17 Jul We’re Back From Africa – More Determined Than Ever!

Maasai Mara Recap, Part 1

We just returned from visiting the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

To say it was a moving experience is an understatement!

Our itinerary was chock full because we were committed to visiting and reporting on all 11 Unstoppable projects in Kenya. To do so, we traveled to nine remote communities and visited the two secondary schools we helped fund.

From dawn ’til dusk each day, we traveled by jeep for several hours on very bumpy roads, going from one community to the next.

Within each community, we met with village leaders, teachers, principals, children, and families to gauge our progress, hear their stories and witness the transformation and progress that is occurring as a result of our efforts here at home. We also listened carefully as we encountered story after story of the importance for more educational opportunities to keep children in school and learning.

It was profound, heartwarming, and uplifting.

We left feeling inspired by the transformation that was happening in these communities and with even greater resolve to continue bringing education and sustainability to more communities, and children in Kenya and beyond.

Now that we’re back, we’re preparing reports and detailing information so we can share as much of the progress as possible with you!

In the meantime, there was one story that touched us so deeply we couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Meet Grace Naishpai, a student at the Kisaruni Secondary School.

Grace Naishpai

By the time Grace was in the 8th grade, her father already had plans to marry her off to a much older man with multiple wives. These plans would end any chance for Grace to continue her education let alone live a life filled with hopes and dreams.

Grace’s mom Mary, had also been married off at the age of 15 and knew the type of future Grace was destined for if she suffered the same fate as herself.

“I cried to my husband knowing that Grace would have as difficult a life if he followed through with his plans—having babies too young and then struggling to feed and take care of her family,” Mary said. She felt desperate, knowing she did not want the same fate for her daughter.

Grace Naishpai

When Mary heard that her husband had decided on a date that Grace would wed, she immediately moved into action. She took her daughter to Grace’s older sister’s house, so that she would have the chance to continue with her education and build a solid foundation for the rest of her life.

When Grace’s father came home and found his daughter and wife missing, he was livid, and said no one — including Grace’s mother — was allowed back in his home until his daughter returned to be married.

Mary hid with a neighbor for several days to give her husband time to cool down. After that, she met with him and he reluctantly agreed to let Grace stay with her older sister after he found out that she had already applied to Kisaruni Secondary School, a new school that would be opening soon. Grace and her mother leaped with delight when they received the news that Grace was one of the 40 girls who were accepted to start school in a few months.

Thanks to her mother’s commitment to ensure Grace received an education – and to the Unstoppable Foundation who helped fund Kisaruni Secondary School for girls – Grace will be graduating with academic honors later this year!

She hopes to start college after graduation and pursue her dream of becoming a journalist.

Pretty inspirational, right? We think so!

In fact, hearing Grace and her mom’s story and personally witnessing what education is making possible for entire communities, we are more committed than ever to ensuring every child receives an education.

To this end, the Unstoppable Foundation has a bold new goal over the next twelve months: to educate an additional 5,000 children by doubling our impact revenue to $2 million! Utilizing our Sponsor a Village model, we educate approximately 70 children per village a day. At only six villages per month, in a year we will have sponsored 72 villages, educating over 5,000 children.

When sponsoring a village, we implement the 5 pillars of sustainability to the entire community:

1) education,
2) access to clean water and sanitation,
3) food and nutrition,
4) healthcare, and
5) education for parents to earn an income so the project is self sustaining.

To implement this, it costs only $25,000.

Think about it. If only 25 people donate $84 per month, that’s a village and 70 children receiving an education and a future.

This is an achievable goal, and I KNOW we can do it, together.

If you’d like to donate to the Unstoppable Foundation, and give more girls like Grace a chance at a future beyond early marriage, and extreme poverty, consider making a donation today!

Or if you’d like more info about how you as an individual, group or company can Sponsor an entire Village, go to www.UnstoppableFoundation.org

As I mentioned before, we’re now combing through tons and tons of video footage to bring you the stories, along with more on the progress we’re creating. So stay tuned for more life-saving results we can enjoy, together!

We’d love to hear from you – what do you think of Grace’s story? Comment below!