It all began when I was 16 years old and attended Valley High School in West Des Moines, IA. I couldn’t believe what I experienced. I tried to compare attending a public school in America to attending a public school in Kenya, but I could not seem to comprehend it all. I saw all the opportunities that were readily available to students in America and I asked myself why this was not the case for my fellow Kenyans.

It wasn’t long before one of the teachers approached me with an opportunity to participate in the Iowa High School Speech Association as a contestant. I reluctantly accepted without knowing what I was getting myself into. The big question that was left unanswered was what I was going to write/talk about in my 8  minute oratory speech. This is when I saw the opportunity to write and share about my homeland and what was really going on.

Through my research and personal experience growing up in Kenya for 12 years I came to a realization that quality education is what set apart these two continents. Quality education in teaching a mother to better take care of her young one. Quality education to teach a local farmer how to get more produce from his land. Quality education about the diseases that kill thousands of people everyday. Basically, quality education in all levels and in all areas.

After I completed my speech competition one of my friends asked what I was doing to help the situation in Africa and I looked at him, puzzled. He later explained that he felt like we needed to do something about it, that we needed to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. This is when we started a club and called it Hope 4 Africa. Our goal was simple: to help improve the quality of education in Africa. We organized simple fundraisers such as bake sales, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament and an overnight event to all raise money for books, supplies and student sponsorship.

A few weeks later I found myself in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, churches and many more places where I shared about my story and my heart to help Africa. What started as a small high school club became a non-profit organization receiving support from schools in Iowa.

Many people ask me why I am doing this as young as I am; but, that is what Hope 4 Africa is all about. I believe that my generation, my fellow peers can and should take up responsibility to make an impact in the lives of other people young just like us. Their stories are never shared online, their faces are not seen and their voices are not heard but WE the youth of America we will share their stories, we will associate names to their faces and we surely will listen to their voices.

I hope you will consider joining us in this great journey of bringing hope and prosperity to the people of Africa.

~Moses Bomett~