Introducing The Newest Class of East Africa Global Advocates!
At Mama Hope, we believe that no one knows better what a community needs than the people who live there. Since the beginning, we’ve worked our hardest to live by the ideals that stem from this belief: that we invest in people, not projects, relationships, not top-down power structures, and local knowledge, not outside “expertise.”
So, after the success of the first few years of our Global Advocate Program, we took a long look inward. After serious reflection, and a lot of consulting with our community partners, we began to realize something important: that we should be providing the same training and resources to the next generation of grassroots activists and social impact entrepreneurs that we provide for our US-based Global Advocates. Thus, the East Africa branch of our Global Advocate program was born!
Each Advocate spends one year with one of Mama Hope’s community partners during which they fundraise, develop programs and provide support to grow the impact of our partner’s work. Throughout the year, the Advocates take part in trainings and exchanges with impactful organizations around East Africa to increase their knowledge and help them become more effective community leaders.
After an incredible pilot class of East Africa Global Advocates last year in Tanzania — see this report for more details — we are incredibly proud to introduce our second class, which launched last week in Kenya!
Vincent
“I believe in being part of the solution for the problems facing our society rather than being a victim of them.”
Vincent Adede Owalla will be working with OLPS for the next year. He’s a blogger, a community and political activist, a poet and a passionate fighter for educational rights and environmental conservation. Growing up in a rural fishing village, Vincent would fish in between his lessons so that he could afford the books he needed for school. After completing school and qualifying as a teacher, Vincent looked back to his village and, with the help of a few friends, set up the ‘Rural Book Bank Foundation’ by collecting and distributing books to rural schools in his home area. Later, they even set up libraries. After leaving this project in the hands of the community members, he began volunteering for OLPS and has been a vital member of their team ever since.
During his time as a Global Advocate, he will be working on fundraising for and building out the Kisumu Children’s Rescue Center school building, resources and curriculum. Vincent has an infectious laugh, a wonderful teaching style and a whole lot of energy. It feels as though his potential for impact and involvement is endless.
Julita
“I believe in elevating girls to become powerful women of the next generation.”
Julita Kessy will be working with White Orange Youth (WOY). Julita has a degree in community development and project planning, but her career in social good work began when she was fifteen years old and started encouraging her friends to join her in doing service projects for her neighbors. She gives much of the credit for her passion for girls education to her mother, who worked incredibly hard to ensure that she and her brothers received an education. Julita saw how much education transformed her ability and the ability of her brother John — the founder of WOY — to help their community. As a direct result of her lived experience, she believes that enabling women and girls is a powerful way to create exponential positive impact.
Julita has worked on a variety of girls education programs and advocacy efforts, and will be working with WOU founder John to expand their programs into girl-specific education and engagement. Her aim is to encourage a generation of girls in Tanzania to speak up, feel empowered and meaningfully engage in the discussions and decisions that affect their lives. Julita is thoughtful, sharp and determined. We are so excited to walk with her and to see the impact she will make as a Global Advocate and beyond!
Kennedy
“I envision a community where every child enjoys the benefits of sports — education, empowerment, involvement in community service and environmental awareness.”
Kennedy Odera will be working with the Akili Girls Preparatory School to expand its sports program — work he has already begun! Kennedy grew up with his parents who were fishmongers in Obunga Slum in Kisumu, and always had a passion for football (or as Americans insist on calling it, soccer). He took every chance possible to get to the pitch and play, despite many attempts made by his mother to bring him back home to help her work. Sport, for Kennedy, was transformative. It gave him a dream, a place to be, a community and a purpose. He is passionate about sharing that with others, especially children growing up in Obunga today. After finishing secondary school, Kennedy moved to Nairobi and discovered organisations working through sports to change lives and protect the environment. He was inspired to move his life in that direction. After connecting with David and Erick at Akili, he was able to start putting what he learned in Nairobi into practice.
After the Global Advocate Launch Weekend, Kennedy said that he feels ‘loaded’ and is eager to get going on the program. He is loyal, passionate and creative; characteristics that we know are going to build a program that will make a meaningful impact on the girls at Akili and in the entire Obunga community. Kennedy says that his mother is now very proud of him and looking back, can see the value in all of those hours he spent kicking a ball around.
Sheila and Eva
“I believe in empowering women and youths, so that they can start their own businesses, get their own income and eliminate poverty.” — Sheila Akoth
“I believe that no one is poor. Everyone has the ability to do so much for themselves. You just need to find that thing is unique in you and utilize it.” — Eva Anyango
Sheila Akoth and Eva Anyango were invaluable participants in our launch last week. Eva is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors at the Akili Girls Preparatory School, and she runs the schools’ Girl Scout program. Sheila is the Board Treasurer and the Program Coordinator at the Maendeleo Hub — a new branch of Akili which aims to provide services, training and networking opportunities for people in the wider community of Obambo. They are also married to the founders of Akili. These powerhouse women have been driving forces since the beginning, and they’re excited to dive headfirst into envisioning and building the next phase in Akili’s development. Their perspective and experience added so much to the launch weekend, we are can’t wait to see how their increased involvement will help Akili grow.
