Lexis Beattie (Social Science Education Option, 2008) is the founder and CEO of a non-profit that seeks to educate, empower and elevate children into leaders by providing academic scholarships to children who otherwise, do not have access to education, in Kenya.

The organization, I am Heshima, has helped 1,345 students attend school in the last 15 years, offering scholarships and academic support from pre-K to university.

“What’s really important to us is that an academic scholarship with Heshima heals the whole child. A scholarship includes all school fees and requirements, mental health services, academic support, and professional and personal development. Heshima children are the first in the history of their family tree to graduate. We aim to foster a sense of agency in the lives of Heshima kiddos,” said Beattie.

Beattie first travelled to Kenya on a volunteer trip to teach English at an orphanage for three months in between Champlain Saint-Lambert and starting university at Dalhousie in Halifax.

“My eyes were opened to how much work needs to be done in the world for humans to all access to the same rights,” she said. After that first trip, Beattie promised she would be back to see the children again.

While studying International Development at Dalhousie, Beattie applied to do an exchange at the University of Nairobi, finding her way back to Kenya and to the same orphanage.

“I’m a professional promise keeper. I told them I’d be back and so I went back,” she said.

The children now trusted her enough to ask for help, and one sentence changed her entire life: “Lex, get me out of this hell,” said a child. She realized that an institution meant to protect children was in fact abusing them in the most inhumane ways.

“It took four years of investigations before the orphanage was finally shut down and children were returned to their homes — yes, they had homes” she added.

“They were lured into the orphanage, promised a chance at an education they knew they could not afford. That’s what led to my life’s work now as the founder and CEO of a non-profit. That experience led to the creation of Heshima which in the beginning was to prevent child abuse by creating access to education.”

At just 19 years old, Beattie was studying full-time and working two jobs to be able to pay for kids’ school fees in Kenya.

“At the beginning it was just my own money and a hell of a lot of will,” she said. “I knew nobody who worked in the non-profit sector, so I literally had to start from scratch and be my own guide. I am my mother’s daughter —she was our first sponsor — so I had a lot of hustle, determination and resourcefulness and that is honestly all I had when I started.”

Over the years, Beattie has grown her operation to having four staff members, spending three to six months in Kenya every year. She taught herself Swahili, a language she is now fluent in, and is also a translator for newly arrived Swahili-speaking Canadians. Heshima, for which her non-profit is named, means ‘respect’ in Swahili.

“It’s funny because my title is founder, but I always say that Heshima found me. It was never a plan in my life but now it is my whole life.”

In the future, Beattie is hoping to expand her reach to provide more scholarships and create volunteer opportunities for students who may want to follow in her footsteps.

“I’m so excited for our growth and the people we have not yet impacted,” she said.

Beattie’s advice for current students and recent grads: “The first step is finding a mentor who has already done what you’re hoping to do and then align your mind with where you want to be. Visualize where you want to be and have the mindset of a leader. It is never easy, but it is always worth it.”