Hollywood star Salma Hayek’s birthday celebrations have received a Kenyan touch after Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede shared a photograph of himself celebrating with the renowned Mexican-American actress.
Odede posted the picture on Instagram, giving his followers a glimpse of the seemingly intimate birthday celebration held at an undisclosed location.
The photograph showed the two smiling as they marked Hayek’s special day, offering a rare meeting between two personalities whose worlds may appear far apart but are united by a passion for changing lives.
“Happy birthday my witch @salmahayek. You are a special soul. Love you so much,” Odede said in his Instagram post.
Hayek has been a great supporter of SHOFCO for many years and in 2023, the actress travelled to Kenya to witness first-hand the organisation’s community-led work.
During the visit, Hayek was visibly impressed by SHOFCO’s approach to tackling poverty and gender inequality by working with residents to develop solutions from within their communities.
“SHOFCO is by far one of the most effective movements I have ever seen in place to combat extreme poverty and gender inequity,” Hayek said after her visit.
She praised its work providing quality education for girls, clean water, GBV prevention and response, healthcare, community organising, and economic empowerment.
“Through collaborating with local leaders and the community, I was beyond impressed with what SHOFCO is doing to create a bright future for the residents of Kibera in Kenya through locally-led solutions,” she added.
Her interest in community service is not new. For more than a decade, Hayek has worked with UNICEF, travelling to Africa and the Middle East and taking part in humanitarian campaigns focused on children and vulnerable communities.
While Hayek has used her global platform to draw attention to humanitarian causes, Odede has built a grassroots movement from the heart of Kibera, where he spent much of his childhood.
He founded SHOFCO in 2004, transforming an idea born from community organising into one of Kenya’s largest grassroots movements.
In 2024, Odede was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, while in 2025 he became the first Kenyan recipient of the United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize.
He has also received the Schwab Foundation Social Innovator of the Year award and other international honours.
The organisation he leads now reaches more than 3.5 million Kenyans through programmes spanning education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation, gender inclusion, livelihoods, financial empowerment and community organising.
