Kennedy Odede and SHOFCO
On October 12th, Kennedy Odede, founder of Shining Hope for Communities Organization (SHOFCO) and social entrepreneur, came to speak at Poly. He was accompanied by Ms. Funmilayo Brown, chief advancement officer at SHOFCO. Mr. Odede spoke powerfully about his childhood experiences growing up in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. Homeless by the age of ten, he overcame abuse, violence, and extreme poverty to eventually attend Wesleyan University and become one of Africa’s premier change-makers. Although his stories about the horrors he endured were heartbreaking, Mr. Odede spoke with humor, exuberance, and most of all, hope. His positive attitude and joyful spirit shone throughout his presentation, and made his story that much more affecting.
It was clear to me that Mr. Odede was truly working towards his view of a better world. He spoke passionately about the services that his charity, SHOFCO, provides. From an informal group of his friends cleaning up the streets of Kibera to a major charity that serves over 180,000 people, SHOFCO has grown tremendously under his leadership. In fact, one of the things that spoke to me most in his presentation was the importance he placed on helping a community from within. In some cases, he said, community-created charities add more than foreign NGOs, since locals better understand the problems facing the areas. Our American idea of “service” is so often driven by ego (i.e. I volunteered at a soup kitchen for an hour so I’m a good person) instead of a genuine desire to help. We only superficially enter the worlds of those we’re trying to serve, often only offering short-term fixes that do more to make us feel better than to help others. Mr. Odede offered some ways to serve in a more meaningful way. Instead of donating mass-produced supplies, he urged, support a local craftsman. Instead of being ashamed of your privilege, accept it, and use it to affect positive change in the world.
Mr. Odede’s words were made all the more powerful when I thought about them in context of his memoir, Find Me Unafraid. The other Global Scholars and I read Find Me Unafraid, and I know that I personally found great meaning and inspiration in Mr. Odede’s description of the hardships he overcame and in his incredibly positive outlook. Most of all, I was inspired begin to create change in my own community. In Pasadena, for example, we have almost 600 homeless residents, 110 of which are 24 years old or younger. Homeless youth are particularly vulnerable, and Find Me Unafraid has inspired me to find a way to help them. Since Mr. Odede advocates for devoting your own unique skill set to community service, I plan to brainstorm areas in which I can support and empower homeless youth. For example, I believe I have good organizational and planning skills, so perhaps I can help organize volunteer groups or help homeless youth plan for job searches. Whatever I end up doing, now more than ever, I realize that I must use my privilege to help others.
I’ll end this reflection with a quote from Find Me Unafraid that I found particularly powerful.
“When we dare to hope, we create more hope in the world.”
