CoKF Career Guidance Day.

As part of the Children of Kibera Foundation mentorship program, we organized a career guidance day for the mentees.The day was aimed towards helping the students plan their personal and learning future goals, make informed decisions about their personal development, education and training.

Guest speakers from different career paths were present so as to provide insight on the variety of professsions and give the scholars a chance to reflect on their ambitions, interests, qualifications and abilities. Some of the speakers who graced the day were; Kethi, a prominent lawyer who is well known for her outstanding performance as the lead counsel for AFRICOG in the Kenya Presidential Election Petition 2013, We also had Hanifa and Sarah who are commercial lawyers, Juliet a professional sculptor, Grace Wajiku a film/content developer, John a communications field officer and many more.  The speakers distinctively represented both the corporate and the creative art scene which made the session extremely interesting because the students were able to 'have a feel' of both worlds.

Esther,a banker addressing the mentees

Some of the key discussion points were; Whether to choose a career that one is passionate about or a career that has a high compensation package,how the parents and guardians influence career choice and the various career challenges faced.

The discussions brought about interesting debates and the speakers went even further to give their personal encounters and experiences. This led to a question and answer session where the participants got a chance to get clarifications on the various issues on career development planning.

The mentees found the session to be very edifying and will be in a better position to make informed choices on the various career pathways they wish to take.

"The career guidance day has opened my eyes to the various realities in the different professions, I am now a step closer to making my decision" 
Sheila-State House Girls School.

CoKF Mentors and Mentees

My High School experience

Monday last week was particularly interesting as we had a chat with the Form 1 scholars about their high school experiences so far. They had quite a lot to say about the first three months in their new schools. Most of them were quite ecstatic about the school clubs, sports, new friends and the teachers but were not very enthusiastic about the menu and having to wake up very early in the mornings. All in all, it was so much fun listening, laughing and learning from each other. A few of their sentiments were;

Going off to high school has really been a new experience, I have never been to a boarding school before and I knew that it would require some getting used to. I have always been very close to my family and absolutely love going home to them after a long day in school. Helping my little brothers get ready for school in the morning,  helping them with their homework, feasting on my mother’s Ugali Samaki  were some of the things I couldn’t bear living behind. But I have quickly adapted and now liking it, sure the diet is nothing like my mother’s cooking but the teachers are great, I have made many new friends and I love being in the drama club, it’s fantastic!-Mailine, Maasai girls high school Form 1.

I really like our school library, it is huge and has so many books unlike in my primary school. I read all kinds of books. My favorite story book is Naomi Leon-Naom Nyaboke,Moi  Forces  Girls high school,Lanet.

What I like about high school so far is that we have the most amazing basketball team. I never had the chance to play basketball while in primary school and now I get to do so which I am so happy about- Velma, Our Lady of Mercy Girls high school.

As for me, I like playing football. I have always played football even in Primary school but it is much more different in high school because we get the chance to play football and compete even at the national levels which is so awesome! Javan-Pumwani Boys high school.

High school is very important in our lives, it has been said that it is in high school where we discover who we really are. As the Form 1 scholars continue with high school as part of the journey in their lives, we wish them all the best and look forward to having  them complete high school and tell us about their first year at the university when that time comes.

Scaling Greater Heights.

Last month was exceptionally special for the Children of Kibera Foundation family. Zainab Hussein, our pioneer scholar from Kibera Primary 2007, State House Girls 2011, Stanstead College PG 2013, got a full university scholarship to Lafayette College class of 2017 in Pennsylvania ,North Eastern United States! This was after a lot of patience and persistence. Zainab follows in the footsteps of our very own Kenneth Okoth who was awarded a similar scholarship to St. Lawrence University in 1997. 
Ken’s journey from Kenya to New York, Washington and back to Kibera as a champion for empowerment of children and young people through education has been greatly inspiring and to see students he has mentored like Zainab make it to University is indeed a great achievement as we move forward. John is another one of our amazing scholars! He is our scholar from Nairobi School class of 2012 and was awarded for his exemplary performance in his KCSE for attaining a mean grade of an A. 

Hard work is the key to success

John proudly displaying his award 

We are glad to be actors in this wonderful process of educating the Children in Kibera. 

Empower Her, Empower our Society

Girls sharing knowledge...

The International Women's Day that was celebrated early this month and it provided a platform for many stakeholders to opine on the suffering of women today and celebrate the successes the fight for gender equality has brought so far. However, much is yet to be done as our women have not yet been freed from the yokes of culturally institutionalized servitude.
One of the basic issues that indeed need much attention is the intellectual empowerment of our girls. A better and improved education system that would incorporate fairness. It is true that our girls are tirelessly fighting for their rights and it is high time the society came out strongly to help them in this fight.
I am writing this with the girl child living in the slums of Kibera in my mind.
A look at the school attendance in Kibera and there is a clear indication of massive dropouts reported, especially in high school. Even among the dropouts, girls are more than boys and when this happens, girls resort to getting married at an early age or engage in activities that are, in most cases, limited to utilizing what they readily have (their bodies) definitely ruining their future. Boys on the other hand have a wide range of options as most activities that require no skills are more often masculine in nature.
Revising our education syllabus to include instilling basic skills would help in giving girls more option. It is only through education that our girls will not be submissive to culturally dictated aspects that undermine their empowerment.
At the Children of Kibera Foundation we stand with the girls in their quest for a better future.

