-- "My vote gives you power to serve the community. If I part with that power, I have a say in what you do with the power I give you, which gives you access to money to work for the common good. Our money must be used judiciously and transparently to make life better for us."

Politicians and office holders often use their positions to enrich themselves, inflicting pain and misery on the people who give them power and rendering them powerless and voiceless. This abuse of power leads to poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure, moral decadence and social breakdown. Kathryn dreamed of a new era of politics in which the people take responsibility for the leaders they vote into office. She believed people deserve the leadership they get and unless they recognize their power to effect social change for the common good, they will continue to suffer from poor leadership.

Since Africans tend -to be religious and the values essential for good leadership are shared by all major religious groups, Kathryn’s goals were to:

• Challenge Africans to apply their religious beliefs in their everyday dealings;
• Challenge Africans to refuse the concept of “vote for money,” teaching them the value of rejecting short term gain to reap long term benefits;
• Challenge leaders to be responsible for promises made on the campaign trail;
• Effect change from the grass roots, by challenging people to “ask not what their country can do for them, but rather what they can do for their country”;
• Organize leadership seminars for young people in secondary and tertiary institutions to sensitize them to transparent leadership and good governance;
• Teach young people the value of working for the common good.

Kathryn was in the process of starting an NGO to instill this thinking in the people, before her untimely death. KHHfoundation will pursue this agenda by developing grassroots awareness and challenging our leaders to lead responsibly. KHHfoundation will organize conferences, work with youth, engage women’s and religious organizations and play an active role in sensitizing voters during election years.