Logos Hope :: A vision to see more lives in and from Africa impacted by Africans.
For the first time in her history, Logos Hope set her course toward Mombasa, Kenya, on 18 August 2023. With a crew of over 60 nationalities, including 18 nationalities from the continent of Africa, to many this feels like coming home. The change in region saw a buzz of excitement on board as the ship's international community eagerly awaited the arrival.
Eduard (Romania) shared what he’s looking forward to as Logos Hope visits East Africa: “One of the things I’m really excited to do is to explore the local markets and try African food. [I want to learn about] the differences between their cultural values, the way the people dress, their style, different things that people do. I’m excited to experience the diversity in the culture and understanding [more about] the diversity within the African continent.”
As she visits port cities around the world, Logos Hope’s crewmembers seek opportunities to learn from, be enriched by and serve the communities they encounter. Abdi (Somalia), a community leader, reflects on Logos Hope’s partnership with his community, saying, “My prayer is that out of this [visit] there would actually be things that we can trace back and in the next decade we would be able to say, ‘This thing started because Logos Hope was here and was connected with these people, and one of the follow ups is this programme’.”
Crewmembers seek to serve the communities they visit by engaging with the work of local organisations. As the public comes onboard to browse the 5,000 titles of Logos Hope’s bookfair, crew go out to work side by side with local partners, sharing practical help and supporting efforts for lasting change. From outreach initiatives, like prison visits and eyesight testing, to educational seminars covering topics on career development, community development, and mental health.
Leaders from different sectors of society will come together on board the ship, participating in events to facilitate partnership and consider what contribution they can make to seeing the nations flourish, in Africa and beyond.
Abdi continues: “The idea of having multiple nationalities in one vessel is something that we see as a strength that the ship has and that many of us could learn. Especially in cosmopolitan cities like Mombasa where people from different nationalities live together. I think the ship’s visit demonstrates that it is possible to have diversity and interact, to collectively do things together.
We hope through [the ship’s visit] that we can have some of our young people exposed to other cultures. Maybe we would have them volunteer in a multicultural setup so that their gifts can be used elsewhere. Because we truly believe that there is something our part of the world can offer the rest of the world, as well as there [being] plenty we can learn from others.”
Logos Hope’s vision is to celebrate the African story. This story is told by Africans, in all walks of life, who are stepping up to lead and engage in initiatives that promote peace and share hope in Africa and around the world.
From worldwide projects to meaningful involvement in their own communities, Logos Hope is excited to see the African story inspire more Africans to be contributors towards global transformation.