Esther Kalenzi is a young, unique and passionate African woman, last born of three children of her parents, a 2010 graduate of Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU). she did her O-Level education at Nabisunsa girls' school and finished in 2004, from there, she went to Aga Khan High School where she obtained her A-level in History, Economics, Geography and French in 2006.
Kalenzi is founder of 40 Days Over 40 Smiles Foundation, a youth-led charity organization created to improve access to education for orphans and children from poor families. At 26, Kalenzi is already a global figure, her desire to bring a change, has turned her from girl next-door to woman of grace.
Through her Foundation, Kalenzi has helped over 700 vulnerable children and still counting. According to her, it all started just from a thought to use 40 days lent period to save money and touch 40 lives at the end of the lent period, hence the name 40-40.
Though her initial target was to bring smiles on the lives of 40 people, today, 700 and more, have so far received those smiles. According to Kalenzi, 40-40 in its two years of existence has achieved much, it has built and completed a dormitory for Happy Times junior school in luwero that has a carrying capacity of 210 pupils. It has attracted support of companies as well as that of well-meaning individuals. It has also successfully done fund-raising events the first being 'Croak and Rhyme' meet which was held in July 2012 at Sheraton Hotel, the event, raised about Shs 5m. Kalenzi channelled the money to the dormitory she built for the Happy Times junior school.
Kalenzi, in one her interviews, when asked what motivated her to build the dormitory, said that she was moved by the condition she saw of the school's dormitory, that babies, infants and adolescents were sharing a small space on the dormitory floor and the school needed about Shs 28m to build a new dormitory, even though she didn't have money to help, she still decided to do something, with the help of volunteers, she organized her first fund-raising event, though they realized the Shs 5m, it still wasn't enough, and still touched by their condition, Kalenzi took to online, and started an online campaign she termed, 'Buy a Brick', within eight days, she realised another Shs 10m, with that money, she began work at the building and ended up giving them 210 bed capacity dormitory.
So far, the Foundation has successfully done about five fund raising basketball events she termed 'Hoops for grace' in which players contribute Shss 10,000 and fans 3,000, the proceeds she intends using to create a play area for the children at Akiba Bless a Child Foundation, a home for children undergoing cancer treatment and still counting. There is just so much one can achieve from a simple idea. And a heart full of passion is unstoppable.
For every good work in life, there are always challenges, Kalenzi faced her own challenges, from lack of fund, to back-bitters, to distorters but nothing of them discouraged her nor cause her to lower her integrity.
How did the journey start for her, the journey started by her opening a Facebook account for 40-40 and began to tag and invite her friends, they in turn will invite their friends and so on, according to her, nothing came out at first but favour turned on her when she ran into her High school mate who gave her a donation of Shs 500,000, and in just one week, after that, she and her supportive friends, raised about Shs 1.3m. They then used the money to buy food and clothes for 150 orphans and vulnerable children in two orphanages, God's Grace in Kyebando and Make the Children smile in Nateete. The rest they say is history.
"Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower."- Shigenori Kameoka
LESSON: A hand that gives, never lacks. A soul that loves, never age. Nothing is as rewarding as a life lived for others. There is always enough things to do to impact lives.
