Japheth Opondo grew up in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, where there was no running water. To take showers, Japheth said, “we had to get innovative.” When children are young, they’re able to wash themselves outside in the alley, but after adolescence “we would wait until dark and shower with a bucket of water.”
Japheth talks with participants during Because International's trip to Kenya.
No running water also meant no toilets. Up to 50 households share one communal hole-in-the-ground “restroom,” and when it is full, young boys are hired to empty the waste into the river.
His parents, struggling to support themselves in the countryside, had come to the city in search of a better life. However, they never landed high paying jobs or moved into a nice neighborhood. Like so many, their only option in Nairobi, Kenya was the slums of Kibera.
Despite their difficult circumstances, his parents were resourceful. His mother, a teacher by trade, started a primary school in the slum, supported by the Church of the Nazarene where his father was a pastor.
They worked hard to keep all nine of their children in school, believing education was the pathway to a better future. Japheth, the fourth son, said, “[my parents] tried their best to feed us at least once a day, but sometimes we would have to forgo a meal to pay for our education. Our home had one room made out of mud, wood and iron sheets, which we rented since we couldn’t afford to make a shack of our own.”
After Japheth graduated high school, his elder brother Kennedy landed a job at the Kenya Port Authority, providing housing outside of the slums. Kennedy invited Japheth to come to live with him, and it was then Japheth said he “started connecting with the outer world.”
After his brother offered to pay for Japheth’s first year of college, he enrolled in a graphic design program. “Through the hardships, I learned how to survive through entrepreneurship,” Japheth said. He came up with ways to make a little money here and there, such as making and selling jewelry, driving people around, and once he got a few graphic design skills under his belt, he started freelancing to pay for his college fees.
Japheth took what little money he had, a loan from a nonprofit and a loan from a car dealership to purchase a used white Toyota. The car was new enough to qualify him to be an Uber driver in Kenya, work that provided just enough to get by as a single man. He called his updated ride, “Mustang.”
Shortly after, he met a woman named Sophia and they married; soon, their daughter Kimberly was born. Japheth began to feel the pressure of inconsistent work. “I didn’t know when money would come or [when] I would have a client.” Japheth continued, “I had side hustles, but with those, you never know when you will have money or not have money.” Thinking about his daughter, Japheth said, “My main dream was providing a better education for her.”
One day while Japheth was volunteering at the Church of the Nazarene, he met Kenton Lee. Together they began working on a project raising money to buy mattresses for children living at a local orphanage. It was on that trip that “we bonded,” Japheth said.
Eventually, Kenton flew back to the US and started developing his idea for The Shoe That Grows and the organization that would eventually become Because International. “Kenton sent me an email about what he was starting to do and how it would work. He came back to Kenya, and we distributed the first [prototypes] together,” Japheth said.
“I would trust Japheth with my kids,” Kenton said. “He’s always been honest, hardworking and ready to help with anything. I trust him completely.” Kenton had a vision that much of Because International’s work would be done by locals in countries that use the products. Japheth was an obvious choice to bring onto the team, and he was delighted to join in the work.
“There's nothing as great as doing what you love to do, and that's what I'm doing right now,” Japheth said. As Because International’s East Africa Distribution Partner, Japheth makes the dream work with everything, from warehouse distribution to administration.
Often out on the road delivering The Shoe That Grows to children, Japheth recalls a time that he once didn’t take a break to eat all day. Right as he was wrapping up, a children’s home called and asked if he could drop off shoes that day, even though it was already late. The home was in a location difficult to access, but Japheth, always willing to help, agreed.
When he arrived, “they opened the gate, and as I was driving in, they were singing joyfully. I parked, and the older kids came over and helped me unload. I said, ‘Let me help you,’ and they told me, ‘We’ve got it!’ They even wanted to wash my car. Then they gave me tea and food, which was really helpful because I was working so late and I was so hungry. Delivering shoes are the best moments for me,” Japheth said. “Seeing the joy on their faces makes it all worth it.”
Of his work with Because International he says, “I never dreamt that one day I would be employed with the organization. I was doing it out of compassion. I enjoy helping kids. Whenever I could see kids happy to receive the shoes, that's one thing that made me feel joy. I am a testimony of growing up without being able to afford to buy proper shoes.
“I love working with people, that is where I excel. With my qualifications, I didn’t think I could handle the work I was given, but I can. Because International put trust in me and that has kept me going. They molded me, and I have really learned a lot being taken in by the team. I never thought I would be doing these things, but I am doing them.”
Japheth, his daughter Kimberly, and his wife Sophia
Not only is his work with the organization personally fulfilling, it has also elevated his family. “This is my first job that at the end of every month I have something I can budget with. Kimberly is in a good school. The job has given me personal stability and increased my level of working with the community. When I go out there, I meet social workers, and I meet them with a different confidence. And that was all brought by Because International.”
Join The Sole to support local jobs and shoe production in Kenya through valuable partnerships with people like Japheth.
