Guest speaker Emily Bakhita is a member of the Rotary Club of Kisumu Winam in District 9212, Kenya. Overcoming many odds as she grew up, she now has a degree in commerce and is studying for her Master’s degree in public policy and management.
Emily is a founder of a NGO called ‘Rise to Shine Education Foundation’, which previously operated as a Community Based Organization called ‘Scars to Stars’.
Emily spoke passionately about the work of the Foundation, which seeks to empower and enable young, bright students from impoverished backgrounds, in four counties in the lake region of Kenya.
Sadly, too many poverty-stricken girls and young women in this region resort to ‘sex for fish’ to earn money and food, many picking up HIV in the process.
The Foundation sponsors young people, boys and girls, enabling them to attend (mostly high) school and get an education. Their school fees are paid and they are equipped with school uniforms, bags and shoes, as well as food. This level of support enables them to develop their potential and step out of the cycle of poverty - to ‘rise to shine’.
Over 500 children have been assisted since 2012.
Emily put forward the option of sponsoring one or more children, for four years of High School education, at a cost of about CAD1,000 per student, per year, saying:
“We invite you to join us to heal their scars, change their life, and inspire their future”.
We thank you for your presentation, Emily, and salute you and the Foundation for the significant difference you are making in young people's lives.