Aldo ’ s Restaurant in Los Gatos , Fortino held another fundraiser — the first in-person one since the pandemic — and again raised well above her intended goal .
Since the community center was for the people of Kibera , Wonders of Hope sought to employ both men and women of the community to help build it . “ It ’ s been a lot of fun to see the joy and excitement the community center has created ,” Fortino said of the building process .
The community center celebrated its grand opening in July and held a ceremony reading off the names of all the donors who helped make the building possible , many of whom are from Gilroy and Morgan Hill . Fortino has felt blessed to have so many people within her own community support her in uplifting the lives of others .
Main : Annie with children in Kibera . Top : framing for community center underway . Next : Community center with walls and roof . Bottom right : The Wonders of Hope team and kids on the steps of the completed community center in Kibera , Nairobi , Kenya .
home environment . When they first met him in 2017 , he was depressed and withdrawn . Now he ’ s outspoken and involved as a leader in programs for Wonders of Hope . “ You can see that he has hope for his future . That he ’ s not stuck in the circumstances he was born into ,” Fortino said . This drastic change is common with all of the children , who all work hard and excel in their classes .
Right now Fortino is taking Wonders of Hope ’ s successes one day at a time , but in the future she would like to raise funds to provide programs for single mothers , where they can get free daycare and vocational training so they can support themselves and their children . She would also like to create men ’ s groups that provide counseling and support for men , since domestic violence is a prevalent issue in the slums . Fortino ’ s larger goal is to raise the funds to put all of her wonderful volunteers , who currently rely on donations , on a salary .
Some may ask Fortino why she devotes all of her efforts towards the slums of Kibera , instead of the problems at home . For her , it ’ s more important that the good gets done at all , rather than where it gets done . “ The problems are worldwide and so we are all called to different places . This is what called to me ,” she explained .
If anything , Fortino ’ s efforts show us that as long as we follow what calls to us , we can do amazing things .
Wonders of Hope has inspired many adults in the community as well . When some learned what the non-profit was doing , they volunteered to help shop for food and distribute it to the children and their families . They also get the children ’ s measurements and shop for their clothes .
Despite this amazing start , Fortino felt that more could be done . “ There ’ s only so much a school can do to help the kids , and they have needs outside that the school can ’ t address ,” she explained . She wanted to build a community center that could not only provide weekend programs and activities for the children , so they didn ’ t have to play in the dump , but also help everyone within the community . With the help of
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