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Public media are made possible by PNC and the United Black, Fond of Greater Cleveland, Inc.. Good afternoon and welcome to the City Club of Cleveland, where we are devoted to creating conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive.

It's Friday, November 15th.

And I'm Cynthia Connelly, director of programing here at the City Club.

And pleased to introduce today's forum, which is the Margaret W Wang Endowed forum on foreign born individuals of distinction.

Today's forum is also presented in partnership with IPM as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Congratulations.

IPM.

At a time when the world seems fraught with polarization and violence, it is important to pause and witness the resiliency and solidarity of communities who are committed to working together to address poverty, injustices, inequality and many other disparities.

Founded in 1974 as a response to the predominant mission model, at the time, IPM was as groundbreaking then as it is today.

A global organization based right here in Northeast Ohio, IPM is the premier intersectional and multi-faith organization that nurtures and affirms justice, solidarity and peace.

Joining us today are two individuals here as part of IPM 50th Anniversary conference, Peter Anyang Nyongo the current governor of Kisumu County in the Republic of Kenya, is known by many as the Mandela of Kenya.

He has a long list of exceptional political accomplishments focusing on education and economic development, health and social services.

And as you can see, he is not joining us on stage today.

He was pulled away back to Kenya, but we will hear from him shortly via video.

Also joining us is his wife, Dorothy Nyongo who is incredibly remarkable as the first lady of Kisumu County in Kenya.

And founding and managing trustee of the African Cancer Foundation.

She is respected internationally as a cancer champion.

Her awards are many, and her expertise spans over 40 years and includes advancements in women and girls, empowerment, education, the environment and more.

In 2019, she was the winner of the Herbert Harvard Global Catalyst Cancer Advocacy Award for her relentless work in the war against cancer in Africa.

And that same year, together with her daughter, Academy Award winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, she earned the hermitt her Harlem School of Arts Visionary Lineage Award.

Dorothy also serves as a member of IPM, Executive Board and regional vice chair for sub-Saharan Africa.

Moderating the conversation today is Nadeen Abusada, reporter at News five Cleveland, where since 2021 she has covered Brook Park, Berea, Strongsville and many Middle Eastern communities.

Prior to her time at News Five, Nadeen spent three years at WBEZ in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

If you have a question for a speaker, you can text it to 3305415794 and City Club staff will try to work it into the Q&A portion of the program.

Members and Friends of the City Club of Cleveland please join me in welcoming our guest.

Lady.

First, I want to thank City Club for putting this on.

And also another round of applause for IPM making 50 years.

Guys, I mean, that just deserves a moment.

I promise.

I'm not going to make you clap a lot.

I promise.

But also, as you can tell, I'm sitting here with the beautiful Dorothy, and her husband.

Peter is not here before we dive into this.

He didn't want you guys to think.

He didn't want to share things with you.

So we have a video message from him.

We're going to start with that.

And young, your mom, the governor of Summit County in Kenya.

We have admired and appreciated the amazing work that APM is doing globally in supporting the poor materially and spiritually.

And that is why my wife agreed to become the vice president into the heart of sub-Saharan Africa in promoting IBM's work since 2020.

And as we sit here today, I must emphasize the specific areas that concern us in promoting IBM's work in Kenya, and particularly because, one, education in Kisumu or in Kenya in general, County governments are given the responsibility of early childhood education, which is very important because of the foundation of education in their child's life.

This extends the work of the county to both urban and rural areas.

And I think this is where IBM would be very interested in seeing the experience in Kenya in the context of other sub-Saharan sub-Saharan African countries in which its work is relevant.

Secondly, the issue of partnership.

As a policy, we in the county government would like to promote the self-reliance of our people, including students who graduate from the university in the area of entrepreneurship.

And therefore, we take very seriously the technical and vocational training centers, which are the crucibles or training people for entrepreneurship, especially for issues that requires skills, both technical and mental.

And therefore, if you find things like electrical fittings, carpentry, joinery, those are very primary types of skills.

But now they must be graduated to construction of establishments, which means that a whole array of skills are needed architecture, electrical work, and so on.

And therefore technical and vocational training centers have become extremely important, you know, educational system.

And our county council takes this as a very important element of promoting opportunities for youth and family health.

Health is an extremely important responsibility that it's given to the county governments by our Constitution on health employs a lot of people, not just young people, but women as well.

