Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede shared a photo on his Instagram chilling with Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Horace Chang in undisclosed location in the Caribbean country.
Dr. Chang is a powerful Jamaican politician who is also currently serving as the country’s Minister of National Security.
He was formerly the Minister of Water, Environment and Housing from September 2007 to December 2011.
Dr. Odede had earlier disclosed that he was in Jamaica on official tour.
“I had lunch with the Dr. Horace Chang, Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica 🇯🇲. Jessica and I also had a conversation with his family. Jamaica is becoming my second home,” Dr. Odede wrote on his Instagram.
Prior to visiting Jamaica, the SHFOCO founder was in the United States where he attended TIME100 Summit and Gala on April 24th and 25th.
Dr. Odede was among the 2024 TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people celebrated during the 2-day event. He was named alongside President William Ruto.
“Kennedy is living proof that individuals can lead themselves, and their communities, out of poverty. And his work has earned him the trust and admiration of all those around him.
“Kennedy finds ingenious solutions: schools for the most vulnerable girls, training programs for men to combat domestic violence, safe houses for survivors, community libraries, employment programs, innovative clean-water kiosks, a community cooperative bank,” the Magazine said.
The magazine further said there is no challenge the SHOFCO boss will not take on.
“He is an unstoppable force for justice. This dream of hope that started more than 20 years ago in his home in Kibera has now reached more than 3 million Kenyans and is rapidly becoming a blueprint that will one day, hopefully, reach the world—a movement for change led by the people themselves,” it added.
Dr. Chang joins several world leaders who have met with Dr. Odede recently.
In February this year, the SHOFCO founder met and held talks with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in Boston.
Warren is a powerful US politician who was among the top four vice-presidential choices for the then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, along with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Representative Val Demings, and Senator Kamala Harris.
Last year, Delaware Senator Chris Coons visited SHOFCO where he toured the organisation’s projects in Kibera.
“I’m happy to be with you Kennedy and I’ve enjoyed seeing what you have done for your community in Kibera. God bless you and SHOFCO,” Coons said in a short video clip shared by Dr. Odede on social media.
Dr. Odede enjoys wide global network and in September 2022, he was introduced by President Bill Clinton as a close family friend during Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) forum in New York.
“Pleasure to introduce someone who is to me truly embodies the best of CGI. His (Odede’s) work has improved lives in the most impoverished communities on earth. A long-time friend of our family,” the former President said before ushering him to the podium to speak.
Dr. Odede founded SHOFCO in 2004 in Kibera and it has now expanded to 35 counties across Kenya.
In November 2023, Dr. Odede was named alongside former Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf as the winner of the TIME100 Impact Award.
He is also a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, an Obama Foundation Africa Leader, a USAID Advisory Board member, and the winner of the Mohammed Ali Humanitarian Award among other recognitions.
Dr. Odede is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss, and Hope in African Slum.
He has received several awards in Kenya including a Head of State Commendation (HSC) for his role in combating COVID-19 in slums in 2020.
