A Path Appears: Shining Hope

In A Path Appears: Violence and Solutions, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn travelled with Mia Farrow and her son Ronan Farrow to the Kibera School for Girls to investigate the way Shining Hope for Communities is changing the future of thousands of people in their community. During the episode, we met two girls struggling with the damaging effects of gender based violence: Flavian and Ida.

When we met Flavian she could not walk and was suffering a severe infection caused by long-term sexual abuse by a family member. Today, Flavian is thriving. Her education at one of Kenya’s finest boarding schools has been supported through SHOFCO’s programs that sponsor ongoing education for girls who are survivors of gender-based violence. She loves school and is excelling in class. During winter break, Flavian joined the other girls who live at SHOFCO’s safe house (including Ida!) for an amazing leadership trip that took them across Kenya, visiting the Maasai Mara and other beautiful national sites. Flavian’s case will close this year. Her perpetrator is still in jail, and SHOFCO’s legal counsel is confident he will remain there.

Ida’s grandfather called on SHOFCO to help when the police refused to seek justice for his four year old grandchild after she was raped. The case was heartbreaking, especially when it was revealed that her rapist was another child. But progress was made.

Ida finished her first year of Pre-School at The Kibera School for Girls and has just started Kindergarten. She is a ball of energy with a charming smile—playful and blossoming. Maureen, the social worker who helped rescue Ida, has seen an amazing transformation. While Ida used to be so reserved that she was unable to relate to other students, she is now “vibrant, confident, and disciplined.” Just this morning, while Maureen and Ida were washing their hands together, Maureen inquired why Ida wasn’t wearing her school shoes. Ida replied in perfect English they did not fit her anymore. This confident, simple answer impressed Maureen because when Ida was rescued, shyness would have prevented her from answering.

Ida’s teachers report that when she came to KSG she could not sound out letters. Now, she is reading entire books on her own. She has gained immense confidence, which she showed off as one of the stars of her class’ end-of-year fashion show. While counseling has helped a great deal, Ida’s teachers and fellow students have also been instrumental in helping her come out of her shell and overcome her history.

Ida’s perpetrator is serving time at a juvenile rehabilitation center and attending school there. SHOFCO’s gender department is working hard with young boys in the community through its soccer programs to discuss gender-based violence at a young age. Its SHOFCO’s hope that Ida’s perpetrator will turn his life around and serve as an example.

Ida now lives in the safe and loving environment of SHOFCO’s boarding facility, Margaret’s Safe Place. She dreams of becoming a doctor when she grows up. She and Janet are still best friends.

Flavian

Ida

A Path Appears visited Shining Hope for Communities’ Kibera School for Girls during a pivotal moment. In the fall of 2014, SHOFCO scaled its grassroots model in Kibera to the second largest slum in Nairobi, Mathare, launching with the core of its innovative approach: a free school for girls. The school provides students with the holistic support needed to keep them in school to the completion of their education and with the tools to forge paths out of poverty for themselves and their families.

Meanwhile, SHOFCO continues to grow and deepen its infrastructure in its flagship Kibera site. They are expanding access to healthcare with a planned network of satellite clinics attached to toilets and water kiosks, encouraging the community to use WASH services in conjunction with healthcare. Through a continued focus on early childhood education, they have developed a daycare program with 65 blossoming children. They also take great pride in their oldest students, who rose to the 6th grade in 2015! To nurture these students, the school has instilled a mentorship program that exposes them to female role models and opportunities in the professional realm outside of Kibera.

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