In our county, we have a cohort of health workers called community health workers, which involve men and women, young and old.

These are the people who really extend health work to the grassroots and the very, very important in the in the health department.

And a lot of young people are getting involved in the work of community health workers, both men and women.

Dorothy, you look like you are going to be clapping a lot because they're impeccable.

Dorothy, you also play a major role in IPM.

I know your husband made a lot of remarks for you.

What is IPM and why is its work so important?

Thank you so much, Nadine.

And I just want to take this opportunity to congratulate IPM on their 50th anniversary.

Congratulations to all the leaders in the room.

So I got to know IPM ten years ago through June, and we've interacted over the ten years.

And the more I listen to the stories from the field itself, the door, we have participants in the room, you know, Dominican Republic and and India.

We have Mahesh in the room.

The more I listen to those stories, the more I'm impacted by the changes that IPM makes in the lives of these people.

I can tell you that very often when we have our executive board meetings, tears are shed, tears are always shed.

And they're not tears of pain.

Usually they're of joy.

And just listening to, you know, individual lives being impacted by IPM and then communities and to know that this has been happening for 50 years.

And this past week, I've been meeting some people who have been involved with IBM for 50 years, 40 years, 20 years.

And the stories are amazing.

So, you know, I became drawn to to the work that IBM has been doing because it resonates with me.

It resonates with us.

In Kenya, we have been looking out and fighting for the liberation.

Second Liberation since the early nineties and our exile to Mexico in 19, in the early eighties.

So we have, you know, been impacted by these issues in the world.

Injustice, you know, some inequalities, inequities.

People are just struggling and suffering and we have seen that in Kenya and we are both committed to making a difference.

So IBM was really a natural partner.

So when they asked me to to be on the board to look after sub-Saharan Africa, I said yes.

And I remember telling Jill, I really don't know what I can do or what I will offer, but here I am, you can use me.

And we've had the honor of of receiving Jill and emersion teams in Kenya a couple of times.

And I just I just get really excited when I see the young people how their world lights up when they have cultural experiences, the exposure and they have also been working with the school called were taught to wear longer.

And I visited that school recently and saw all the way from early childhood development to the technical training that they are making a difference in the lives of those people.

One child, one woman, one young person at a time.

Because some of those communities where IPM operates, these are people who would never have had such a chance.

So they're giving them an opportunity, a second chance at life.

Wow, that's beautiful.

Now, for those that missed it.

She is an international board member and regional vice chair for the sub-Saharan Africa.

Now, we talked about this when we first chatted.

You guys are an interfaith organization and you do work in Kenya, Jerusalem, China, Cleveland, a lot of things across the board in those spaces.

Especially in a time when the world is so divided over so many topics.

How do you bring people together coming from so many different faiths?

The interesting thing, and that is that when you've been out in the world and if you've lived a few years like I have just a few guys, you you realize that we are all the same.

We are all one people.

Those differences are artificial.

We all have common needs, common aspirations.

And we were I was saying yesterday we are we were created in the image of God and there is no reason why anybody should be or feel more superior to the other.

And so it's just beautiful to see through the work of I.B.M.. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, people across the divide, working together and realizing that yes, our needs are the same, our aspirations are the same, and we have a responsibility to reach out and help and mentor each other.

That selfish approach to life of me, myself and I doesn't work for long.

At the end of the day, we all exit this earth.

And I think what's really important is what have you done for another person?

It's not about yourself.

You're amazing.

But.

Oh, technical difficulties, everyone.

I mean, what would it be without us?

Speaking of, what have you done for someone else?

You've done a lot for those around you, not just your work with this organization, but also organization that you created in 211.

It is the African Cancer Foundation.

And I think the beauty of seeing both of these together and we talked about this when sitting backstage is with IPM.

You guys take these grassroots works, you go to these places that have a need and you're not overwhelmed with all the challenges you're faced with.

You're saying, let's fix this from the ground up and you invest.

You also are doing that with your work in Africa, in Kenya, trying to provide awareness and help when it comes to cancer.

Talk to me about the work that you do with that organization as well.

Sure.

So in 2011, my husband was treated for prostate cancer at UCSF in San Francisco.

And while we were there, we realized that the level of awareness was extremely low in Kenya on cancer and that the reason, first of all, that we were there is because we didn't have adequate cancer services in the country at that time.

He was the Minister for Medical Services and he had been trying to champion for changes in the health docket.

