Kenyan NGO wins Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian prize

A Kenyan NGO has been announced as this year’s winner of the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian prize. Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) was awarded $2 million for its work in the Kibera informal settlements. The prize is awarded to organisations that have worked towards alleviating human suffering.

The SABC  News team first reported on SHOFCO’s work three years ago.

Deep inside the Kibera slums, a glimmer of hope, as news filtered in at the Shining Hope for Communities offices.

‘We saw ourselves as a candle in the middle of the slum but we always knew people will see what we’re doing if we keep on focusing and believing in ourselves ‘ – @KennedyOdede pic.twitter.com/ilULauAQfz

— SHOFCO (@hope2shine) August 26, 2018

Kennedy Odede  established SHOFCO some 14 years ago. He used soccer to rally young people to move away from a life of crime.

The organisation has since grown tremendously, and now provides clean water, a health clinic, women’s economic empowerment groups and a girls school.

The school provides free tuition for bright but needy girls from one of Africa’s largest informal settlements.

“We have local based solutions for local problems, we have a school here that serves over 200 kids and 800 patients a day,” he said.

The organization depends on volunteers for its day to day running. It has since expanded to three more slums – empowering some of Kenya’s most impoverished communities. The award will ensure that SHOFCO remains sustainable.

“We are going to rally our supporters mobilise them all over the world, we got two million dollars can we add more money please? Can the world support us so that we keep in endowment so that every year we get a percentage that comes to SHOFCO,” adds Odede.

The organisation will be honoured at a ceremony in Los Angeles in October.  The ceremony will feature top global humanitarians.