With so many bad things happening in the world, I often want to read books that are positive and uplifting. And positive and uplifting is exactly what I got with Nihar Suthar’s book, Hope Raisers: How a Group of Young Kenyans Fought to Transform Their Slum and Inspire a Community.
Korogucho is a slum in Kenya where life is quite difficult. Extreme poverty, gang violence, environmental degradation, and food and water shortages negatively affect Koroguchos citizens. Some people have to earn a living by going through piles of trash, which is very dangerous. And often, the children of Korogucho have no hope of getting an education or improving their lives for the better. Many of them turn to a life of crime.
Two young men, Daniel Onyango, and his friend Mutura Kuria started a band they called the Hope Raisers. Daniel and Mutura wanted to inspire the children of Korogucho through their music. Little did they know, the Hope Raisers would do so much more.
One day, while going through one of the trash piles, they came across a pair of inline skates, rollerblades, and came up with an idea. Why not learn how to use these rollerblades and and teach the children of Korogucho. Rollerblading became very popular amongst the boys and young men, and soon girls wanted to get involved with rollerblading, too. One of these girls, Lucy Achieng , proved to be quite adept at rollerblading, and figured it would elevate her above and beyond what most girls in were destined to in the slums-a life of early marriage, too many kids, and a life of poverty. After Lucy joined, many other girls joined the rollerblading club, and the club started competing in rollerblade races.
The rollerblade club figures out ways to raise money to purchase more rollerblade and attend rollerblading competitions. Lucy, especially, became a very strong skater, often teaching and mentoring new members along the way. And she often represented Kenya in international competitions where she won both trophies and money, which made her dreams of being a flight attendant so much more realistic and achievable.
Whereas the Hope Raisers and the rollerblading club had a lot of triumphs, they also had to experience defeat, whether it was losing a race or dealing with many obstacles in their way like crime, poverty, or inhospitable environments.
But mostly, The Hope Raisers shows what can be done with a positive spirit, lots of ambition and hard work, and community support can do. I loved learning about Lucy’s travels to China for a rollerblading competition where she flew on a plane for the first time, got lost in trying to find the hotel, and ate frog legs thinking it was chicken. I also loved learning how her friend, Chumbana Omari, also got involved with rollerblading and had dreams of her own. And then there was Mama Bonie, an early supporter of the Hope Raisers. Every community, rich, poor, or somewhere in between needs a Mama Bonie.
Ultimately, The Hope Raisers is a tale one what a committed band of young people can do with a few resources, a lot of community support, and a desire to better one’s self and one’s community. The Hope Raisers is never patronizing; it is wonderful inside look at the beauty of one very special community and it’s people. After reading The Hope Raisers, I wish for a sequel. I truly want to know where Daniel, Matura, Lucy, Chumbana, Mama Bonie, and the people of Korogucho are up to these days.
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