Building Hope

BUILDING HOPE is the full color companion book to Turk Pipkin’s inspiring film about Mahiga Hope High School in rural Kenya. The film and the book chronicle The Nobelity Project’s partnership with a rural Kenyan community to build the area’s first high school.

Filled with Turk's color photos from 5 continents, the book highlights the connection between a thousand people in the U.S. and an African community working to create a better future for their children. The book includes an introduction by Texas news legend, Dan Rather, who calls Turk’s work, “Good journalism wedded to good filmmaking.”

Building Hope also includes the insights of Desmond Tutu, Willie Nelson, Wangari Maathai and other inspiring leaders who have guided Turk in his global journey. The story of Mahiga Hope High School is an important part of a movement for Universal Secondary Education, and shows that each of us has the ability to change the world in amazing ways.

Winner of the Lone Star Audience Award at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, Turk's feature doc Building Hope - the Story of Mahiga Hope High School, has screened at festivals around the world and is now available on the iTunes store. Following the world premiere, The Austin Chronicle called the film. “Inspirational Redbull for the humanitarian soul.”

All proceeds from the sale of the book and the film go to support the school programs of The Nobelity Project in the U.S. and Africa, including the Kenya Schools Fund––which has built water systems, classrooms and libraries at 17 schools in rural Kenya.

Author and filmmaker Turk Pipkin is a cofounder of The Nobelity Project and the director of three feature documentaries, Nobelity, One Peace at a Time and Building Hope. Pipkin is also the author of ten books including the New York Times bestseller The Tao of Willie, co-authored with Willie Nelson. He has also worked as an actor and writer in numerous films and television shows, including a recurring role in HBO's The Sopranos.