From the Streets to Class-a LIFT success story

Brian Scott, one of our LIFT beneficiaries in a young man who has faced significant challenges his young life. When his mother, Gladys, got married to Joseph Scott, Brian hoped he had found a safe place to call home and a father to fill in the gaps that his biological dad had left. However, the dynamics of a blended family did not favor the young boy who would eventually find himself at the receiving end of his step-father’s anger. As the situation escalated to physical and psychological abuse, Gladys was left between choosing his son and her husband. When the situation at home did not improve, Brian Scott ran away from home and became a street child for over a month before his mother tracked him down and arranged for him to live with one of his aunties. The initial arrangement was that both Brian’s parents would contribute towards the upkeep of the boy while he lived at his auntie’s place. However, the plans did not work and Brian found himself back at the streets of Korokocho market. At this point, Brian’s teachers started spotting him at dump sites and called the organization in an attempt to salvage the young […]

All Rounded Beneficiaries

To lead a successful life, any individual needs to learn the art of balance. Indeed, while the focus is encouraged in achieving life goals, one needs an outlet. It is with this approach that we at Light Up Hope encourage our beneficiaries to not only do well in class but also in sports, clubs, and businesses. This month, we highlight the achievements of two of our beneficiaries. Lilian Mumanyi is a student at Kenyatta University taking a degree in Aerospace Engineering. As one of four ladies in her class, she constantly proves herself by recording astronomical grades in all her exams. Indeed, when she first joined the university, she was not sure how well she would do in this field because of how rare it is for ladies in Kenya to take up courses in the STEM departments. However, after att and assurance from the organization that we would avail all the necessary resources and support she needs to succeed in her studies, Lilian was delighted to go forth and courageously chase her dreams of one day working in the aerospace industry. ‘‘Aerospace Engineering is a relatively new course in Kenya and one of the toughest lines of studying. Nevertheless, […]

Kayole North Feeding Program

Kayole North Feeding Program Food plays a crucial role in the development of any child. Indeed, after the right to life, each child and adult has a right to nutritious and clean food. Unfortunately, poverty limits the access to regular food for children in needy communities. Without food, a child is unable to concentrate in class which creates a vicious cycle of poverty. But! As a result of the continued financial donations from our supporters, children at Kayole North no longer face the risk of starvation. At the beginning of the year, SOC set out to expand the organization’s feeding program by committing to avail breakfast and lunch to an additional 2000 students at Kayole North Primary School. The newly launched program wouldn’t have come at a better time. The economic impacts of the pandemic were felt all over the world and especially by poor families who had no savings to cater to basic needs during lockdowns. As one of the poorer communities in Kenya, Kayole faced the risk of starvation which resulted in some students leaving school entirely to look for food. Since the feeding program was introduced in the school, student attendance has stabilized significantly. Indeed, the availability […]

A great way to end the year!

2021 has undoubtedly had its challenges both on a personal and organizational level. However, we as the WOVEN department have had several achievements to celebrate. For instance, during the year, we managed take 34 more girls to universities all over the country. Evidently, the move to let beneficiaries of the academic sponsorship program to join universities outside the nation’s capital was not an easy one as it required a complex incorporation of logistics and communication between all involved parties. By the end of November, all the new girls had started their classes and sustainable communication channels with the organization established. However, issues such as government-imposed restrictions on movement as a result of the pandemic limited the number of face-to-face interactions between the staff members and the girls. As a result, some of the mentorship and counselling objectives set by the department at the beginning of the year were not meet.  But all was not lost. On December 4th, 2021, we held our annual meeting with the 2020 group in which we managed to interact and catch up. The meeting involved several agendas that were all achieved. Firstly, we managed to invite speakers from outside the organization to interact with the […]

The Story of Monica Mwongeli

Hi, my name is Monica Mwongeli and am a student at Kenyatta university pursing a degree in Nursing through the funding from Tuungane Community Foundation. Growing up, I remember visiting the local clinic on days medical officers from Nairobi would visit just to see the nurses. Back then, the simple white dresses with crisp rubber shoes the nurses wore symbolized the epitome of achievement and importance. I dreamt of one day becoming a nurse and working in a big hospital like Kenyatta National Hospital. At the time, things at home were okay and my dreams of becoming a nurse did not seem so farfetched. See, I am the second born in a family of five children between two living parents. In the first 8 years of my life, both my parents had stable sources of income with my mother working odd jobs in local farms and my father working for a huge factory. My parents were both very caring and I enjoyed spending time with my siblings after school. However, life happened and our family’s bubble was busted by one tragedy after another. It all begun when my father had an argument at work with one of his colleagues. The […]