirrored my own,” Judith said. “The work became a lifeline in a very tough time, giving me a renewed sense of purpose and the power to make a positive impact. I built a strong bond with my collaborators Nia and Gwen and whenever we were struggling or hit an obstacle, we supported each other and I would say: ‘We shall overcome!’”

Inspired by her tenacity, Gwen even presented Judith with a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase.

Judith, travel permitting, will return to Kenya next month to be reunited with her family and embark on her next mission.

“I would love to see something like the Wellspring Settlement in Kenya, so this has been a fantastic learning experience and ultimately I aspire to continue my studies and gain a PhD,” Judith said. “It’s also incredibly rewarding to know our contribution has helped the work to continue in an exciting new direction, which will help empower residents and give them more independence. I hope my own story shows anything is possible when you set your mind to it.”