We have such great news to share: SHOFCO is officially open in Kenya's second largest slum, Mathare! Located in Nairobi, the Mathare slum is home to approximately 600,000-800,000 people. SHOFCO began working with a group of young people in Mathare over two years ago who were inspired by Kennedy's story and SHOFCO's work in Kibera. They funded their own projects for two years and secured the land on which we were able to build the SHOFCO-Mathare building! It is through leadership like this that SHOFCO plans to continue to grow our grassroots model to change the face of urban poverty across Kenya.

We are so excited to start effecting positive change in Mathare through our school for girls, economic empowerment, gender violence, and youth services! Moving forward, we will continue to build our other key infrastructure around this new center point, The Mathare School for Girls, which opened last week!

The U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec was present to dedicate the brand new building that houses the Mathare School for Girls and SHOFCO's community programs on September 4th. The event was attended by new students, members of the Mathare community, and the SHOFCO-Kenya board, as well as other friends from the Kenyan government and the private sector.

The new building is a symbol of hope that can be seen from all around Mathare!

Kennedy, Jessica, and the entire SHOFCO team are thrilled to welcome the new students of the Mathare School for Girls! We cannot wait to see what they can do.

Thank you, SHOFCO supporters, for helping to make this dream happen and for being a key partner on our journey to improve lives in Kenya's slums! Together we can make a lasting impact, spreading a model of hope and empowerment.