A Kenyan non-governmental organisation is set to receive this year’s Sh200 million donor funding from a US-based non-profit organisation, Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian.
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) which offers community-led services in six slum and poor areas in Nairobi and Mombasa, will get the cash at the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Symposium and Prize Ceremony to be held in Los Angeles, United States on October 19th.
The NGO will use the cash to bolster its activities in Kibera, Kawangware, Mathare and Mukuru in Nairobi as well as Bangladesh and Mshomoroni in Mombasa.
“The jury’s selection of SHOFCO to receive the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Prize really speaks to the power of local actors, and signals a nod to the next generation of humanitarian and development leaders,” said Hilton Foundation President and CEO Peter Laugharn during the announcement of the award on Wednesday.
“SHOFCO is a remarkable example of citizen-led change, created by people living in very challenging conditions. As Africa and the world urbanize and more informal settlements are created, SHOFCO provides an inspiring example of local creativity and solutions.”
SHOFCO will join the list of 22 other organisations that previously received the Hilton Humanitarian Prize over the last 20 years.
The Nairobi-based organization was founded by Kennedy Odede in 2004 and was later joined by partner Jessica Posner in 2007.
“We are thrilled and honoured to receive the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Prize,” said Odede.
“We will use this tremendous opportunity to start an endowment to ensure the long-term financial health and sustainable growth of our work. This will allow SHOFCO to remain driven by community needs and leadership, not donor demands, now and in the future. The endowment will strengthen our work in partnership with community leaders and help us expand our investments to transform urban slums,” he added.
