In December 2006, four women from Orange County traveled to rural Africa to meet the women of that region. Kathe Schaaf, Ginny Gibson, Sandy Pendleton and Judy Wright traveled first to Kenya and then Tanzania as part of a larger delegation of 36 women from North America. They visited rural villages, where they learned of the challenges being faced by rural women: HIV-AIDS, lack of clean water, food security, lack of educational opportunities (especially for girls), domestic violence, lack of legal rights, the need for economic opportunities and small business models which can bring women out of poverty. 

These OC women were also able to attend the first Grassroots African Women's Conference, and witness the excitement as nearly 500 African women come together for the first time to share information, learn about best practices and celebrate their contributions to African culture. This event was one of 6 Congresses on 6 Continents being anchored by Gather the Women.

Kathe Schaaf, one of the co-founders of Gather the Women, says "This trip to East Africa was life changing for all of us. The most incredible thing we saw was the tenacity, resourcefulness and creativity of the rural women. These women do everything in their families and villages: They take care of the children, the sick, the elderly and the dying. They carry water for hours every day and then have to boil it before it is safe for use. They find and cook the food . And many have created women's groups, small cooperatives where they create tangible solutions to help address the problems of their village."