Water Blogged

Today, we were all looking forward to our visit to Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), an organization founded by a friend of founder Patty Hall, Kennedy Odede. Kennedy grew up in the Kibera Slums and has made it his life’s mission to bring about change for Kibera. Kennedy and his wife, Jessica Posner, have written a book titled Find Me Unafraid. It is a wonderful book about two people from different worlds and how their lives intersect. Kennedy and Jessica have transformed parts of the slum by providing clean water, schools, violence programs, financial programs and medical facilities. They are truly inspirational! AND… we had the opportunity to meet Kennedy! I know it was the highlight of the trip for teacher Gigi Bizar.  Once she read the book, the visit became a priority for her. For the past 2 years Westridge School for Girls has raised funds to support the aerial pipeline in Kibera that now provides clean water via 27 kiosks to 180,000 people across the slums. The visit did not disappoint. Be Inspired! Read the book.

We were met by our two guides that led us to the programs.  We walked through streets with flowing dirty water and mud due to recent rains.  Garbage filled the edges of the roads as disposal is so difficult and often non-existent other than burning refuse.  We passed many small shops and the streets were crowded with people going to and fro.

SHOFCO engaged PENTAIR, and the company donated an enormous water filtration system to the community.  This was the beginning of the push to provide clean water at a reasonable price to residents of Kibera. The second stage of the program was to construct an aerial pipeline.  The pipeline crosses Kibera, is high enough to protect the pipes from city use and vandalism and now provided water to 27 water kiosks across Kibera.  The water in these kiosks is sold at a cheaper price than other vendors within Kibera and is changing lives.

Kennedy and Jessica also started a school for girls. Statistics always show the women and girls are changemakers for communities. Shining Hope for Communities educates girls from 5-standard 8.  After standard 8, girls are tested and provided with a high school education.  Girls are sent to some of the best high schools in Kenya and some also travel outside of Kenya to attend school.  These opportunities open the doors for these young ladies. Schools and daycare facilities start with the youngest children. “The girls in our school are the very poorest, most vulnerable girls who have almost-insurmountable challenges that get in the way of their education, from not having parents to not having a family who is willing to pay to send a girl to school,” Co-founder Jessica Posner also explains, “we’re developing a culture of entrepreneurial and innovative leaders who are thinking about the problems that exist in communities like Kibera.” The hope is that these girls will return to Kibera and be leaders of change for their community. In Kibera, the average household income is $1 per day, and if a family can pay for one child’s education, they’ll educate a boy.  H2O for Life is proud to support the water and sanitation efforts of SHOFCO.