Dear Friends,

By now you will have received an email from Amy Johnson updating you on the clean 2017 audit received by our sister organization in Kenya, Ngong Road Children Association. After discovering theft of resources in the 2015 audit, we have devoted considerable energy to reinvigorating financial controls and improving processes. I am very pleased Crowe Horwath has endorsed those efforts as having been effective by granting this clean audit.

I recently took an online course hosted by the Wharton School entitled “Corruption”. It has been proven that corruption can be significantly reduced by organizations through a combination of ethical leadership, active management/supervision and appropriate risk management processes. We will continue to discuss other best practices that would fit our circumstances and help us remain vigilant about this risk.

Friends of Ngong Road completed our last strategic planning process in 2015 and we are working throughout 2018 to tackle important strategic questions to revisit that process. Our expectation is to have a three-year strategic plan completed by the end of 2018 for 2019 – 2021. Here are just a few of the issues we are tackling:

• Karibu Loo has been profitable in the first four months of 2018 and is on target to provide $10,000 or more to Ngong Road Children Association this year, reducing funds we must raise in the U.S. to support the program. We are in discussion about how much and in what way Friends of Ngong Road should support Karibu Loo as it grows and becomes a contributor to the program’s funding needs.
• Succession is on our minds. I have communicated to the board that I expect to move into an emeritus status during this 3-year planning horizon. We have to decide how we are going to make that transition which raises issues about board composition, staffing, etc. And, we have several long-tenure board members who will also be transitioning in the coming years. Finding their successors is a high priority.
• Sponsor growth is another important topic to discuss. Our model for sponsor recruitment has been “friends and family”, however we are all running out of friends. What model for sponsor recruitment will be effective in the future?
• How much should we grow? If Karibu Loo can provide a significant contribution to the organization, and we have a healthy endowment fund, how much should we grow?

I look forward to sending you an update on our 2019 -2021 strategic plan at the end of the year.

In the meantime, we are excited to welcome Judy Nyaga to Minneapolis on May 14 and 15 and Kelvin Thuku the first half of June. Judy is a board member in Kenya and Kelvin is the Program and Technology Coordinator. We will host gatherings and meetings during their time in the Twin Cities and hope you will have the opportunity to meet these people who do so much to support student success in Nairobi.

Thank you!

Paula Meyer
President and Founder
Friends of Ngong Road

We are excited to announce the launch of the new Friends of Ngong Road Sponsor Portal: https://ngongroad.org/sponsor/

Purpose: The new portal is designed to foster a deeper understanding for Friends of Ngong Road sponsors of the children they sponsor and to form a stronger relationship among sponsors and students. The portal includes a photo gallery, school marks, child assessments, renewal information and a link to write the sponsored child.

Future Enhancements: As this is version 1.0, sponsors can expect to see updates and improvements in the coming months. In upcoming versions we plan to include:

• Annual student assessments delivered electronically instead of via post
• Donation and sponsorship payment history (an easy way to check on giving history and print receipts for tax purposes)
• Monthly giving subscription management (ability to update credit cards, pay for multiple children, etc.)
• Photo library and tagging system (we have a wealth of amazing photographs–too many for our current system to handle–an upgrade is needed to make these photos available to sponsors)**
• Communication tools and tracking (a history of all written communications between sponsors and children and the ability to correspond more efficiently that supports photo/video, etc.)**

**We are currently seeking funding for these projects. If you are interested in underwriting one of these enhancements, please contact Lacey Kraft at Lacey@ngongroad.org.

Sponsors: To log in for the first time you will need to create an account. Here’s how:

1. Start by visiting ngongroad.org/sponsor/
2. Click “New User” under the login
3. Enter your email address (the one you use to communicate with Friends of Ngong Road).
4. Check your email inbox. You will receive an email with a link that allows you to create a password. Click it.
5. Enter your new password. You will use the same email address and the password you create to login from now on. You can reset the password at any time by clicking the “Lost Password?” link below the login form.
   

See the brief video demonstrating this process here.

We welcome your feedback as we continue to make the portal and your sponsorship a positive experience for you and your student(s). Please use the feedback form link at the top of your portal homepage. Or, for assistance and comments, contact Friends of Ngong Road technology and operations team at staff@ngongroad.org or 612-568-4211.

Thank you for helping to transform lives through education!

Andy Walz
Board Member, Technology
Friends of Ngong Road

PS – if you are not a sponsor but are interested in learning more about the new portal, please contact Development Director, Lacey Kraft, at lacey@ngongroad.org or 612-568-4211. She would be happy to give you a demonstration of the portal and explain what sponsorship entails.

Join Friends of Ngong Road’s Development Director, Lacey Kraft, and sponsor, JoAnne Zachow, for stories and photos from their March group trip to Kenya.

This gathering is perfect for anyone considering traveling to Kenya or interested in learning about the country and program. You will hear stories of the first time sponsors met the students they had been sponsoring and corresponding with for years, of home visits where they met HIV+ parents resiliently determined to give their children a better life, and about Maasai girls who ran away from their homes to avoid female genital mutilation and early marriage. Many memories and stories to be shared.

You will see close up photos of the big five animals, thanks to the wonderful guides with Wilderness Inquiry. A favorite series is of a water buffalo killed by lions that were scared off by hyenas only to have the lions return with a bigger pack. We have photos of a lion walking right up to one of the Wilderness Inquiry vans searching for shade – something the guides had never seen a lion do!

Appetizers and beverages provided. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Wilderness Inquiry.

Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Date: Wednesday June 28, 2017
Place: Wilderness Inquiry, 808 14th Ave SE, Minneapolis

In partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, we are hosting a Kenya safari and service trip March 11-19, 2017 and March 10-18, 2018. If you are looking to meet the child you sponsor, travel with purpose, and experience one of Africa’s most renown countries, this trip is for you! Learn more and share the link with your friends and family to join you on the trip of a lifetime.