Nestled among the towering cliffs of Kenya, high above the Great Rift Valley, sits Kijabe. This rural village – wrought with poverty and crime – is home to a brave, 14-year-old boy named Henry. He moves through each day fueled by profound courage and a boundless sense of duty to his family and those around him.
Rift is a unfettered glimpse at his powerful story.
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Like many in Kijabe, Henry and his family live in a small mud hut. Every morning, before the sun rises, Henry starts a fire to warm the home.
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Henry and his sister, Judy, fetch water from a nearby stream, which he then boils to make it potable.
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Some mornings, the family has only this warm water to settle their empty stomachs.
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After his morning chores, Henry makes the trek to a school with crumbling walls and pitted floors. His goal – to overcome the relentless cycle of poverty for his family, for Kijabe, and for Kenya.
Although the children in Kijabe require superhuman perseverance to merely survive, they exude an infectious amount of joy. They feel, express, and live each and every day within the subtleties of happiness.
In making this film, we felt that it was important to depict the simple reality by which this village and these people live.
