How Carolyne From Kenya Makes a Positive Impact

It’s a beautiful day in Kenya when Carolyne and I have a chance to connect over Zoom; she shows me the sunset through her camera, and comments on how cool the weather is in July, one of the coldest months of the year.

“It was chilly today, but really nice,” Carolyne says.

On the other side of the camera, I fan myself with a few scraps of paper. It’s only 11am, but in Brooklyn, New York the temperatures have already reached a high of 88 degrees. With the sun climbing higher in the sky, I expect my sweaty morning to bleed into the afternoon. But for now, I’m distracted by a lovely conversation with Carolyne, who organizes Idealist Days in Eldoret, Kenya and runs her own organization ICARE Sustainably International.

Clearly, Carolyne has always been interested in making a positive social impact in her community.

“In 2009, my family relocated because of post-election violence that erupted in our area,” Carolyne says. “I wanted to help out.”

Carolyne initially started volunteering at a children’s home; many of the kids there had been found wandering the street, and didn’t have a strong support system encouraging them to go to school. After a few years, she became a House Parent to help many of the children who lived there navigate social and behavioral issues so they could reach their full potential.

ICARE Sustainably International was born out of this experience. In 2018, Carolyne founded her organization to mobilize more people in Kenya to get involved in their communities. While her organization's mission focuses on accelerating the UN Global Goals, she also encourages volunteers to pursue projects that appeal to them.

“We’ve hosted breakfast cookouts, tree plantings, environmental trainings, free eye screenings,” Carolyne says. “Idealist Days felt like a natural partner.”

Carolyne heard about Idealist Days from our Founder and Executive Director Ami Dar. After receiving an email from Ami in February 2026, she was immediately encouraged to incorporate Idealist Days into her organization’s model.

Now, ICARE Sustainably International’s activities take place on Idealist Days each month to encourage more people to get involved.

“We’re able to involve more people in our mission because of Idealist Days,” Carolyne says. “They enjoy the monthly activities and are encouraged to host their own events, too.”

On July 7 for Idealist Day 7/7, Carolyne’s group organized a menstruation education day for 350 students in their community. Attendees learned about the menstrual cycle, what to expect from their first period, and how to access supplies. Carolyne's group also helped distribute sanitary supplies to more than 150 young people who might not have easy access to pads, tampons, or sanitary cloths.

“This was really successful. Most of the events we’ve done have been virtual, but through Idealist Days we’re doing more in-person events in Kenya,” Carolyne says.

In 2024, Carolyne’s organization launched an ambassador program to encourage folks from other countries in Africa to get involved. They’ve now recruited ambassadors from 30 countries, which each work on their own projects relating to ICARE’s overarching mission and Idealist Days.

Additionally, Carolyne has been partnering with local organizations and companies.

“We started partnering with MOMO Pencils, which manufactures pencils from used newspapers,” Carolyne says. “They’re helping us distribute educational supplies and plant fruit trees near local schools.”

Of course, as a nonprofit organization, Carolyne doesn’t have a huge budget to support her activities. All of the resources her Idealist Days group in Kenya distributes are collected beforehand via donations from individuals or companies in the area. 

“We’re looking into getting funding to help scale our work across Kenya and other countries,” Carolyne says. 

As Carolyne moves forward, her impact grows each month. Already she’s added several dozen volunteers to support her mission on Idealist Days throughout the year, with plans to keep scaling up. Her passion is the main driver, though. That much is clear from our short conversation, even as we sit in two different rooms on complete opposite sides of the world. 

“We want to help the children in our area grow and succeed. That’s our main goal,” she says.

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If you’re wondering how to launch an Idealist Days group in your local community, here are a few steps to get started:

• Sign up to get involved in Idealist Days, and stay in touch by registering for the free Idealists in Action newsletter, sent monthly.
• Start small by gathering friends, co-workers, or family members to talk about how you can make a positive impact in your local community once a month on Idealist Days.
• As you grow, post your event on Idealist’s Global Calendar via Luma to invite others in your area to join you for projects.