Kenyan Heroine awarded by CNN

This past Sunday, American basic cable and satellite tv channel CNN honoured everyday people who have dedicated their lives to change the world through the CNN heroes initiative and 33-year-old Umra Omar from Kenya is among the top 10 of those heroes.

Sheused to live in the United States, but came back to Kenya to help people without any access to health care in the coastal region. She founded the Safari Doctors, a group that travels by boat, road and air to bring free medical services medical services – including immunizations, maternal health care and treatment for malaria and other common diseases in the region — to more than 1,000 people a year in remote and insecure areas near the Somalia border.

“Being here, being close to home, to be able to fill some of the gaps in accessing health care, it’s kind of been an IV drip for life and purpose,” Omar said. She added that she has no regrets in the career path she has chosen. “When all is said and done, it feels like a lie to only work to get a paycheck,” said Omar, who moved home in 2010. “It was kind of a sense of responsibility.”

She together with the other 9 heroes will receive a $10,000 cash prize, with an additional $100000 being awarded to the “CNN Hero of the Year.”