Getting Closer

“We were following a beacon of light that seemed so far away,but now it’s getting closer with every coming day. Let’s join hands and hold the hands of these parents so that they too may see the challenge and the urgency.”

– Zulpha, a cell member in Magumoine, Bulbul Community

Bulbul community currently holds seven cells. They are meeting every Saturday until we launch the campaign in August. There will be a big kick-off event that will bring all seven cells together. Check back next month for updates after the event.

School Sponsorships From Abroad May Hurt More Than They Help

“Many children in this community go to private schools associated with one of the biggest churches around this community where they are all sponsored. Money coming from the sponsors abroad for one child is big enough to cater for many children. Where the rest goes nobody knows, the worst is that the teachers receive full assurance that their salary will come from the sponsor no matter the output and therefore are not under any pressure to push the kids to their best, they simply don’t care. These children after completing their high school cannot communicate in proper English, they cannot even write a letter. They end up at a Miraa den around here threatening the security of the residence. Parents who raise complaints are threatened with the termination of their children’s sponsorships.

I have joined this team as a Cell Leader to work with the members of the community to build Cells that will bring the members of the community together to start talking about issues like this and many more because I do not think kids need to be in a certain school to be sponsored or that it might be better if I struggle to pay my child’s school fees rather than have him sponsored and not getting proper Education.”

– John Karanja, Cell Leader in Bul Bul, Ngong Community

Harnessing Community Power

Yesterday I attended the first meeting with the Nkoroi leadership team called by the team coordinator, Beatrice Mwenda. It was exciting to see the team forming and taking responsibility and all I did was help with ideas as a member of the team and no longer the lead.

The team has already gotten 3 kids back to school in the previous week and has set precedence for work that will be happening in Nkoroi. The area ward representative came for the meeting from rumours he had heard about the team and was invited by the assistant chief. He assured us of his full support in our campaign to get 20 children back to school by November 2013.

This note keeps reminding me of the power I have seen in people coming together. It’s a culture I have seen of people getting together to fund raise for hospital bills, burials and even weddings. It has always worked for us. If only we can harness that spirit to finding solutions that hit communities as a whole, then we will have increased the confidence of communities to face challenges with the resources available.

-Ken Chomba, Co-Founder of Tatua Kenya and Lead Organizer in Nkoroi