In Africa — a part of the world too often defined by poverty — there sits an oasis of optimism and faith. This is Light of Hope, a girls school in Kenya that empowers the young girls it serves to break free from the cycle of poverty, abandonment, and abuse.
From birth, girls in Kenya face tremendous challenges. Sadly, 52% of Kenya’s girls receive no more than an 8th grade education and 16% of women lack basic literacy skills. At it’s root – extreme poverty:
Even when families do have the resources to support a secondary education, they tend to invest in their boys.
When you compound these challenges with the tendency to undervalue girls and rampant gender-based violence, the world quickly becomes a difficult place for young girls to navigate – but it’s not without hope.
And education is the answer.
If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family – and a whole nation.
~ African proverb
Many girls come to us from desperate circumstances. With little to no education and having endured extreme poverty and abuse, they need much more than academic enrichment.
And so, our commitment to educational excellence is anchored in a holistic approach. We care for the whole girl, providing food, shelter, health care, counseling, faith, and education in a safe and loving family environment.
What’s more, thanks to our partnership with Elimu Foundation, we’re able to support each girl’s higher education aspirations, giving her the tools she needs to live a rich and full life.
We’re committed to changing the world, one girl at a time – and we do it by empowering the passionate, ethical leaders of tomorrow.
We encourage our girls to take advantage of leadership opportunities, from taking charge as class prefects, sports team captains, and study group and student body leaders, to serving as mentors, tutors, and worship leads.
We also foster a commitment to citizenship through community service projects in Naivasha and surrounding areas.
And now, thanks to a C. Charles Jackson Foundation grant, we’re building a leadership program for our high school girls and all students at Light of Hope that will offer:
We’ll place special emphasis on the 21st century skills our girls will need to actively engage in social, economic, and political life.
Light of Hope is a beautiful place to live and most importantly nurtures my talents. It has given me hope of becoming a singer and a pediatrician, and has continued giving me power to change the world in the future.
~ Jane
We’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into Light of Hope and the girls we serve; that investment is paying off.
In 2013, we celebrated our first high school graduates, and we had 19 students attending high school and three in vocational training.
We’re also very proud to share that Caroline Naro, who sat for Kenya’s KCPE examinations as an 8th grader, scored among the top students in the nation. She dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.
