Her shoes cost $50.

Her phone: $600.

Her computer: $1,000.

As 17-year-old Haley Lilla rattled off her list of things — things she appreciates but sometimes takes for granted — she acknowledged her good fortune. She’s a senior at Faith Lutheran High School, where she has the resources needed to chase her goals and dreams.

But Lilla is growing acutely aware what poverty means in a developing country. Little clean water. Scarce education opportunities. Exposure to human trafficking. And yet the children who live there share the same types of hopes and dreams for their futures, she said.

“They’re the kids who appreciate the small things,” Lilla said. “Here I am with all these material possessions but not feeling the same way. How does that work?"

The teen’s candid comments came during an event last week to kick off a school-wide program that she helped found. The private school in Summerlin has partnered with World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization, to adopt two Kenyan villages.

The Kenya Project, as it has been called, involves sponsoring children in the chosen communities — Katito and Bandaptai — as well as creating a sustainable plan that could help the residents climb out of poverty.

Kenya sits along the Indian Ocean in eastern Africa and serves as home to an estimated 47 million people. While agriculture accounts for a large portion of Kenya’s economy, unemployment and underemployment affect more than two-thirds of the population, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.

Principal Scott Fogo said three students — Lilla, Tom Riggleman and his son, Micah Fogo — approached him with the idea to adopt a village, and it was impossible to say no to such an ambitious, benevolent idea. Fogo helped make the connection with World Vision, which led to Faith Lutheran being the first school to partner with the organization for this kind of project.

“Our school allows kids to be big thinkers,” Fogo said. “We sometimes get ourselves in trouble because we allow it. It’s like, well, if they want to take care of other people, we’ll try.”

The initial goal is for every homeroom class to raise money and sponsor a child, which costs $468 for one year, Fogo said. If individual students and families want to become further involved and sponsor their own child, Fogo hopes they can reach 100 children by the end of this school year and 200 next year.

During the school year, students will be writing letters and making videos to send to Kenya as well as learning about the root causes of poverty, Fogo said. He hopes the project “melts more hearts,” forcing teens outside their technology and social media bubbles.

“Kids are really self-involved in their phones and their futures and their life and their activities,” Fogo said. “And I think we lose some of our heart for humanity.”

In mid-September, eight students — including the three who spearheaded the project — will be traveling to Kenya to visit their adopted villages.

“I think the immersion itself is going to be extremely interesting,” Riggleman said. “It’s going to teach us so much about life and the beauty of these kids and their lifestyles.”

The 9,400-mile journey will be the first trip outside the United States for some of the students.

This story has been updated to correct attribution for one student quote.