The Importance of Team Building

Team building is an essential skill in community organizing.

Each one of our communities is working on creating a leadership team and a team of volunteers to support their work. In order to do this successfully our community organizers will employ their skills in team building.

Jacob realized the importance of this the other day after speaking with some of the Ngong volunteers. They expressed their concern that they did not feel like a cohesive group. Rose and Jacob held a meeting where they set rules, norms, norm corrections, and next steps. After the meeting the group feels much more comfortable with each other and understand what their individual roles are and how they work together.

In the next coming weeks each of our communities will have a leadership team ready to work. Follow our blog to keep updated on the progress.

Community Forum in Ngong

On April 16th 34 people gathered together from Matasia, Ngong and Bulbul to discuss the issue of child poverty. Jacob and Rose have a great team of volunteers that showed up to clean and prepare the room. They also worked the registration table.

The discussion was vibrant with two government officials in attendance. Lucas, on of the aforementioned government officials, described the event as eye-opening. Florence, a church leader, talked about the failure to tackle poverty as an issue of the mind.

The event was a success for the community. The plan is to hold another discussion in a week on May 2, 2013 in Ngong. James Muosi, community leader in Bulbul, is calling the community to join their hands together in tackling child poverty because he believes it is the only way a sustainable solution can be achieved. Rose and Jacob agree.

Click here to see pictures from the forum!

First Community Forum in Nkoroi, Success!

Ken Chomba leading a discussion at his forum in Nkoroi.

Ken Chomba, community organizer in Nkoroi, hosted his first community forum last week and this is what he had to say about it.

For the first time in my life i felt so over privileged when people said all the good things at me. The chief insisted that we do a vote of thanks and they all just praised me. However, that was just a moment of feeling like a king, it got me back quickly to the quote Natalie read to us on the Easter weekend on servant leadership. I remembered to praise everyone back because honestly, it was about them. They showed up so this meeting would be a success. This community here is just the bomb. They have just increased my passion for doing this work.

I met a group of 8 young mothers that have been saving 50shs every week, but they didn’t know what to do with it. We agreed that they choose 2 among them to be their leaders and from there start to recruit some sort of support. They now have Risper Wanjiku as their liason with me and I will get them a lady from Equity foundation and a contact from Jamii Bora to help them build their personal capacities to manage the money they have saved.

I will still be happy to say that 58 people attended the forum. So humbling folks. I am reminded that this work is definitely happening. Challenging people to their power. These ladies are a perfect example of community starting to awaken.

Click Here to see photos from the forum!

Finding ‘Hope’ in the Rongai Community

Beacon of Hope Center in Ongata Rongai

Beacon of Hope. That name inspires positive thoughts. Tony thought the same thing when he made a visit there to talk to people about their campaign in Rongai.  It was one of his first days out doing field work so I can imagine it could have been an extremely draining day, but something happened that left him feeling energized.

He met Felix.  Felix is an actor who volunteers with Beacon of Hope and he is from the Laiser Hill area of Rongai.  When Tony explained the campaign to Felix, it did not take long for Felix to realize he wanted to be a part of changing this community and he looked Tony in the eye and simply said, “I’m in!”

There is something reaffirming about having someone want to join you in what you are doing and what you believe in. Follow our blog to keep up with the work of Tatua and what the Be The Change community organizers are doing.