SHOFCO marks 20 years in slum areas community development

SHOFCO Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede speaking during the organisation's 20th anniversary on June 6, 2024.. [Suleiman Yeri, Standard]

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) on Thursday, June 6, 2024 marked its 20 years since inception in a colorful event attended by several dignitaries.

SHOFCO was founded by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner in 2004, and has been in the forefront in addressing challenges facing slum residents.

Speaking during the two-decadee anniversary celebrations in Nairobi, Odede said the organisation’s work is grounded in a holistic approach to community development, addressing multiple dimensions of poverty and inequality to create lasting change.

“I’m delighted to see what SHOFCO has achieved in the past 20 years. It began with a soccer ball and 20 cents in Kibera, the organization has now spread its wings across Kenya, touching lives of over four million people yearly. “We could not have done it without the support of our donors and the communities we serve. It has been an amazing journey and we look forward to more fruitful years ahead,” Odede said.

Its programs focus on education, healthcare, water and sanitation, economic empowerment, community mobilization, and youth development, with the overarching goal of improving the well-being and opportunities of residents living in urban slums and rural areas across Kenya.

Apart from primary school education, the organization also sponsors 125 students in secondary school, and 30 others in universities in Kenya and the United States under its Future Education Programme. SHOFCO pioneered aerial water piping systems in Kibera to crack down on vandalism and theft of pipes and end contamination of water. The pipes terminate at 57 water kiosks located in strategic parts of Kibera and Mathare slums, serving over 200,000 residents daily.

The organisation also supplies water to 47 schools and five health centres in Kibera and Lang’ata sub counties for free.

The organization currently operates three Level 3 health centres in Kibera (2) and Mathare (1), serving over 600 patients daily.

“Our clinics were started from the idea that no one should die because of lack of healthcare. Our health centres treat people both within and outside of the slums,” Odede stated.

The organization has been carrying out healthcare outreaches in Nairobi, Mombasa, Siaya, and Kakamega counties and it has so far reached 467,087 as of 2023. SHOFCO has reached 76,614 vulnerable women through its Sustainable Livelihoods programme where they are trained on various courses such as tailoring, handicrafts, and other soft skills to support their economic empowerment.

As of 2023, some 15,000 gender-based violence survivors had been supported by SHOFCO.

The organization runs safe houses in Kibera and Mathare slums, and has supported several GBV victims to get justice and empower them socially and economically.

SHOFCO is currently operating in 40 counties in Kenya, impacting over four million lives, and in 2018 became the youngest-ever organization to receive the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, the world’s largest humanitarian prize awarded to non–profits that have made extraordinary contributions to alleviate human suffering.

SHOFCO Sacco gave out loans worth Ksh 272 million in 2023 up from 148 million it disbursed in 2022, registering an increase of 83 per cent.

The Sacco, which was founded in 2015 and currently has 18000 members, allows residents of informal settlements to access credit without collaterals as long as they have savings as little as Ksh1000. At least 86 per cent of the Sacco's members are women. Since its inception, SHOFCO Sacco has given out loans worth over Ksh1 billion.

In 2022, SHOFCO’S community-driven change became a model for global NGOs following a case study conducted by Bridgespan Group which had a close-up look at on-the-ground approaches that make the Kenyan organisation tick. SHOFCO stood out among the other NGOs around the world with Bridgespan concluding that their model of community-driven change has achieved impact that lasts because the community feels a sense of ownership.