Teen walks to raise funds for special needs pupils

GLASGOW, DELAWARE, US

Before a picture of her face with the colours of the Kenyan flag first appeared on social media, nobody beyond her inner circle at the University of Tampa in Florida, US, knew who Irene Sidede was.

Then a long feature was published on the university junior’s plan to walk to raise funds to support a charity in Kenya through an initiative called Face of Kenya US, and Irene suddenly became a star, not only on campus but also in the larger Kenyan community in the United States.

She is now busy raising money for her charity in Buru Buru, Nairobi through her GoFund account, talking on the phone with her fans from around the world and generally enjoying the honour of representing her country in the US.

“We are not just busy looking for people to give us money for our charities at home but also talking positively about our country and having a good time while at it,” she said.

She is one of 13 young contestants in the UK-based Face of Kenya-US pageant initiative that is scheduled to kick off on April 4 in Sherman Oaks, California.

Other contestants are Jackline Wambui Kahugu, 21, of Overland Park, Kansas; Kelly Wairimu Davis of Kansas; Kabi Nyoike of Austin, Texas; Lancer Odhiambo; Stella Langat of New York City and Trina Njoroge of California.

CHARITABLE INITIATIVE

Sonnie Njau of Texas; Njeri Maina; Collins Wewa of Los Angeles, California; Kevin Ndirangu of northern California; Stephanie Njoroge of Arizona and Lilian Mbua of California are also in the running.

Started three years ago in London by Janet Wainaina, Face of Kenya is a charitable initiative that aims to promote cultural diplomacy, youth empowerment, community cohesion, charitable initiatives and progressive branding of Kenyan products abroad.

“Face of Kenya believes in investing in ‘Tomorrow’s Leaders’ and works as a voice for Kenyan youths by fostering awareness among the diaspora Kenyan community of the importance of preserving their heritage and its social, cultural, political and economic value,” Ms Wainaina said.

She and her team believe Kenya and Kenyans deserve a fair representation in the world.

“For many years, Africans’ image in the world has been associated with a lot of negative things, and you and I know that that is not a fair representation of one of the most robust, innovative and flourishing continents in the world,” said Wacu Ndirangu, the manager of Face of Kenya-US.

Ms Sidede is currently leading a GoFund Me campaign to raise money for Buru Buru Baptist Church School, which provides education for special needs children. She interned there in her freshmen year when she was a psychology major.

“I wanted to experience it firsthand, and it was life changing,” she told the University of Tampa campus paper, adding “I had a misconception about kids with disabilities and their ability for achievement.”