World Vision, SHOFCO feted at NGO Week

Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Regulatory Authority Chairman Mr. Mwambu Mabongah (second left) flanked by SHOFCO Chief Programme Officer Gladys Mwende (third left) at the organisation's exhibition booth at KICC during NGO Week's day-1 on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.

Two Non-Governmental Organisations have been feted at the NGO week for being a lead in the celebrations’ preparations.

The celebrations been going on for the better part of this week at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.

Speaking during day one of the forum that brought together NGOs across the country, Public Benefits Organizations (PBO) Regulatory Authority Chairman Mr. Mwambu Mabongah singled out SHOFCO and World Vision for leading in organizing this year's event.

"I have had an opportunity to oversee preparation for this NGO Week in my capacity as the Chair of PBO Regulatory Authority. I thank the authority management and the staff for organizing this event which is this quite successful event quite successful,” he says.

"I am well informed that SHOFCO and World Vision contributed to the success of this event. Thank you very much for the great work you do," PBO Regulatory Authority Chairman Mr. Mwambu Mabongah said.

Also recognized were Action Against Hunger, and Compassion International Kenya. SHOFCO's General Counsel Joseph Amisi, who represented the organization at the opening of the 5-day event, enumerated the organisations' community-led programs which he said have been successful across Kenya.

"SHOFCO is celebrating 20 years of operation this year and we are proud of what we have achieved. SHOFCO is not working alone; we work with our partners and the communities we serve and that's the synergy we are talking about today," Amisi said.

Mr. Amisi said SHOFCO has been leading localization agenda where local communities are empowered to be problem solvers and change agents.

"As organizations, we need to empower local leaders to ensure sustainability of what we do. That is what our CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede is championing across the world through Global Alliance for Communities which was launched in Kenya in 20217 he added.

Founded by Dr. Kennedy Odede in 2004, SHOFCO has been in the forefront in addressing challenges facing slum residents. 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.

The organisation's work is grounded in a holistic approach to community development, addressing multiple dimensions of poverty and inequality to create lasting change.

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