By The Trueness Project Media Team
January 8, 2024—Nairobi, Kenya
In her spirited efforts to expand the wings of The Trueness Project, Dr. M. Teresa Lawrence (DHL), the organization’s Founder, President and Executive Director, recently toured Kenya.
Her week-long tour aimed at cementing the organization’s grip on the country’s interests in the mission and vision of The Trueness Project, and also meeting some of the beneficiaries of her previous engagements in talent growth and community development.
Engaging youth
Arriving in Kenya on Sunday, 10 December 2023, she spent her first day attending the 6th Edition of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit 2023.
The summit, held at the Kenya International Convention Center (KICC), Nairobi, was hosted by the Government of Kenya in partnership with the YouthConnekt Africa Hub and UNDP.
It brought together more than 20,000 participants spanning from young people, government officials, development champions, and corporate leaders. It focused on innovation, youth leadership, and achieving a borderless Africa for seamless entrepreneurial ventures.
During the Summit, she met and networked with young people from various countries, including Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Egypt, Nigeria and elsewhere.
She shared with them her passion for a transformed Africa where creativity is embraced and promoted, youthful potential is leveraged and exploited, strong communities are built, talent is identified and supported, and love is constantly spread.
Rooting the plan
Worth noting is that this was her second visit to Kenya, just two months after her first visit for the Kenya Keynote Tour organized by Top Talent Agency, USA, and marks her commitment to the success of The Kenya Initiative, one of the non-profit organization’s strategic initiatives.
During the visit, Dr. Teresa, joined by The Kenya Team leadership and support members, on December 12, 2023, paid a courtesy call to Mr. Raymond Ouma, Secretary Youth Affairs, State Department for Youth Affairs, Kenya.
The team discussed possible areas of collaboration in promoting education in Kenya, pursuing the available opportunities for young people, and thinking through the dynamics of pulling together the right minds and strategic stakeholders to push the conversation ahead.
They also clarified and cemented the organization’s mission to help the youth in Kenya’s various schools and communities and drive developmental initiatives set to benefit communities, which are the fruits of The Kenya Initiative.
The Kenya Initiative
The Trueness Project, to impact communities in Kenya, has come up with a plan highlighting the key areas of sustainable development needing implementation for the benefit of the target beneficiaries.
The premises of the initiatives lean towards:
- Providing health and sanitary products for thousands of girls in various schools across the country
- Donating fully equipped laptops to various schools needing the resources for better learning
- Raising school fees to sponsor at least 100 students for a year in different secondary schools.
- Providing renewable and clean energy sources for villages
- Purchasing and installing several Starlink Satellite Systems to provide network support to villages and learning institutions.
Worth celebration is that Dr. Teresa has already sponsored a student at Manga Girls High School in Kisii County, Kenya, donated sanitary products for numerous school-going girls, donated so many copies of Gloriousness, her children’s book, to children in Kenya, given work opportunities to various young people in Kenya, mentored over 12,000 learners across different schools in Kenya and also sponsored various other initiatives since her first visit.
Funding the Initiative, Project
Beyond promoting The Kenya Initiative, the visit was also a chance for the non-profit’s President to discuss the available funding opportunities and update The Kenya Team leadership on the progress made so far.
Dr. Teresa has been on a mission to lobby as many people as possible from across the globe to support and participate in The Grand Butterfly Gathering happening on June 29, 2024, in Jackson, Wyoming.
The earth-shaking event is set to be part of the ongoing fundraising and resource mobilization for The Trueness Project, which will, in turn, fund The Kenya Initiative.
The Grand Butterfly Gathering aims to be a spectacular event featuring the largest number of people dressed like butterflies. This will make it possible to break the world record of the largest number of people ever gathered dressed like butterflies.
It does not stop there, however, but it further spurs creativity, builds community, and spreads love, as people are free to donate to The Trueness Project or their preferred children’s homes and causes in areas near them.
Anyone anywhere is free to participate either virtually or attend the in-person event on June 29, 2024, in Jackson, Wyoming, where the spectacular Butterfly March into the town square will commence at 11:30 AM, and the attempt to successfully break the world record be done at noon Denver Mountain Time.
Honored
The tour featured an auspicious ceremony held on December 14, 2023, in Nairobi, where Dr. Teresa was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters (DHL) in Leadership, Community Development, Justice, and Advocacy by the Open Christian University, USA, in partnership with Angaza Bible and Training Institute (ABTI).
The doctorate honor acknowledges and appreciates Dr. Teresa’s unwavering and continuous contribution to philanthropic initiatives, community development, Leadership of Play promotion, and her advancement of creativity, especially among children and young people.
Still in Nairobi, Dr. Teresa then visited a rape rescue center for girls, where she spent the day with them and shared with them her journey from being a refugee and an immigrant to the transformative leader she is today.
She encouraged them that, just like a butterfly, we are all on a transformative journey and full of possibilities.
About The Trueness Project
The Trueness Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting honesty, integrity, and authenticity in all aspects of life. The non-profit organization’s mission is to empower individuals and communities to live their truth and make a positive impact in the world.
For more information: www.yourtrueness.org
For enquiries: yourtrueness@gmail.com