• 15- the total number of students who have graduated in high school through the CoKF Scholarship Program
• EIGHT of them are girls
• THREE are currently studying at United States International University (Nairobi), Kenyatta University and Stanstead College (Canada)
• FIVE are awaiting admissions to university

 WE EDUCATE KIBERA'S FUTURE. Help us in giving the girls a reason to feel as special members of our society as they truly are.
 

Schools have to lead the way to providing protective and productive assets to girls- 

Sajeda Amin, Population Council

Giving Back to The Society-Fred Juma's Story

By Aquinas Nyakundi. (Guest writer)

Fred at the Kenyatta National Hospital Pediatric Cancer Wards.

As Fred Juma sat for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams, he faced a tougher challenge than most students who merely suffer from exam-anxiety. But despite his cancer diagnosis, Juma has been able to score exceptionally well. 
Fred Juma was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer during preparations for his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
He underwent a lot of challenges to complete his exams which included doing some of the papers halfway or under a tree due to the side effects from the drugs he was using that could not allow him to stay indoors for long.
When results were announced on 1st March 2013, he was proud to have scored a B plain which qualifies him for a course in a higher institution of learning. In an interview, Juma said he wishes to take a course in Mechanical Engineering or Fine Arts and thanked God for enabling him achieve the grade.
“I am good at artwork and sometimes I can do fantastic graffiti. Once I complete consultations with my sponsors, I will be certain which course I will be in a position to enroll for and in which institution,” he said. Juma hails from Kibera and has three brothers and a father who takes care of them but his education has entirely been supported by Children of Kibera Foundation.
He has tutored cancer kids at the hospital since he completed his KCSE examination in December 2012. For the time being, Juma continues volunteering with Hope for Cancer Kids by offering lessons to kids with cancer at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
Juma says eight kids are under his care and their enthusiasm to learn new concepts each day gives him the motivation to attend to their academic needs. “Being a cancer survivor, I understand how it feels to know that you colleagues are studying while you are within hospital walls,” he said.
He said the kids have a challenge with text books as the few that they have are not enough to offer comprehensive study material to the kids. “The few books that were donated by a supporter from Children of Kibera Foundation are shared among the kids,” he said. Though Juma does not follow a laid down syllabus for the studies, he is optimistic that the knowledge they are gaining is relevant and as time progresses, the kids will also progress academically like their colleagues in formal schools.
Other than reading stories for the kids and giving them a chance to seek clarification through questions, Juma has occasionally tested the kids’ drawing ability in an effort to develop their creativity. He appeals for well wishers to donate more books to facilitate easy learning among the kids with cancer who he said are more than willing to learn new academic concepts.
The HCK director Wanja Mwangi said Juma is a bright boy whose willingness to help the cancer kids would go a long way in helping the kids advance their knowledge.
“His drawings are superb and I believe if he gets publicity, most people could have interest in them and he can make a good return from his artwork,” said Wanja.
Wanja stated that she was amazed at Juma’s performance given the challenges he underwent when preparing and during the actual exam period.

Cathrine Joins State House Girls School.

Proud to be a student at State House Girls' High School

Without dreams, there would be no ambition to chase, there would be no goals to reach. Most children in Kibera have a dream to be successful in life. To achieve this cherished dream, a good education is their only ladder. 

On the 10^th of February 2013, Cokf staff came up with the final list of students to receive full high school scholarships. Catherine  was overjoyed on hearing the news that she was one of the selected candidates set to benefit from the CoKF high school scholarship scheme. 
Cathrine lives in Soweto village in Kibera and is the fourth born among five siblings. She loves  traveling and reading novels. Her dream is to be a surgeon because she believes that there are not enough surgeons in Kenya. Getting the CoKF Scholarship and joining form 1 at State House Girls High School this year has been a huge break for her and her family. 

We wish her all the best as she embarks on her high school journey, successful completion of high school education and subsequent joining of university will surely make Cathrine's  dream of a good life come true.

Catherine and her mother -Joyce after she fully registered

Cathrine, mum, dad and Prisca (CoKF staff-second left) upon admission

We at the CoKF are proud of Catherine and all the other students who got the scholarship. We wish them a successful stay in the next four years.

Scholarship Awarding Process 2013- Part 2

The 'train' in Gatwekera Village

Out of the 51 shortlisted candidates, 44 showed up for meetings at our office and participated in our home visits. The preliminary meeting entailed taking the hopeful scholars through our selection process and assuring them that our process was free, fair and everyone had an equal chance of getting the scholarship.

After two consecutive meetings, it was now time to traverse the terrain of Kibera slums. CoKF staff visited the homes of each of the 44 shortlisted scholars over a period of three days. These visits saw the staff visit all the 12 villages making up the Kibera slum. It is interesting to also note that during the home visits, hopeful scholars assigned for that day accompanied us.

The exercise ended successfully on the 14^th of February and a final list of 10 selected scholars prepared on the 15^th day of February.

CoKF staff takes this opportunity to sincerely thank all those who enabled this exercise be a success; from that parent who took time off their daily routine to host us to that teacher who helped us trace a student.

To the selected scholars, this is just a bridge; you have the potential to make it big. Use this chance to scale even greater heights on the upward social mobility ladder.

A detailed blog on the 10 selected scholars will come in the last part of this trilogy blog.

 

 

Every single detail noted

CoKF is here!

A hopeful scholar with his parents after the home visit

Mwaniki stays with his grandmother

Evans has lived with his elder brother since he was 4 years old