My name is Alex Kitili and I am 24 years old. I was born and raised by a single mother since my father had passed on while I was in class two (second grade). In the slums of Mathare, life proved so difficult for me and my mother. Though she struggled as she could, things would not get better.

In the thick of all this, she gathered what she could working at a nearby pub just to have a few coins to pay for my school fees. Sometimes she would do this at the expense of meals for me and my small brothers and sisters.

In 1999 I finished my Primary `O` level studies managing to get 370 points out of the possible 500 a performance that was very impressive especially to my mother who was working tirelessly to see me at least succeed in life. In a twist of events my mother was diagnosed with Tuberculosis immediately after I had been through with my primary studies, this send chilling to my nerves since I could easily tell that my dream had been shuttered, the dream of becoming a Professional Journalist in the world of film making.

Fortunately my uncle intervened in my situation and took me to a charity school (Mully Children’s Home) where I completed my secondary school studies and attained a C+. They sent me to a college (Smart Media Colleges) where I did a diploma in Journalism and attained the possible distinction grade with 86.2points. Besides that they also paid for me to do a diploma in Information Technology where I achieved a distinction grade.

I am privileged to say that The 1010 Project has become a major beacon of hope in my life and am sure that I will make it in life. It gives me a lot of pleasure to impact other children who are going through what I underwent and encourage them to hang on, for the future looks brighter.

My dream is to become a well-equipped champion of hope and an influential element in the fight against poverty in my community and the eradication of the itching problems in Kenya, Africa, and in the whole world at large. Thank you.

Here’s the second installment – 5 stories from Kenya and 5 from Colorado!

Local

1. Ten dedicated interns joined The 1010 Project in 2011, offering their many gifts and talents to the team. Students from the University of Denver, University of Colorado – Boulder, and Colorado Christian University provided over 600 hours of back-breaking (but fun and important) labor to the organization.
2. The 1010 Project received two foundation grants for a total of $12,500. 
3. We conducted a presentation at Standley Lake High School‘s PeaceJam event, which focused on global poverty, health, and what we can do to change things.
4. At The 1010 Project, we work hard, but our work can be fun too! On October 1 we were the featured non-profit at the Colorado Rapids (soccer) game. The Rapids beat FC Dallas 1-0 and we raised $760. A winning night all around!
5. With new executive leadership, we’ve spent 2011 developing new strategic and corporate partnerships. Stay tuned to next year for some big announcements!

Kenya

1. The 1010 Project will soon be a registered NGO in Kenya. This will open up new opportunities for the 1010 Network, which will manage this separate-but-united entity in Kenya.
2. Josephine Chavaseki, our Country Director, has completed her first full calendar year with The 1010 Project. She is a community leader, founder of Fair Oaks Academy, and a longtime friend of our organization. We were thrilled to add her to The 1010 Project family in September 2010. Since she joined us, she has overseen both sessions of the Global Entrepreneur Academy and has hired two interns to help her with the operations of the Kenya office.
3. A brand-new Kenyan Advisory Council is providing business knowledge and strategic planning to the 1010 Network. They will continue to steward the creation of The 1010 Project as an official Kenyan NGO.
4. Each of our partner organizations (all fifteen of them) has an endless supply of good news. In 2012, we’ll put more of those stories front-and-center on our website and printed materials so that you can get to know our partners even better.
5. A massive famine took hold in East Africa this year. The 1010 Project does not provide food aid, so when our partners had to close their schools for want of rice and beans, we couldn’t directly assist. But the 1010 Network in Kenya certainly could. Their combined resilience and resourcefulness helped stave off the worst of the famine. Read more about their response here.