Infectious Hope

If you have never heard of Kennedy Odede, allow me to pour a little of his infectious hope into your life today.

Kennedy grew up in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. His childhood was marked by extreme poverty and violence. At age 10, while living on the streets, he was caught stealing a single mango. A good Samaritan intervened as he was being beaten by a group intent on mob justice. The stranger paid for the mango, saving his life.  

The next saving came at age 12. Kennedy didn’t have a formal education, but when an older friend at a community center gave him a book, he found escape, hope, and inspiration. Books allowed him to get acquainted with Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Books instilled in him the belief that anyone could change their life and community for the better. And while earning 10 cents an hour at a factory job, he founded Shining Hope for Communities, a grassroots nonprofit organization that provides clean water, education, and hope to 2.4 million of Kenya’s poorest. He has served as CEO for 20 years, been named a Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneur, and won the Mohammed Ali Humanitarian Award.

Ideally, our communities are not as impoverished as Kibera, but we certainly have students in our buildings who are dealing with hardships we cannot even imagine. We mustn’t underestimate the power of our daily kindnesses. And we must continue to provide rich and wonderful books as well as extended time to read them. If we can get our students to fall in love with books, too, they will find the hope and inspiration they need to be part of an amazing future only they can imagine.