The authors met in Kibera, the extensive slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Kennedy and was a home-grown community organizer who had overcome poverty and a tumultuous home life to become a powerful community member. How poor was the group who got the community group started? Well, they had just one pen to write notes.
Jessica was an idealistic and strong-willed university student from the U.S. spending a semester in Nairobi who told Kennedy that she was going to take the highly unusual step, for a westerner, of living in Kibera. Find Me Unafraid explains how they worked together, became married, and, with the help of many other, have built a school for girls and many other institutions and services.
Two things I like about this book: First) The authors present themselves as partners. Jessica has a lot more formal education and wealth than Kennedy does, but Kennedy is rich in life and leadership experience. Second) The organization at the heart of the story was started by a group of slum residents who had just a pen--and a lot of determination. They didn't wait for a Western NGO.
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