And with all the bureaucracy, everything was taking so long.

So by the time we left Kenya, there was only one radiation machine at the National Hospital, and it was an old cobalt machine, really outdated with the waiting line of six months to eight months.

So we were fortunate that we could go out and get his treatment.

But we realized that we needed to do something.

And so we decided to come back home and approach it from the grassroots.

We realized that even though he was the Minister for Medical Services, the bureaucracy would keep us stifled.

So we set up this foundation, Africa Cancer Foundation, to create the awareness and to drive the need from the grassroots.

So we came up with fact sheets booklets, which we developed from the National Cancer Institute material tools in the U.S. We modified them to reflect the African experience, and then we started holding medical camps.

And to date, we have screened over 35,000 men and women for breast from breast, cervical and prostate cancer, always out in the villages where normally they would not access services.

And we look for partners on the ground.

We always work with the government, so we get the nurses and clinical offices to do the examinations because we don't have the expertise.

We can organize and mobilize, but we are not doctors or nurses, so we bring them on board and we team up with banks and and anybody who is willing to participate.

And we set up camp for a day, two days, three days, and people come.

Sometimes we screen 700 to 1000 people.

And what we then realized that we needed to do is what next?

And so we handhold those who test positive and navigate them through the system.

But what has happened between then and now is that the whole topography has changed and now we have several public hospitals with state of the art radiation equipment, with chemotherapy throughout the country.

We have developed national guidelines for cancer, and Africa Cancer Foundation participated in that.

And so the services are more available now, even in the private sector.

There are more hospitals with more equipment and more services.

And today at that time we had five only about 5 to 10 oncologists in the country.

Today we have 65.

Wow.

So things have changed a lot.

We even have a we have pet pet scan services in the country, things that didn't exist.

So it has created hope and the concept, the patients are now getting better, better treatment, better services.

And then we are members of a national network of cancer organizations.

So we help to guide the patients back and forth.

Your organization is at 13 years.

I'm trying to do math on the top of my head.

13, 13 years.

I can only imagine the challenges that you guys have faced.

But even your work together, how do you overcome it?

How do you keep pushing when you were faced with an overwhelming wall that's preventing you from pushing to the progress that you want to see?

Because I mean, we see the progress, but what we don't see or the 13 years to get here, what has kept you going?

Oh, that's a that's a that's a good question.

We we have had serious challenges along the journey.

We have lost patients and we get very attached to them.

And we've lost patients.

And on one hand, that's so disheartening.

But on the other hand, it sparks us on.

It tells us that we need to do more.

But we've also seen success stories of patients who have recovered and bounce back to work and and are now participating and and living their life fully.

And that's encourages us.

So it's those individual success stories that keep us going.

And just like Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace winner, said, you know, we have the hummingbird effect.

The hummingbird just does that little bit.

And that little bit makes a difference.

And so we do our little bit.

We reach out to other partners and we try to make a difference through IPM and through your cancer foundation.

I know you're making a huge difference.

And you mentioned you do a lot of work with women in both orgs.

Given what's going on.

We're not talking politics today, guys.

Let's just put it out there now.

But given what's going on in the world when it comes to women and women's rights.

Talk to me about how important empowering women is in the work that you do right now.

It's really important to empower the women because they are the core, the backbone of the community.

And we we have a saying that if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but you educate a woman, you educate a village.

And so we have seen women, you know, when they are empowered and they have their own resources, they they take along their families and it makes the difference.

So it's always been encouraging to see that effect.

And so we like to work with the women as well.

And then I'm going to add, as we talk about her work with IPM and the Cancer Foundation, she's also a mother of five guys.

Did you know that?

How do you do it or how do you find the time multi-tasking and it's it's never easy.

But I would say by the grace of God, that I've been able to raise my children, um, they're now grown ups and they're helping me.

But yeah, I'm just so keeping on.

My husband has been very supportive.

Um, he always encourages me to do what I can do.

I love because your husband's the governor.

You're the first lady, and it's just making sure both of you are staying afloat.

Now.

Today, we're talking a lot about nurturing, affirming justice, solidarity and peace.

What would be your message to this audience that's looking at you and all the work that you've done that you continue to do to remind them that they can do it too?

Hmm.

Everybody has a gift.

Everybody can do something to make a difference in somebody else's life.

So I think it's really a matter of being aware, listening and and and doing your bit.

