Sallyanne and Tabitha are our very first students to venture into the Blockchain space. In January 2022, they were among the first students to join the Techmates Programme which was launched at the same time. They ventured into Digital Marketing and It was through the Techmates Programme that they were introduced to work with Lido Nation. Lido Nation is a Cardano staking pool and it also has a website with tons of information for everyday people and newcomers to learn about the Blockchain world.

They signed a 6 months contract with Lido Nation and their work was to translate the articles on the Lido Nation website into Swahili. At the end of the contract, they came up with 3 original articles each related to Blockchain that were published on the Lido Nation website! After the 6 months contract elapsed, the team from Lido Nation was impressed by the work they had done and they, therefore, gave them another 4 months contract to become community outreach officers in the Ngong Road Blockchain Lab, the first Blockchain lab in Africa. This lab is a result of funding from Project Catalyst, a series of experiments that seek to generate the highest levels of community innovation. 

Sallyanne was privileged to become a co-proposer with Stephanie and Darlington from Lido Nation in the proposal, “Swahili learn to earn”. The proposal got funded and the project kicked off on the 1st of December 2022, with Sallyanne and Tabitha still being part of the project. It is through them working for Lido Nation that DirectEd got in touch with them through Stephanie to help them with their project that will be launched in Kenya next year in January. Directed identifies high-potential students in Kenya and Ethiopia and supports them with the resources and training required to start a successful career as remote software developers. 

They have so far met with Simon Sallstrom, the CEO of DirectEd who is currently in Kenya, and Moses Kahure who is the Kenya Lead. They have accompanied Simon and Moses to Kagumo High School and Bishop Gatimu Ngandu High School to sign the Memorandum of Understanding and to also help the team from DirectEd to carry out surveys that are meant for the preparation of the curriculum for the program. Sallyanne and Tabitha have also been contracted by Gero Wallet, which is one of the Cardano Wallets, to translate their wallet content from English to Swahili for it to be used in Africa for the Swahili-speaking countries. 

The Blockchain space is one that so many people are not familiar with and to have Sallyanne and Tabitha become wits in it is such an outstanding achievement not only to them but to the entire organization. We are so proud of them for this milestone and hope they will continue raising the bar even higher for our students. 

Susan has been able to fulfill her dream of completing her studies and finally graduating. She was studying at the Thika School of Medical and Health Sciences where she took a course in community development and social work.

Susan hopes to get a job where she can transform society by helping the vulnerable and championing better lives for other less fortunate children.

You’re invited to our 2022 annual gathering!

Tabitha is a calm and collected young girl who is also very ambitious and resilient. She worked hard through her primary, secondary, and university studies, and today she is one of our successful graduates.

In her university studies, she pursued a course in Business Administration and specialized in Procurement and Logistics at the Kenya Methodist University. 

Currently, she is a contractor for NRCF and Karibu Loo under the TechMates program, specializing in Digital Marketing. This is after she underwent six months of training under the program. She is also a Blockchain Website Translator and content writer for Lido Nation, which is a Cardano staking pool.

Tabitha hopes to reach more milestones in her career and inspire young girls.

My first trip to Nairobi was an exceptional experience in community and capacity building. The focus of my two weeks was spent on understanding the staff’s work, interacting with the students, and visiting board members. My biggest takeaway is the sense of community that welcomes the students and their families when they join the NRCF (Ngong Road Children’s Foundation) community. They are embraced with joy and high expectations.

The new Elimu Hub student center is busy! Lucy Iguri (in blue) and Victor Wambua have made creative and professional contributions to the library collection, including tagging the books per a system emulated from another library, and developing a Google Form for book tracking and checkout. Lucy developed guidelines to address how to curate and manage the collection. Pictured is a group of students who spied a new pile of books on Lucy’s desk and pressed her to enter them into the system so they could start reading!

Between one-to-one meetings, Saturday Programme, lunches, and weekend activities, I was able to get to know the individual NRCF and KLL (Karibu Loo) staff members and have the privilege of hearing their stories. The most impressionable stories were those with the staff who are also program alumni. 

Here are two NRCF alumni entrepreneurs: Patrick and Leonard! 

Delivering loos with John and Martin, both NRCF beneficiaries.

Meeting former board member Edna with Callen and family. Visiting Kelvin’s son Taj.

At Saturday Programme, I could see the layers of connectedness between Case Managers, students, and supportive people such as the Saturday Programme cook and nurse. The children radiate delight at having games, activities, and books that they would not otherwise be able to access. The students in the red shirts are the choir.

Shanice is a newly sponsored student. She took a book home from Saturday program, and when she came with her mother to pick up her uniform, Alice said she read it to her sister all evening. Here she is coming back for more! Future librarian?!

Being immersed in the NRCF community solidified for me why I was compelled to join this organization. We provide equal opportunity to children who, due to economic disparities, would not otherwise believe that they would obtain a college education. Their beaming faces project a sense of security in a circle of supportive peers, mentors, and caregivers among whom they grow up.