Before Eunice's dreams of visiting New York City came true, there was "A Girl's Life."
Brilliant filmmaker Josh Hayward shot "A Girl's Life" when Eunice was just 10 years old. He captured her sense of wonder about New York City and a snapshot of her big hopes and dreams. Eunice has always impressed people with her strength and sense of purpose, which was particularly evident at the Women in the World Summit, where she shared her story and "A Girl's Life" premiered.
Full of hope and joy, "A Girl's Life" inspires us every day. Please watch and share it with those who inspire you!
A Path Appears Premieres Tonight!
Tonight is the big night!
A Path Appears premieres at 10pm on PBS. Please tune in and watch our powerful story unfold.
President Clinton Praises SHOFCO
In this A Path Appears exclusive clip that is not part of the documentary cut, President Clinton discusses the powerful impact of SHOFCO's work.
“That’s why what Kennedy and Jessica are doing in Kibera is important...I know they’re changing not only the aspirations and behaviors of the kids in the school but their whole families.”
A Path Appears Released
We are very excited to announce that Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book A Path Appears, in which SHOFCO is featured prominently (including the cover!) comes out today!
A follow-up to their groundbreaking bestseller Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, A Path Appears focuses on effective responses to the oppression of women and how each and every person can be involved in the movement to empower women globally.
Kristof and WuDunn spend a fascinating chapter illuminating Kennedy and Jessica's story and grand vision for the empowerment of women and the urban poor, as well as the effective and tangible results of SHOFCO's work in Kenya's slums. A Path Appears highlights SHOFCO as a crucial and replicable movement that empowers women, uplifts communities, and fosters the needed ingredient in any positive social movement: hope.
Please share the news with family and friends about this incredible new book and about SHOFCO's impact on women and girls in urban slums!
SHOFCO Mathare Opens Its Doors!
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.
Beyoncé Donates $125K to SHOFCO!
SHOFCO was one of four organizations honored at Chime for Change's event on June 3rd at Gucci's flagship store in NYC!
Inspired by our work, Beyonce made a surprise donation of $125,000 to SHOFCO to send 100 girls to school in Mathare.
Amazing advocate and SHOFCO friend Blake Lively also attended the Chime for Change event and talked with Jessica and Kennedy about her excitement for SHOFCO's work in Kenya!
We are so proud to be partnered with the incredible changemakers at Chime for Change!
Nicholas Kristof Features SHOFCO!
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof featured SHOFCO in his Sunday columns for two weeks in a row! In his 1st column, "In this Rape Case, the Victim was 4," Kristof recounts the case of the rape of a child in Kibera and the police's ineffectual—and hostile—response to the case and the survivor's family. How Brave Girls Helped Crack a Taboo expands on the issue of sexual assault, and ultimately gives a hopeful view of the future.
“To build a safer environment for the girls, he [Kennedy Odede] started a system of victim advocates to help push the police to do their jobs, and the group is winning support for its message that “no” means “no” — and that rapists should be punished.
It’s having an impact, offering a model for efforts to combat sexual violence worldwide.”