Everybody has their gift.

And we saw when we went to the Fatima Center, and it's lovely to see you all here, that they have made such a huge difference in the life of the community that they're serving and all that.

And so it counts.

If you could look back at you in 2011.

Mm hmm.

Raising these kids.

Being the first lady, starting this foundation.

What would you say to yourself?

Take a moment to talk about it.

To be right.

What would I say?

I did not anticipate that I would have so much to do.

But I really.

I really thank God that we've come this far.

It has not been easy, but with God's grace, it has been possible.

I would tell myself, Don't worry.

Keep going.

It will.

It will work out.

Okay.

I can ask many more questions, but I know everyone in the audience has questions.

You know the drill.

You can text them or you can come to our microphone and ask any questions.

I'm going to remind the audience.

We're not talking politics today, guys.

Let's just keep it to the topic.

So we're going to start with our first question.

And for those that are just tuning in on the live stream, we welcome questions from anyone, city club members, guests, students, as well as those joining the our livestream at City Club dot org or live radio broadcast at 89.7.

For those that are just coming in I I'm needing to loosen up with news five and I'm hanging out with the beautiful Dorothy in young girl.

Look I got it right.

You did And we we're talking about her work, and of course I am.

And there 50 years of doing impeccable work across the world.

And we already have someone right in front of us.

Please talk about early, early childhood.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you so.

As my husband mentioned, early childhood is important and it was given to the county government as a as a major responsibility.

So when I learned about the importance of early childhood as a first lady, I decided to set up a model, a school in my office, to serve the staff in my office, and to serve the community.

So it's a small it's a really small center, but it's a model with a nursing room and the workers can bring the children there.

And we also get people from the community to bring their children there.

It's been running now for the last five years and it has really made a difference in that community and other centers come to learn from it.

We want to create that as a model so that other offices and other government departments can also set them up.

We also set one up in in the market so that the women in the marketplace could, you know, use that that center for their children as they were working and also in the technical and vocational training centers so that the young girls who unfortunately drop out of school because of early pregnancy, they can go and learn a trade, but also have their children safely being nurtured nearby.

So it's it's been a game changer because it liberates the young girls so that they can acquire additional skills.

And it also and gives the the little ones, the security that they need and the foundation that they need to grow up into responsible citizens.

You know, we have one over here.

We hear you still until our next question, is it this question, it says, How far beyond canyon does the work of the African Cancer Foundation reach and how much support do you receive from the United Nations?

How far did you hear how far beyond Kenya does the African Cancer Foundation, and then what support do you receive?

Okay.

Okay.

So Africa Cancer Foundation has mainly worked in Kenya.

So it works in all the counties in Kenya.

We've gone into 30 counties of the 47 counties.

But we have partners with other organizations across the continent where we share information, information, and we also attend meetings together as far as the United Nations is concerned.

No, we don't get any support from the United Nations.

I think the United Nations mainly works with national governments.

Yes.

Yeah, we're going to come here.

But before we come here, I know there's a lot of students in this room.

Do not be afraid to ask questions.

We would love to also hear from you.

All right.

What do we have over here?

First of all, I just wanted to say I'm a film buff, and I just love your daughter.

She was outstanding.

And that horror film.

Now for the question.

Thank you.

Round of applause for Lupita, too.

How are you?

The question is, do the international do the national branches of IPM do much work with immigrants and refugees?

Do the come again?

Does the national branch of IPM do a lot of work with immigrants and refugees in Kenya and the ones in the U.S.?

Do they help newly settled immigrants and refugees?

Okay.

I would like to ask Joe answer that question.

Can we get a microphone to Joe over here?

And also, Joe is with IPM, guys.

Every time.

That's why I keep looking at this here.

Primarily, we do not primarily we work internationally, but we do partner with refugee and immigration organizations around the world.

And on Monday, we had a gathering with representatives of the Council on World Affairs.

Karina is here somewhere.

Global Cleveland Resource.

What was the refugee response?

And Anya, a new member of our community who's working with Salvadorans on H-1Bs here in northeast Ohio.

So we do what we can.

My roots with the organization extended to working with the refugee center in Rome in the early nineties and refugees in the immigrant community are really dear to our heart and we want to continue to do all we can, particularly in the political climate.

We're not talking about to support them as much as we can.

Well, we hold that Mike, real quick, because, Dorothy, your either one of you can answer this.

