She introduced Brook to the reality of life in Malawi, and how people – especially women – persisted, despite poverty and daily struggles. A teenage pregnancy had changed the direction of her life completely, at an age when she should have had every door still open. In the early years of The Sparkle Foundation, Brook invited the couple to help oversee her nonprofit organisation. Dubai Humanitarian, the city’s only non-profit, independent, humanitarian free zone authority, gave The Sparkle Foundation one year to prove itself. Now, reconnecting with Matimati, Brook feels a sense of hope: “Her story is proof that, with the right mindset and determination, your circumstances don't have to define your future.