Mirror of Hope

Qui sommes-nous

Mirror of Hope was founded by Tommy Nyawir in response to the plight of needy children and women of Kibera. Mirror of Hope is a registered Community Based Organisation with the Government of Kenya under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Services, registration No LGT/CBO/5/4/2010/(468). It is a hand up (not a handout) organization dedicated to helping the children, youth, men and women from the most impoverished backgrounds through education as we believe it is the most effective tool in fighting the poverty that inflicts the residents of Kibera. With a good education in all its different forms, we believe people can go on to make a sustainable positive impact on their lives - and the lives of those around them.

Our vision is for a society that is well-informed, proactive, self-sustaining, respects human rights, and where everyone has equal access to quality education, healthcare, and food.

Focus areas:
• Education sponsorship
• Youth Empowerment
• Economic Empowerment

Our programs
• Education sponsorship: Providing access to high-quality high school and tertiary education to extremely needy children from impoverished backgrounds in the Kibera slum. Students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to get a well-paying job, which is the difference between a reasonably comfortable life and a harsh existence under poverty.
• Holiday program and community service: Every school holiday, the sponsorship project runs holiday fellowships to develop the capacity of sponsored students through life skills mentorship, career guidance, and community service- the latter being an opportunity for the students to give back to their community after having received so much from their sponsors. The involvement through holiday fellowships provide a safe space for the students and protects them against negative influences such as drug-use and teenage pregnancy during schoo holidays. During this period students have access to breakfast and lunch, a luxury most cannot afford back at home in the slum.
• Future Poa Project: “Poa” is Swahili slang for good. The Future Poa Project, which translates to ‘a good/better future’, is a youth-focused project and one of our three main projects.The project supports the youth of Kibera through hands-on skills through the Future ‘Poa’ project. The project focuses on digital literacy, tailoring, peanut butter production, and creative arts as avenues to impart the employable skills. The project aims at reducing the massive employment gap in the slum. The Future Poa project also prioritizes the mental health and well-being of our youth through group therapy and counseling. Through this, the youth is helped to cope with the challenges that weigh on them in their day-to-day life. The Future Poa project is supported by Edmund Rice Foundation Australia, our corporate partners.
• Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC): SILC is an economic empowerment model that provides access to business training, microfinance and support for small business start-up development. The methodology was first adopted to empower and improve the living conditions of women in Kibera through economic intervention. Today the SILC project stands to economically empower both men and women through business start-ups and expansion.

Tommy Nyawir is the Founder and CEO of Mirror of Hope.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.