Meet Lenox, an aspiring game developer. Lenox is one of our focus schools. Before joining the program, he had no clear picture of what he wanted to become once he grew up. After getting a sponsor, he started attending our programs, one of which was Computer Training. Lenox fell in love with computers, and he has barely missed a class since then. 

In early 2022, when the new students’ resource center (Elimu Hub) was constructed and the computer lab was pimped with new powerful computers, Lenox was one of the proudest beneficiaries of the structure, and he’s among the students that utilize the facility a lot.

Lenox has committed to all that gets taught to him during the computer classes, and his best sessions are usually the programming ones where he gets to apply his critical and creative thinking skills. His programming skills are impressive, especially when it comes to scratch programming. Early in January 2023, he was among the five students that participated in a hackathon for scratch programming (Scratchathon) competition, and he was voted one of the best students during the competition, having led a team in developing a game using the scratch program and presenting it to the audience on behalf of the team. He also got interviewed, where he discussed his love for programming and his aspirations to become a web developer when he grows up.

Emmanuel has been sponsored in his educational journey for 12 years. Emmanuel joined the program in 2010 and was supported through his primary, secondary, and post-secondary education by Susan and Dave Plimpton.

His passion for technology started while in primary school thanks to the NRCF Computer Lab, which offered a platform to learn computers. He began attending computer classes and was eager to learn more, leading him to a desire to pursue a tech career path. In high school, Emmanuel was a good student who was very active in class participation. He was responsible and had leadership skills as the class monitor. After high school, Emmanuel underwent intensive computer training for three months, where he received a certificate from the Computer Society of Kenya and Belmont College. He later joined Jomo Kenyatta University to pursue a degree in Business Information Technology.  He graduated in 2022.

In 2021, NRCF launched a new tech internship program, TechMates, designed to offer on-the-job training to graduates interested in tech careers. Emmanuel was among the pioneer interns of this program and underwent an eight-month training program from September 2021 to May 2022.  During this internship, he was able to gain employment with Lido Nation as a software developer.

In May 2022, NRCF launched an Entrepreneurship Programme to help alumni who were interested in starting a business by training entrepreneurial skills around business start-up, management, and sustainability. Emmanuel was, again, a pioneer of this program, as he was interested in venturing into the business of website development and management. Emmanuel applied for a Tech Entrepreneurship Training Scholarship at Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Ghana. This is a 1-year training program focused on tech entrepreneurship. He qualified for this program and has been invited to join the cohort in September 2022.

Emmanuel has demonstrated superb leadership and resilience throughout his educational journey. Emmanuel’s personal strengths are as impressive as his intellectual accomplishments. We celebrate all the milestones that he has achieved so far. The sky’s the limit for Emmanuel.

Dear friends,

I had the pleasure of visiting Nairobi from June 23 – 30 for the first time since February 2020.  This was my 26th trip to Kenya and I left with three major impressions related to our work through Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF).

1. Leadership is everything.  I believe that organizations grow and thrive when they are well-led. We have been working toward developing effective leadership in Kenya that is both a reflection of Kenyan culture yet also responsive to American leadership norms. Kelvin Thuku (Programme Manager for NRCF) and his leadership team are doing an excellent job of leading the organization and it shows.  Our staff is long-tenured and mature.  It is clear that they have built a culture where team members bring their best ideas to work and feel comfortable tackling challenging problems.

I observed the team discuss issues in our post-secondary program; they were clear on the problems to be solved and very vocal about solutions.  I visited the Saturday Programme and saw a well-organized, orderly program for 150 elementary-age students. We had many programs running concurrently while I was in Kenya – computer training for recent high school graduates, parent meetings for post-secondary students, Life Skills training, etc. – and it all worked smoothly.

2. Get educated and get a job.  We have done well in helping students get educated, yet we know we have room for improvement in supporting alumni on their employment journey.  We conducted our 2nd Alumni Survey in late June and learned that 51% of graduates had a job at the time of the survey, 80% had one or more jobs in the past 12 months and 72% of alumni are supporting other family members.  These results are modestly improved from 2021. While I was there, our new Employment Services Manager (Martha Otieno) began her job.  She brings strong skills and background in workforce development and good understanding of the employment market in Nairobi.  I expect she will have a positive impact on employment among our alumni. 
3. Even if a student’s path leaves the main road, they find a way.  I spent time with many alumni while in Nairobi, including at least 10 whose education journey was less than we hoped for.  In every case, I found young adults who have grown, are more mature, and are piecing a life together.  Some are back in the slums, but they have one or more businesses or are employed. If there are children, they are in school.  Some are working in the gig economy and earning a living by doing several things like contract workers in our economy. Some are looking for a better job or getting more education or trying to move out of contract employment to more permanent jobs.  Most of them are building on the education they earned; they are determined and succeeding. 

