Our girls school in Naivasha, Kenya is giving rise to a powerful force for change: bright, educated young women ready to lead.
We invite you to take a look at where we started – and where we’re headed.
Our founders, Boni and Sandy Karanja, purchased eight acres of land in the Rift Valley outside of Naivasha, Kenya. No longer a dream, Light of Hope began its first real steps as a growing non-profit home and school for girls.
With one small building, a teacher, and a caretaker, we welcomed our first six girls to Light of Hope Home & School.
Additional temporary classrooms were constructed, allowing us to rescue another twenty girls in desperate need.
Thanks to the generous support of our donors and fundraisers, we added electricity and a well, constructed a library, expanded our cow shed, improved our security with a front gate and guardhouse, and introduced a music program.
Encouraging play is important, so we added a playground and basketball court for our girls. We also built a much-needed maintenance shed, expanded our chicken coop, and added an irrigation system.
The structural component of our medical clinic was completed this year, as was our medical office, temporary dorm, and restroom and shower facility. We also purchased an additional seven acres, planted organic gardens, and installed a water tank. More importantly, we had now rescued nearly 60 girls.
We completed our high school girls’ dorm, built four permanent classrooms, and completed our office space. We also purchased uniforms for each student and built a fishpond on our new property, which we populated with tilapia.
We finished the interior of our medical clinic.
In 2013, we reached a major milestone: Our first students graduated from high school. We opened the doors to Wokuvu Hall, our kitchen, dining hall, and gathering place, as well. This year, we were honored to receive the Kenya Environmentally Friendly Award for our commitment to environmental sustainability best practices.
The new permanent dormitory completed, which provides safe living space for a total of 160 girls.
Newly created computer lab for staff and students with new desks, computer, and hopes to expand in the future! Third year of successful leadership development program – focusing on Voice, Values, Vision, and Vocation – made possible by grant funding, which will continue into 2018.