You guys have made 50.

Happy birthday.

What's next?

I Mean you 50 years of great work.

Either one of you can answer this.

Go ahead.

I'm going to see for you.

That's what we're trying to figure out this week.

We gather every four years covered, put a little bit of a hiccup.

A hiccup in that we're gathering we've been gathering this week from the Cleveland Foundation to the City Club at John and Carol, a case, a Gilmore at Laurel and everywhere in between.

To learn a little bit more about our work and particularly the focus on our work as it relates to food security and environmental justice, ensuring equity for women and girls and working across borders of caste and color.

So those are the focal areas for the next ten years at this point.

But we'll be able to tell you more at the end of the week.

Thank you, Joe.

It's like phone a friend.

Thank you, Joe.

All right.

We have a hello.

Dorothy, it's so great seeing you again.

And I just want to say that I and my sister Jan and I and a couple of others, we were part of one of the wonderful wonderful immersion trips that IPM has led to Kenya.

And it was a trip of a lifetime.

And where I remember one of my favorite excursions was I'm driving probably 3 hours out of Nairobi going to that Kibaki slum, the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa, and then and then going another 2 hours off road into just the wilderness, it seemed.

But what we went to was a place where IPM had created a water source that had hadn't been there for this community, which was they were just so thankful and amazed that, you know, IPM had done that.

We also went to a school that IPM helped build where there wasn't one.

And so my question for those of us who maybe haven't had the chance for this, you know, mind blowing experience.

Dorothy, could you explain to us what is it like for the children in Kenya growing up?

You know, I've heard we heard some stories and, you know, growing up, you know, do they have shoes?

Do they have the food, the education, the transportation, the health care?

What's it like for a child growing up, especially in the countryside in Kenya?

Like, what is their day to day?

Yeah, okay.

The day to day, it it really varies.

We have private schools and we have public schools.

The private schools are well endowed.

And the the public schools, they also vary from city to rural areas, in the villages.

In some villages, it's harder than other villages.

So in some places they may not have they may not have shoes or uniform.

They may not have regular meals.

But this really varies.

But the the common thing is that education is supposed to be free of charge.

Today and all kids are supposed to be in school, and most of them are these days.

But it's not the same for everyone.

There's still a lot of disparity.

Yeah.

So now we have a gentleman over here.

How about me?

Good.

Good afternoon.

My name is Reverend Abel or Mary.

I happened to come from Dorothy's part of Kenya, and I've just got back a couple of days ago from Kenya, and I'd gone to Kenya because my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and I was able to see what Dorothy's talking about.

The candle help that is available.

When I left some few years ago, we had none.

But now my mother is getting proper care.

We take off from a place called Homa Bay to Kisumu to see a specialist there.

So, Dorothy, we are very grateful for the work that you do.

Thank you.

I think the young ones are being a role model for all of us from Kenya, and we're very proud of them because of the kind of work that they are doing.

So for this organization, I think it's a great and a privilege really to have people of caliber of Ms.. Ms.. Nyong'o And Professor Governor, to team up with a group like this, what we have here in Cleveland.

So thank you very much.

I don't have many questions, but I just want to highlight the fact that your work is making a difference.

My mother is able to live and it's because you guys stepped forward and have been able to give us some answers in Kenya for some of these questions.

So we need a lot of support over there still.

But thank you very much.

So I wanted to say to thank you able.

Thank you.

Good to see you.

Yeah.

I honestly have done like such an amazing, amazing work.

And I think it's really incredible.

I was wondering, what would you say are like your biggest inspirations or influences for this work you're doing?

Hmm.

My biggest inspiration.

I have to eat a cookie, too, So you could take your time on this.

Mm hmm.

Mother Teresa and selfless woman.

Yeah, she did a lot.

Yeah.

So that's an answer right there.

We have a gentleman over here.

Hello.

You have dedicated Dorothy a huge amount of your time to IPM over the years, and I just wanted to, from a personal perspective, how has that work impacted you and your family and the other work that you do as well?

The dedication to I feel, oh, that's a tricky one.

As I said, I'm drawn to the work that they're doing.

It's a natural fit.

And so my question has always been to do what?

What do you want me to do?

What else can I do?

And really, I really don't think I've done enough.

There is so much more to do.

So I you know, I would still like to be able to identify exactly what else I can do.

