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Author: Sandy Karanja

A Path Appears, January 26

Posted on | by Sandy Karanja | 13 Comments on A Path Appears, January 26

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A Path Appears premieres on Independent Lens this January 26th. Check your local PBS station for details.

Watch for the upcoming January 2015 documentary based upon a new book, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  The book tells about people who are making the world a better place.  It describes real ways that others can change the world too, whether  with their time, by capitalizing on their skills, or by using the resources of their businesses.

A Path Appears book cover

Their first book, Half the Sky , opened the eyes of the world to the dire plight of women in developing countries.   Through their powerful true stories, the authors showed that the key to progress lies in unleashing women’s potential, that change is possible, and that each of us can play a role in making it happen.

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Ten Surprising Things – Mission Trip

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

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Ten Surprises  on Light of Hope 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!

Mary and Linda with their lunch bowls

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.

The road 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.

Playing ajua[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_button title=”Read more about Joanne’s Ten Things” target=”_blank” color=”wpb_button” icon=”none” size=”wpb_regularsize” href=”http://esserkenya.blogspot.com/search?q=ten+things”][vc_button title=”Joanne’s journey to Light of Hope” target=”_blank” color=”wpb_button” icon=”none” size=”wpb_regularsize” href=”http://esserkenya.blogspot.com”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Peanut butter and jelly – Light of Hope

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

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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“.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Carol Naro excels on KCPE exams

Posted on | by Sandy Karanja | Leave a Comment on Carol Naro excels on KCPE exams

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Carol Naro excels on KCPE exams at Light of Hope.

In December of 2014, 14-year-old Light of Hope student and resident, Carol Naro, sat for her KCPE exams.  Her score of 409 was an exceptional performance – one that merited a column in the newspaper and a highlight on the national news.

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Carol is now attending one of the best high schools in Kenya, St. Brigid’s Girls High School Kiminini.

She dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon in the future.

Caroline (Carol) Katiko Naro was born on September 10, 1999, as the third of four children.  Tragically, both of her parents passed away in 2006 leaving the children in their aunt’s care.  With such extreme hardship and poverty, the possibility of Carol’s continuing her education became a distant dream.

Fortunately, when Carol was eight her aunt contacted Light of Hope for help.

Lorene'sCarolCatherineTeamLLight of Hope was a chance at a new beginning for Carol.

Today, the hardworking and extremely determined Carol Naro is part of an important Light of Hope success story and an inspiration to many children in Kenya.

Carol describes herself as a hardworking girl whose vision is to be the “Hero of Turkana” where she was born.  Her greatest wish is to give back.

Carol does not know the whereabouts of her two brothers, but hopes to reunite with them someday.

LOH-2013-carol-zippy-and-ceLight of Hope is extremely proud of Caroline Naro.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why educate girls?

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

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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

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