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Author: Sandy Karanja

Ten Surprising Things – Mission Trip

Posted on | by Sandy Karanja | 11 Comments on Ten Surprising Things – Mission Trip

Joanne Esser went on a summer 2014 mission trip to Light of Hope.  She wrote about ten things that might surprise visitors to Kenya and Light of Hope:

1.  It is not hot and it is colder than you might think.

2.  Small girls can eat an amazing amount of food!

3.  The girls’ favorite game is soccer (football).

4.  It is dark at night by 6:30 p.m. and light in the morning about 6:30 a.m. year round – dinner by candle and lantern light!

5.  The road to Light of Hope turns from a solid dirt road to slippery “muck” after a few hours of rain.

7.  How green and “tropical” every plant in the gardens looks.

8.  Many of the birds have very long tails, quite unlike North American birds we’ve ever seen.

9.  Taking a shower here is a test of bravery – you turn on a switch on the wall to “warm” the water…

10.  Kenyans are “resourceful.” Kenyans figure out how to use whatever they have and make it work.

Peanut butter and jelly – Light of Hope

Posted on | by Sandy Karanja | 11 Comments on Peanut butter and jelly – Light of Hope

Christa Zambordino, a 2012 fundraiser for and visitor to Light of Hope writes,

I only hope that after you read this, you will think twice then next time you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and appreciate the fact that you can enjoy this more often than many others…  The conversation turned into a discussion about the food that the girls eat at the school on a daily basis.

Read her article, published in the Huffington Post, “Peanut Butter and Jelly“.

Why educate girls?

Posted on | by Sandy Karanja | 6 Comments on Why educate girls?

Megan Foo, a high school senior in Hong Kong and advocate for women and girls, writes about educating girls.

Megan points out that, in developing communities, three issues prevent a girl from her right to education:  1) her gender, 2) her zip code, and 3) her economic condition.

She writes that girls’ education is …

  1. a fundamental right that warrants universal access.
  2. a catalyst for gender equality.
  3. the key to poverty alleviation within less economically developed countries.
  4. instrumental in bringing about economic growth.
  5. essential for reducing the number of child marriages.
  6. a successful formula for individual empowerment.
  7. a proven cause of lowered maternal and infant mortality rates.
  8. critical to a decline in fertility rates.
  9. a steppingstone to improved women’s health.
  10. a pivotal force for change in societies and communities.

“Why Should We Invest in Girls’ Education?” – Megan Foo, Huffington Post

Why girls? Why Light of Hope?

If we educate a boy, we educate one person.  If we educate a girl, we educate a family – and a whole nation. – African proverb