I don't know for how long I'll be able to do that.

But when you are in a room with Mahesh and Juliet and Maria, Julia and and Joe and his parents and, you know, and and you and Eliza, and you see the commitment and you and and all of you.

You see the commitment that everybody brings on board.

There's a sense of inadequacy.

You realize that people have given their lives before, have given their lives to this cause, with or without remuneration, to make a difference in somebody else's life.

It's a challenge.

So you think I'm doing so much, but I don't think I'm doing so much.

I've there's there's room for more.

we're ninth graders at Laurel School for girls in Shaker Heights.

And we were just wondering how the both of you have held composure so well given what's going on recently in your home countries.

Yeah.

Uh, was there anything else on the table for you?

What did we say earlier?

Because we're sisters.

That's exactly it.

Because, I mean, you have to lean on each other, and we can't control the world.

We can't control what's going on.

I feel like you have wiser things to say than me, so I'm going to let you finish.

But having each other.

Yes, we have each other.

Yeah.

You have to find that hope.

You have to find the silver lining in the joy.

Because if you focus on the negative, you will always be in this dark space.

But as she has continued to push in Kenya and across the world with her work with IPM, it takes holding on to that little bit of hope.

Even if it's as small as a mustard seed.

It doesn't matter what faith you are, but even if it's that simple, it takes holding on to that.

So that's how I've stayed composed and like she said, leaning on each other, I'm so honored and blessed to have met her and got to know her and hear from her guys.

She's filled with wisdom and empowerment and encouragement, and I just hope that you guys are receiving, as much as I am just sitting next to such an amazing woman and good job, though.

Good question, guys.

Okay, we have another one over here.

thank you so much for coming all the way from Kenya to be with us here in Cleveland, Ohio.

We really, really appreciate it.

I'm with the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.

And what I really wanted to celebrate about the messages you're sharing with us is your point that we just discussed about global solidarity.

And obviously, one way as Clevelanders, we can express our global solidarity with people all over the world is through the work of IPM and other nonprofit organizations.

But one way that we also express global solidarity as Americans is through direct support, through federal agencies such as USAID and other development organizations.

And I'm wondering if you could remind us here in Cleveland, those of us in the room, but I know there's also a lot of people listening on the radio of why it is so important for Americans to express our solidarity with the people of Kenya, with the people in Kisumu.

What what does our taxpayer dollars that work on development programs, how does that make a difference in the lives of the people that you know in your in your home country?

Okay.

Those national dollars come to the country usually through programs at the national level, but they do trickle down and there's all kinds of of programs supported by U.S. aid and so on.

And they do change lives, unfortunately, because they come through the national program and a lot gets spent on logistics and and other things and less gets to the grassroots.

That's always been a challenge.

But that's how governments work.

And I don't think, you know, in one sitting we're going to resolve that.

But, you know, ultimately, whatever trickles down does make a difference.

Yeah, another one over here.

Hi, I'm Jesus and that's my dad right there, Joe.

So I hope that, like you answer this question is in his name.

So is there someone you started working with IPM This kind of like motivated you to persevere through challenges day in and day out?

This kind of has been there for you during times of struggles and adversity.

Oh, just watching your dad is a real motivation.

Yeah, because yeah, he's he has managed to steer the organization through thick and thin and it's admirable.

Well done to you.

Did you know that was going to be her answer?

I just think.

Oh, round of applause, Joe.

Seriously, It takes it to round of applause.

We have a beautiful lady in red, Orange, whichever in between.

And I'd like to augment augment what my sister just said.

We both were on the trip to Kenya in 2009.

It was a life altering experience.

Thank you so much.

So I want to put a plug in for IPM and for people to go on immersion trips.

If you look at their website, there's ten different countries and that you can go to.

It was you saw not only what the country was like, but with respect to its poverty, its problems, but also its beauty.

And for instance, I never saw a hippopotamus before or a the giraffes, the zebras, the thousands of zebras that ran.

I mean, it was incredible.

We went to the Masai Mara.

So thank you, Joe, for creating such a great program for those in attendance.

But at the same time, we went to a school, we went to a a very, very primitive village where there was no running water, no electricity.

It's that village where the water was fixed.

But the question that I had was the infrastructure of the of the country.

For instance, your husband's a governor.

Was he elected?

How involved are the people of Kenya in creating the government they have?

Do they vote?

How how much do they vote?

