Shining Hope for Communities Wins Dell Award

Shining Hope for Communities, a student-founded non-profit organization, is the winner of the 2010 Dell Social Innovation Competition. The award is based on a world-wide competition among college students who have projects that can “make the world a better place.” Shining Hope for Communities founded The Kibera School for Girls in 2009 in the Kenyan slum of Kibera, and is creating the Johanna Justin Jinich Memorial Clinic and a community center this year at the same site. Initial funding for the Kibera School for Girls was provided by the Davis 100 Projects for Peace program. The Dell award includes $50,000.

The group has also received a $50,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation and a $1,000 award from the MTV People’s Choice Awards this year.

Shining Hope for Communities includes Executive Director and Kibera native Kennedy Odede ‘12, Managing Director Jessica Posner ‘09 and current Wesleyan students Leah Lucid ‘10, Ari Tolman ‘10, and Inslee Coddington ‘10.