Search Results for: saturday program

March 24, 2022 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

The Saturday Program

Each Saturday we host a child development program with the help of our Case Managers. The program consists of fun activities surrounding a wholesome fresh lunch prepared and served by our cooks. A nurse is on hand to distribute multivitamins and deworming pills regularly and meets with individual children who are ill, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate. The nurse also gives health talks to different age groups. The Saturday Program Coordinator organizes activities geared towards cognitive development, social and physical development. We invite volunteers to support running the activities as well as bring in new ideas. The activities rotate between the following themes;

Cognitive activities include book reading and puzzle games
Olympic athletics which is all about running (which Kenyans are famous for)
Clubs and talent search including drama, music, and Taekwondo
Ball games such as soccer and Katie (dodgeball)
Crazy Olympics. This includes crazy games such as banana foot pass relay, balloon relay, three-legged relay, and sack relay.

In 2020, we put the Saturday Program on hold due to COVID-19. This dealt a big blow to our students as the Saturday Program is a good opportunity for kids to build memories, friendship, sportsmanship, and enjoy a “sumptuous” meal together. We resumed the program in May of 2021 but, despite all the hype, the attendance was very low as most parents and guardians were very cautious of releasing their children due to COVID-19 fears. It was equally challenging for the program coordinators to try to organize activities with less contact and ensure kids observed the Ministry of Health guidelines such as wearing masks. However, as time passed more students have attended the program and in this last quarter of the year, we have reached over 90% attendance. During the holiday break, we also had a very high attendance of high school students which means we will need a bigger and better field next year.

The August Camp was also canceled due to Covid-19 and with the change of the school calendar, the Saturday Program has now become the new “mini-camp”. The Saturday Program has defined the true meaning of the NRCF family as the staff and students come together to share joy and happiness with each other and forget about the hustle and bustle of the slums and city. It is also during the Saturday Program that the Case Managers get to do further follow-up on the child’s wellbeing.

Saturday Program

Two and a half minute video about our program produced by KMSP TV in 2011 featuring our Saturday Program:

The Saturday Program is held in a field near our campus which is large enough to accommodate games and various activities.

Early each Saturday morning, our cooks arrive to prepare food for the children. Through the combination of school lunches and the Saturday Program the children are assured at least one meal six days a week.
Before the official start many children go to the library and check out books to read to themselves or out loud to an appreciative audience.
Our Saturday Program coordinator (one of the case managers on a rotating basis) organizes activities including games and music. The case managers coordinate writing letters to sponsors, reading time in the library and scheduling time in the computer lab.
A nurse is on hand to meet with individual children suffering from ailments, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate. Multivitamins and de-worming pills are distributed on a regular basis.
Case managers take roll call every week and connect with each child to ensure they are getting the attention and support they need.

December 15, 2021 By Michon Garrett Leave a Comment

Saturday Development Program

Cognitive activities include book reading and puzzle games
Olympic athletics which is all about running (which Kenyans are famous for)
Clubs and talent search including drama, music, and Taekwondo
Ball games such as soccer and Katie (dodgeball)
Crazy Olympics. This includes crazy games such as banana foot pass relay, balloon relay, three-legged relay, and sack relay.

In 2020, we put the Saturday program on hold due to COVID-19 il. This dealt a big blow to our students as the Saturday program is a good opportunity for kids to build memories, friendship, sportsmanship, and enjoy a “sumptuous” meal together. We resumed the program in May of 2021 but, despite all the hype, the attendance was very low as most parents and guardians were very cautious of releasing their children due to COVID-19 fears. It was equally challenging for the program coordinators to try to organize activities with less contact and ensure kids observed the Ministry of Health guidelines such as wearing masks. However, as time passed more students have attended the program and in this last quarter of the year, we have reached over 90% attendance. During the holiday break, we also had a very high attendance of high school students which means we will need a bigger and better field next year.

The August summer camp was also canceled due to Covid-19 and with the change of the school calendar, the Saturday program has now become the new “mini-camp”. The Saturday program has defined the true meaning of the NRCF family as the staff and students come together to share joy and happiness with each other and forget about the hustle and bustle of the slums and city. It is also during the Saturday program that the Case Managers get to do further follow-up on the child’s wellbeing.

March 23, 2020 By Michon Garrett 4 Comments

Kelvin Thuku – new role as Program Manager

We are very pleased to announce that Kelvin Thuku has been promoted to the position of Program Manager for Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF). Kelvin joined the organization in April 2013 as an ICT Coordinator. He trained in Information Technology where he specialized in computer hardware repair and maintenance, software development and maintenance, and database management among other skills. Kelvin is also a Technical Trainer having pursued Technical Education at Kenya Technical Trainers College.

Kelvin was raised by a single mother in the Kangemi slum in Nairobi. After high school, he was supported by an uncle for his college education. This taught him the value of educational support and he worked hard so as not to let his uncle down. His biggest academic achievement was when he was named the best student in Kenya Technical Trainers College.

Kelvin really enjoys serving the children in various ways such as teaching computer knowledge and usage, organizing fun activities for the children during the Saturday Child Development program, and Summer camp. Kelvin aspires to inspire children by offering mentorship and support since he has gone through a similar journey. He feels that the organization is giving hope to children just as he was given hope by his uncle. Kelvin believes that the biggest gift you can give to your kids is education because knowledge is power. He feels this is being realized in NRCF. Kelvin sees that education has opened employment opportunities to the vulnerable students in the program. And, he delights in being a part of the NRCF mission and to see it come to life.

August 16, 2018 By Michon Garrett Leave a Comment

Susan Plimpton and Michon Garrett Visit Program

By Susan Plimpton

Michon Garrett, Director of FoNR Operations, and I traveled to Kenya this past May to spend 10 days with the staff of our Kenyan sister organization, the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation. Our primary purpose in going was to meet with the caseworkers for the post secondary students, those young people who had finished secondary school and were now enrolled in the Post Secondary Program to provide the skills, additional education and training to qualify them for employment. There currently are 83 young people enrolled and most are in one or two year programs from which they will receive a Certificate or Diploma upon completion. The fields our students enter are varied and range from automobile mechanics to hotel management to accounting to barista worker. We are very proud of the 93% success rate we are achieving in placing our alumni in internships or full time jobs.

Our objectives were to ensure we fully understood how the program was operating, to provide additional training on using the software we provide to track our students’ progress, and to understand some of the challenges our Kenyan team have in helping students select and complete the right program for themselves. We also met with every recent secondary school graduate to hear their plans for further education and to discuss with the staff if that was the best next step for that student.

In addition, we attended a Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Board meeting, participated in the Saturday recreation program for all students, met with our and other sponsors’ children, and interviewed some of our employed alumni. All in all it was a very worthwhile and inspiring visit.