From Crenshaw to Kenya: Sha' Givens & I Can Fly

Dr. Anita Turner’s “Won’t God Do It?” podcast introduces Sha' Givens, a Los Angeles native and San Diego State alum whose call to mission in Kenya launched I Can Fly International. What began as a 14-day youth mission in her twenties turned into a decades-long nonprofit effort focused on literacy, education, and rescue. Sha’s story ties spiritual conviction to practical action: listening for God’s voice, taking the first step, and letting that step expand into community-led transformation.

Teaching Women to Read: A Simple Idea That Grew

In rural Kenyan villages Sha' discovered many women could not read the Bible or sign their names due to cultural restrictions. After raising the issue with local pastors and the village chief, she helped set up literacy classes in a borrowed church. Twelve women came the first day barefoot and with torn pencils—within 18 months that class grew to 300. The program’s success inspired the name I Can Fly (Isaiah 40:31) and established literacy as a human-rights and faith-driven priority across multiple communities.

Education, Rescue and Building a Future

Seeing children forced into labor and families unable to pay school fees pushed Sha' to expand from adult literacy to formal schooling. With local partners she purchased land and opened I Can Fly preschool, eventually adding higher grades and a broader educational pipeline. A turning point came when a news story about a 10-year-old sold into marriage for a cow and cash prompted an audible call from God—“Go get them.” That conviction led Sha' to organize rescues, support rescued girls, and create protective programs (including a butterfly-house concept to symbolize renewal)—work she continues through the nonprofit’s U.S. and Kenya branches.

Take the First Step: How You Can Help

Sha’s core message: obey the prompting in your spirit and take one step—God will meet you there. For anyone moved by literacy, anti–child marriage work, or faith-based global education, watch the full interview to hear Part 2 (school growth, rescue center details, and the butterfly imagery) and learn how to support or partner with I Can Fly International. Subscribe to Power of Praise Network and consider donating, volunteering, or sharing this story to amplify the impact.