In 2011, “Granny” passed away leaving 11 children in the care of Daisy Carolyne Ashiono. Daisy soon came to Utah and told a few women in an LDS relief rociety program the struggles she is having to keep all these kids fed.
Anne Dale was one of the women who heard of Daisy’s story and decided to find a way to help feed these kids. Wendy Holt, Heather Ramano, and Kelly Lear gathered with Dale and founded the nonprofit organization called Lifting Lives.
“It started out very basic of how do we feed a few kids,” Lear said. “And then we asked ‘can we house them?’ And then finding ways to educate them at least at an elementary level. And now we are trying to educate them as far they can go and helping them get to that next step.”
This organization has quickly grown from a goal to feed a few kids, to providing them an education and finding new ways to help and support the surrounding community.
Daisy used to own an old home and school on a small plot of land in Kakamega. This area was dedicated to housing the orphans as well as educating them in the crumbling classrooms next door. Daisy continued to try to build the campus around this old home, but more supplies were needed to support the education of so many children.
They were eventually given the tools to buy more land next to this area and use it for farming in hopes that one day they could have the means to build on it.
A donor came to the Lifting Lives organization and gave them the money to start fundraising and building a new house for the children and the matrons that serve them. The idea started of building a new home, and people came in to help and make it happen.
“It all felt very spiritual that it was able to happen. Heavenly Father was a part of the little details as we were able to find the land and money through sponsors to build a new school for the kids,” Lear said.
Within the weekly meetings, these women conduct productive discussions on how to update their organization, counseling on the health and individual needs of the staff and kids, while also finding new ways to communicate and connect with the sponsors. But their service is not limited to these meetings.
Many times, these trips are filled with to-do lists of projects to help serve the community and touch base with the matrons as well as Daisy on how everyone is doing. But they are also filled with joy as the team gets to play with the beautiful children for a few days.
These women often fly down to Kenya and visit the school 1-2 times a year. Lear has been able to bring her two oldest sons, Mason (senior at Highland) and Stillman (junior at Highland), to come with her on these humanitarian trips twice now.
“Going to Kenya for the second time was really cool for me,” Mason said. “I was able to see a lot of the people and kids I remembered from the first time I went and see the growth and effort that they’ve put in to be where they are right now.”
On their trips they have the opportunity to connect and learn more about these students and their stories. This organization is named perfectly as they have lifted so many lives in the city of Kakamega.
One female student’s name is Lavender. She was one of the original “Granny orphans” who was placed in Daisy’s care. With a traumatic childhood behind her with an abusive father who was involved in murdering someone, during one of his violent episodes Lavender, her little brother, and her mother took the chance to run away during the night.
The mother who had no chance for employment and no home ended up leaving her in the care of Granny who watched over her for many years. After her passing, Daisy had started her school and the Lifting Lives Organization was able to take her under their wing. Daisy became Lavender’s personal mentor and role model.
Lavender continues to work hard and is currently studying Nursing in a university in Nairobi.
“Going back, I think I really understood the situation they all are in,” Mason said. “I don’t think I truly understood what they were going through, but when I went back for the second time, I had a better idea and to see that even in the circumstances they are in they are so positive and doing great. I’d even say most of them are doing better than me in school.”
This is one of many examples of how this organization has been able to lift the lives of so many people and give them the opportunity to climb higher, have an education, and are supported the whole way.
