Dear Friends and Fans of Children of Kibera --
Just wanted to send you a quick greeting and share the message that CoKF is on a roll as we begin 2010. We have seen great momentum on all our projects this month-- Red Rose School, High School Scholars Program, CoKF offices on the ground for better service to all. We are delighted to share a slide show with beautiful photos from last week of our different projects. Please take a look, as they say, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.
We have opened up a new
Red Rose Middle School that now houses classes five and six, eliminating some of the congestion at the Red Rose lower school. The site will need four new toilets and three new classrooms to eventually accommodate all of the Red Rose Middle School from class four to class eight.
CoKF's coordinator Jeff and our current interns Jos and Jackie will begin working also in the new CoKF office that's located at the Red Rose Middle School. We have never had an office before, but the growth of our programs and increased demand for our services made it necessary to finally open up an accessible and friendly office in the heart of Kibera.
We have selected eight new amazing young leaders who excelled in KCPE, partnering with them on their journeys to quality boarding schools, and on to university. These scholars have shown true leadership, and we are honored to invest in their continued success through the full scholarships we offer each year. More than 300 candidates made inquiries into the scholarships. Our team on the ground made home visits to about 50 homes, and we selected the eight scholars from a group of ten finalists. It was a very rigorous competition and selection process.
We deeply thank all our supporters for making these programs possible through their generosity and our CoKF Board of Directors for their leadership and dedication to the foundation's mission. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the work we are doing for children in Kibera, please visit
http://www.childrenofkibera.orgSincerely,
Ken Okoth
Founder, Children of Kibera Foundation.
Over the weekend CoKF staff visited star scholar Philitricia, a Form Two student at Moi Girls Eldoret. The staff wanted to surprise Philitricia to personally congratulate her for receiving two awards, one for her performance in Physics and the other for maintaining an overall A average since she joined the school. Moi Girls Eldoret has recently earned a lot of attention having produced Kenya's top girl in the KCSE national exam, and we have high hopes for Philitricia to follow in her footsteps!
Above is the prize table display and below Philitricia awaits and recieves her awards.
Some talented students provided entertainment during their Prize Giving Ceremony, including the singing troop who were awarded for their performances.
The visiting crew included CoKF interns Joscelyn Truitt and Jacqueline Espana, Project Coordinator Japheth Ochieng, along with our new intern Emily Davenport. Emily is looking forward to developing CoKF's most recent computer lab by working with the Lutheran Primary School's head teacher and the Springs of Life Lutheran Church community so they may access the lab. Emily learned about CoKF through our founder Ken Okoth who is in charge of her study abroad program in Dar es Salaam. Emily will be living and working in Kibera during her one month break.
Above: Emily, Joscelyn, Philitricia, and Jackie enjoying some refreshments and conversation on the beautiful school grounds.
The principal of Moi Girls Eldoret speaking of how proud she is of her girls and how she will continue to push them to even higher heights. Congratulations Philitricia and we can't wait to see you for April break!
