The Story Behind Love Kenya Foundation

By: Sanna Kariniemi, Founder
 

It Started on a Beach in Togo

The seed for Love Kenya Foundation was planted not in Kenya, but in West Africa — where I met two brothers who changed how I see the world.

Emmanuel and David, 11 and 12 years old. Emmanuel won my heart immediately. I was walking alone along the beach in Lomé, Togo, reflecting on my first trip to Africa, when these two boys came bounding over a hill with enormous smiles. Emmanuel showed me his back handspring. He asked where I was from, and when I told him I was leaving for the United States the next day, his eyes lit up — "Take us with you!"

I laughed and explained why that wasn't possible. His smile disappeared. In a quiet voice, he told me his parents had died in an accident. "This is from the accident," he said, pointing to his eye.

I wish I had scooped him up right then. Instead, I explained again why he couldn't come with me.

His response? "Ok. Will you buy us a Coke?"

I will always cherish those two boys. Emmanuel stayed with me long after I left that beach — not as a memory of sadness, but as a quiet question I couldn't shake: if not me, then who?

Why Kenya

Shortly after West Africa, still carrying Emmanuel’s question I traveled to Kenya to assist an international group with marketing work. I had mixed feelings at first, navigating an unfamiliar culture. But something unexpected happened: Kenya got hold of me and wouldn't let go.

It wasn't just the staggering beauty of the landscape. It was the people. Despite real and pervasive poverty - especially in rural areas, I encountered a resourcefulness, optimism, and joy that felt almost intrinsic to Kenyan culture. People find reasons to celebrate. They hold onto hope with both hands. That spirit is contagious — and it kept drawing me back.

During one of those early trips, I met Abel Kirui, a Kenyan Olympic marathoner who had started a school in his home community. I visited the school. I saw the kids. We donated laptops so they'd have a computer lab — and that small act became the beginning of everything.

"Compassion is not a feeling. It's an action."

That line came from a rep at a running store during a shoe drive I was organizing for Kenya. It stopped me cold — because I had every desire to help, and every excuse not to.

I opened up to my sister Satu. She told me not to be afraid of failure. Her optimism was all I needed.

In November 2015, we filed the Articles of Incorporation. The plan was never to build a charity from scratch — it happened organically, one relationship and one act of compassion at a time.

Early on, I wanted to help everyone and do everything. I quickly realized that to truly succeed, I needed to be specific and intentional. And so we focused on the most vulnerable: girls living in conditions of extreme poverty. That focus became the Garden of Hope — a rescue center that gives orphaned and abandoned girls a safe place to heal, grow, and find their way to a permanent, loving family.

Your Turn

Emmanuel asked me to take him home. I couldn't.

But today, with your support, we are caring for girls in Kenya who need support just as much as he did. Every donation, large or small, is an act of compassion in action.

Thank you for reading. For caring. Now let's do something about it together.