We know in Australia you have to vote.

In the United States, we see how much we vote.

What's it like in Kenya?

Yes, my husband was elected.

He's serving his second term, which ends in 2027.

We have elections every five years and all the levels happen on the same day.

So, yes, Kenyans do vote.

We are not going to go into the politics of it.

But does our vote count?

Oh, one wonders.

You can ask, But yes, we do vote and we elect those different levels.

A wise woman once told me, we're not going to feed into your politics.

It was her yesterday.

But okay, we have another question.

Our next question is a taste question.

It says, as you work across communities and countries, how do you think of solidarity can be nurtured among people with so many different perspectives?

How do you think solidarity can be nurtured among people with so many different perspective?

It's a work in progress.

It's not going to be easy, but it needs sessions like this where people sit around the table and find common good and rally around the common good.

Now all of us.

Another one over here.

Yes.

Hi.

We have another text question.

We just heard such a great testimonial about the power of your work.

What support does your foundation and other organizations doing similar work need to continue to have such powerful stories of success?

The main need is for finances because with more money we can do more, reach more people, save more lives, just have a greater impact.

That's the main thing.

Yeah.

There a website we can plug for your foundation and for IPN.

Yes, both.

Both have a website.

IBM has a website.

Africa Cancer Foundation also does.

If you guys want more information on either, I can go to that website.

So in your work, how have you seen the work of women specifically create impact on Kenyan progress?

Well, work on behalf of women is still needed.

What work on behalf of women is still needed.

So you've seen the progress, but what is still needed?

Well, just more of the empowerment women need, need more finances and women need to own more assets and and be able to to go through training and just be free to.

To do more.

And we're about to wrap up.

But any lasting remarks I mean, you've said so many incredible things when looking at this room and for those that are listening in.

Any lasting remarks that you'd like to say?

Um, I'd like to just point out that Africa Cancer Foundation right now is involved in in the W.H.O., the World Health Organization dream to.

To terminate or to eliminate cervical cancer by the year 2030, which is in six years.

And that is through the vaccination of HPV.

And so we are actually right now on the ground working with the American Cancer Society to do that.

But there are so many misconceptions about it and a lot of them.

You know, even just yesterday, somebody was sharing a man, 45 year old man is asking, can a 45 year old man get the vaccine?

And so the answers are needed.

But there's so much going on in terms of negativity around vaccines right now.

And so we have to come up with new ways of dealing with these negativities.

That's beautiful.

Thank you so much, Friends.

Dorothy Longo and Nadine Abu-Assad, thank you so much for joining us.

And also a special thanks to Peter and Young Anyango for joining us via video as well.

Forums like this one are made possible thanks to generous support from individuals like you.

You can learn more about how to become a guardian of free speech at City Club dot org.

The City Club would also like to thank Joseph Stone and our friends at IPM for their partnership and today's conversation.

Thank you so much.

Today's forum is also the Margaret W Wang Endowed forum on foreign born individuals of distinction.

Months before her birth, Ms. Wong's Chinese parents fled the political repression and civil war caused by the Communist takeover in China.

Because of her personal experiences obtaining citizenship under U.S. immigration law.

Ms.. Wong recognized the need for guidance and opened her own law practice.

Today, Margaret W Wong and Associates LLC as a nationally and internationally renowned law firm lauded for its knowledge on immigration and nationality law.

We are grateful for the support of City Club.

City Club member Margaret Wong, who has joined us here today to make this annual forum possible.

Thank you, Margaret.

We would also like to welcome students from Gilmore as well as Laurel, and would also like to welcome guests at the tables hosted by Collaborate Cleveland Team, a Family Center and IPM.

Thank you all for being here.

Up next at the City Club on Friday, November 22nd, we will reflect on the legacy of Tamir Rice.

Ten years to the date of his death, his mother, Samaria Rice, LaTonya Goldsby and Subodh Chandra will join us to take stock of progress made and the work still to be done and just announced this morning the City Club will host the 19th Secretary of Transportation Pete Moody.

Judge on Monday, December 9th.

There will be a City Club member presale on the 18th and tickets and tables will be open to the general public following day.

Tuesday, November 19th.

You can learn more about these forums and others at City Club dot org.

And that brings us to the end of today's forum in the city economy.

Have a great weekend.

For information on upcoming speakers or for podcasts of the City Club, go to City Club Dawg.

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