Light of Hope with Shelia Ross
Our Program on September 4th was presented by Shiela Ross.
Last year, four Rotary Clubs (including us) set up a joint effort to do international projects. Last year, we did the bus for the orphanage in Haiti. This year, the clubs are supporting “Light of Hope”, a project in Kenya. The Wayzata Rotary is the lead club in this project.
The organization founded and supports a complex in Naivasha, Kenya, which provides refuge for lost and homeless girls. Most of the 60-plus girls who are residents are either orphans, from abusive homes, or were abandoned. Once there, the girls are given education, a stable home environment, and hope for their future. The girls range from 9 years to adult, and are educated in a school that has a Christian-based value system. On-premises education is through grade 8, and education 9th grade through university is funded by ELIMU Foundation.
Light of Hope was founded by Boni and Sandy Karanja and has strong roots in our area. Many of the corporate directors are from the Wayzata area. The website shows the campus in Kenya, and shows the progress over the past decade. Construction of the dining hall has begun, and the current effort of the group is to outfit the kitchen and dining hall so that the girls can eat sitting at tables instead of taking their food to classrooms to eat.
Contact information can be found at www.lightofhopekenya.org. You can also contact them by mail at Light of Hope, 4208 Hemlock Lane No, Plymouth, MN 55441, thru Wayzata Community Church, or thru Wayzata Rotary Club.