I am Hope Foundation

I am applying for the elevate prize because I will be afforded the opportunity to work with and learn from other like minded individuals. It will also bring awareness to my cause in Kenya. 

If selected as a winner, I will use the funds to expand on my foundation's existing projects in Kenya. 

1. Repair the roofs of all of the classrooms at the KWA Mwatu Primary School. When it rains, the children gets wet, while in the classroom.

2. Ensure every child is able to eat 2 meals daily at school. Under our current food and nutrition program, only the children who receives sponsorship is able to participate in the program. Sponsorship has been very minimal.

3. Create a program where the young ladies in Kenya do not have to miss school for a week, every month because they do not have sanitary napkins during their mensural.

4. Create a program that offers a trade, so the adults in the communities within the Kwa Mwatu village can learn how to sustain on their own.

5. Implement a garden and teach the villagers how to grow their own crops and have access to long term food supply.

I am a single mother, currently working on my Doctorate. As a child, I went to bed hungry numerous times we did not have food. So, when I started the I am Hope Foundation, I knew it was our duties to help ease the burden on families who need a little help.

The mission of the I am Hope Foundation is to restore hope in every nation by providing hope through our empowerment seminars, missions trips and food and nutrition program. 

Domestically - Our goal for the future is to expand on our Youth and Women's empowerment seminars in the U.S and the Caribbean.

Internationally - Our goal is to continue our partnership at the Kwa Mwatu Primary school in Kenya, Africa. I would like to expand on their educational curriculum so each child could have a quality education. I would also like to adopt additional schools and assist in that region by providing infrastructure repairs and by implement our food and nutrition programs. When a child have access to quality education,  in a safe environment and they are not hungry, they are able to focus on their studies.

The specific problem to be addressed in Kenya, is poverty. This has resulted in an increased school drop out rate and teen pregnancy. 

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Kwa Mwatu Primary School averaged student drop of 15 - 20  each year. When the I am Hope Foundation adopted the school, the drop out rate decreased to 1 to 2 students per year; enrollment increased by over 60 students; and school retention remains at an all time high. Some students from neighboring schools have since sought admissions at the KWA Mwatu because they are assured a good, safe learning environment and a meal. 

The school is unable to provide the students with daily meals without support. The families are already struggling to pay school fees. Most of the children within the village of Kwa Mwatu only eat while they are at school, because their families do not have access to food. 

The Foundation seeks donation / sponsorship. I work with the Principal at the school on identifying a student in need of a sponsorship. Funds are sent to the school. Food is purchased and student is enrolled in the program.

The same applies with any additional repairs at the school. 

Our work is simple, yet innovative because we are providing access of basic needs to families who would die without it. 

We created a water dispenser so the children at our school could have access to clean drinking water. Prior to this implementation, the children were not getting the nutrients needed from clean water. This is contributed to the increased spread of diseases. By providing food, we have contributed to the decrease in malnutrition in this region and by investing in their education, we are giving them hope and an opportunity to a brighter future.

It is innovative because we are investing in a population that appears to have been forgotten. The children are very smart and just need someone to invest in them. 

My foundation is very small and it consists of everyday people who wants to make a significant impact in the lives of others. 

The I am Hope Foundation is having an impact on humanity by addressing a global problem; poverty though:

1. Providing food to the student through our food and nutrition program. Obtain sponsorship for every child.

2. Through education by teaching how to sustain on their own by the development of a garden. By growing their own crops, they will have access to a long time supply of food.

3. Through the empowerment of the community to effectively engage in socio-economic activities. 

4. Giving students an opportunity to have a quality education by ensuring they have the basic resources to learn (school supplies)