The Vision and Mission It is our vision to find creative solutions to offer a continuum of emotional, spiritual, physical and educational care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs), youths and their families in Kenya. Emotional and spiritual care includes mentorship, counseling, professional... read more guidance and life skills education. Physical support includes but is not limited to; family unification, kin care, provision of food and adult transitional support. Educational care includes sponsorship for primary, secondary, university and vocational education. The Beneficiaries We work closely with orphans, vulnerable children and youths, parents, guardians and community members who care for our population. It is our belief that simply because a childs life circumstances lead them to be born into poverty, doesnt mean that their story has to end there. It is paramount to our relationship that these children know hope for their futures. The Plan We believe in empowering local leadership in our organization. We acknowledge Kenyans know best the cultural, political and environmental background of their own country, and we believe they know the best solution to providing improvement in the lives of their children. We act in partnership with our Kenyan leadership to provide additional ideas, support and resources to refine Kenyan identified solutions to Kenyan identified problems. In partnership with our Kenyan leadership we work closely with guardians and community members to find loving community based solutions to poverty and care for OVCs. We collaborate to find solutions to keep OVCs in their community connected to their families and living in healthy and safe homes. This includes family unification efforts, provision of food, healthcare, educational and career development opportunities. Additionally, Light Up Hope is keenly aware that once an OVC reaches the age of 18 they continue to be in need of support to make the transition to adulthood without returning to a life of suffering. When an OVC turns 18, they are expected to leave the safety of the care environment they have known and join the Kenyan society. For some this means their education is finalized and they hope to enter the job market with little professional training. In most cases, these young adults do not have the skills, knowledge, resources, or training to do this with success. Our transitional program exists to provide the opportunity for these young adults to gain life skills, resources and university education so they can become contributing members of the Kenyan society and break the cycle of poverty into which they were born.
