Kennedy Odede is one of Africa's bestknown community organizers and social entrepreneurs. Odede was born and lived for twenty-three years in the Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa, where he experienced the devastating realities of life in extreme poverty firsthand. The oldest of eight children, he became a street-child at the age of ten. Still, he dreamed about changing his community. In 2004, he had a job in a factory earning $1 for ten hours of work. He saved 20 cents and used this to buy a soccer ball and start Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO). Driven by the innovation and entrepreneurial spirits of the people of Kibera, Shining Hope became the largest grassroots organization in the slum.
Portrait by Jessica Odede
