Nairobi, Kenya July, 29 2015 – The director of Education Initiatives at Global Peace Foundation, Ms. Caroline Anne Amollo had a meeting with Ms. Debra Okello, the director of the MSOF US branch to discuss the possibilities of partnership between the two organizations to empower the youth on entrepreneurship and character development in the country.
This was during the Mama Sarah Obama Entrepreneurship Summit that was held at Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi (prior to the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit that was attended by the President of United States of America, President Barack Obama) an event organised by the UN WOMEN and Mama Sarah Obama Foundation with the aim of bringing together top Kenya entrepreneurs to share best practices and learn from the auspicious panel.
The Mama Sarah Obama Foundation (MSOF) is the realization of a long-term dream of Mama Sarah Obama to address the education and welfare needs of orphans in Kogelo village due to the AIDS epidemic ravaging Sub-Saharan Africa in the last three decades and leaving many children without parents
Mama Sarah used her own resources and relentlessly worked with community leaders to meet the dire needs of these orphans and with the election of her grandson to the presidency of the United States of America, her phenomenal work has come to light well beyond the boundaries of Kogelo village.
Ms. Debra Okello discussed a legacy plan that the foundation has been working on to achieve Mama Sarah Obama’s vision.
“Mama Sarah Obama’s vision is to create a ‘cycle of life’ that encompasses an Early Childhood Education Center, a Primary School, a Secondary School, a Medical Center and a Vocational Training Center. The U.S President is in support of everything MSOF is doing and His main focus will be on women and youth” Ms. Debra Okello – Director, Mama Sarah Obama Foundation
Currently, Global Peace Education is working with 41 schools in Kenya and it has partnered with several organizations to ensure its mission of transforming education is achieved. The partnership between MSOF and GPE will broaden GPE’s impact since MSOF is targeting to work with 200 schools in Kenya. It will also create opportunities for GPE to partner with other organizations.
As a way forward, Ms. Debra and Ms. Caroline agreed to start working on the Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U) that will mark the beginning of MSOF and GPE working together.