Later that same day, the Jaded team traded the electric hum of WEWLA for the intimate glow of the Tumaini International College Fund Gala. The evening opened with icebreaker bingo cards designed to connect guests, but beneath the playful surface was a heartbeat: steady, strong, undeniable.
The word Tumaini means hope in Swahili. And that’s exactly what the night embodied: hope made tangible.
Judy Nzeki, an alumna of Tumaini, shared her journey of being lifted through the program all the way to university. She painted a vivid picture of a community that refused to let her fall—and now she returns that gift by mentoring girls at Tumaini International Girls High School. She has become the mentor she once needed, living proof of the cycle of empowerment.
The organization’s founder, Stanley Mutunga, took us on a journey back to where it all began. Over 24 years ago, the AIDS epidemic devastated Africa, including his village in Kenya. Families collapsed under the weight of grief, children lost their parents, grandmothers buried their children, and when hope seemed like luxury that no one could afford, grandmothers begged for help. With God’s heavy call for Stanley and his wife, by faith, they chose to act. They stepped in and began sponsoring 15 orphaned children.
When they shared their story with their church, others quickly jumped in to offer aid to sponsor more children. Before they knew it, more and more children in Kenya were being sponsored one after another.
Today, that one simple act of faith has grown into an organization impacting over 170,000 beneficiaries, providing education, medical care, and socio-economic support that continues to reverberate across Kenya.
We also heard the story of Nicholas Ketuco, who joined Tumaini in 2008 as a student. With support, he graduated with a degree in economics and statistics and now works as a donor sponsor coordinator and mentor. Nicholas’s journey is a reminder that Tumaini is not only building futures—it is nurturing leaders who return to uplift their own communities.
As the night wound down, one truth crystallized: hope is not abstract. It is living, breathing, studying, mentoring, and building in the people of Tumaini.
And like the stories we heard, Tumaini reminds us of a universal truth: it takes a village to make change. Every hand, every contribution, every act of solidarity builds the foundation for the next generation. Together, we can be the village. Together, we can keep hope alive.
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