Sometimes the road taken is not straight.  We have 183 alumni from this program whose lives are better than they would have been without education.  In most cases, alumni are building a life and by the time they get into their 20s, they understand the incredible gift they have been given.  Thank you to each and every one of you who have helped these students in their journey.

Warmly,

Paula

The new Elimu hub student center includes a computer laboratory and library to provide learning activities and resources for our students.  

Primary students take weekly computer classes

There are many benefits of introducing computers to children at an early age. It prepares them for future usage in many professional fields that require these skills. It increases their self-esteem, builds self-confidence, and boosts their problem-solving skills. Students from Nelson Mandela (near the campus) are able to attend during the school week while other students receive intensive exposure on the weekends.

Creative classes on Saturday i.e. Canvas & Coding

As part of the Saturday Programme, we are introducing creative computer classes where primary students are taught to use creative tools such as Canvas to create decorative posts for sponsors and to learn basic coding skills.

Internet – Web surfing and student/sponsor communication portal

The students are taught how to use the internet to do school research within their level and how to access and log in to their portals to write/reply to sponsor messages and access their photos and other resources in the portal.

Secondary students attend advanced courses

WordPress training

Secondary students are required to attend computer classes during their holiday including a WordPress course. At the end of the training, they are required to build their online portfolios/websites. The training acts as preparation for the training course with Belmont College after high school.

Internet – Web surfing, NRCF Communication portal, and Google mail

The students are taught how to use the internet to do school research and learn to use the Google Suite tools such as Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. They are taught to access and log in to their student/sponsor portal to send sponsor messages and access their photos and other resources.

Post-secondary students attend formal courses and do research

High school grads computer training– The two-month training program by Belmont International College will be conducted in our computer lab, which is now equipped with new and fast desktops (thank you to all that helped to fund these needed computers).

Research space for students

The computer lab is open to all students and alumni of the program to conduct research or do assignments. Students use the computers in the lab to access the communication portal to send and receive emails to and from their sponsors.

Library is a place for discovery

School textbooks & revision materials.

The library, with the help of the new Kenyan curriculum project leader, is in the process of identifying school textbooks for all school levels that align with the new curriculum.  

Storybooks/novels

Currently, the library has various genres that students borrow and read within our premises. This activity continues in the new library with a plan of adding more.

Library support

The librarian ensures each student borrows a book at least once every school term. A report is issued each year indicating how many books each student has read.  Each student completes a questionnaire upon returning the book to encourage the student to read their story books.   

Art and Design 

Art and design stimulate creativity and imagination, providing visual and sensory experiences and a special way of understanding and responding to issues. Through learning about the roles and functions of art, students can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life. 

The students will have access to materials that they cannot access from home and are limited at school. They will be able to:

• Showcase their artwork to sponsors.  For example;  drawing, cardmaking, flower making using different materials, etc
• Record first-hand experiences or their imaginative ideas to use in their work. 
• Develop creativity and imagination through a range of complex activities
• Increase their critical awareness and boost their confidence and have fun.

Reading and study space

Most of our students’ homes are not conducive to studying. The library space is utilized by students during holidays and weekends for reading, studying, and assignments. Students also come for assistance with their assignments from TechMates interns.

Students will have read-aloud and around sessions, where they will be able to share lessons, terms, and group book reading.  Book club sessions, “Little Gurus”, for grades 5 and 6 students will resume.

Change of Saturday program field

We are happy to announce that we now have a bigger, and safer field for our Saturday program activities. Compared to our previous field, the current field has grass everywhere hence minimal chances of students getting hurt while playing. The location also favors students residing in Ng’ando as they can now comfortably work short distances to attend the Saturday program. This change has been in place since the beginning of January.

Expressive art

To be able to provide better support for our students we need to connect with them emotionally. That is why NRCF in collaboration with Harambee Arts Kenya and Kenya Association of Professional Counselors (KAPC) organized an expressive art program, where our children are allowed to express their emotions such as happiness, appreciation, or even sadness through coloring. The activities are usually fun and at the very end, all our students learn that they are the stars of their own stories. Thank you Harambee Arts Kenya and Kenya Association of Professional Counselors (KAPC).