Friends of Ngong Road

We empower Nairobi children living in poverty to transform their lives through education and support, leading to employment.

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September 21, 2023 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

Camp Photo Slideshow

Watch this interesting 1:04 minute camp photo slideshow

September 18, 2023 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

Meet EntrepreneurMercy

Showing entrepreneurial spirit, Mercy is also a small business owner. She bought a car and started a one-car rental business through which she earns about as much as she earns in her job. She also volunteers for the Kenyan Red Cross, distributing sanitary supplies so girls are able to stay in school during their menstrual cycle. Mercy exemplifies how the love, support, and education our children receive can transform into a productive and generous life. print

August 21, 2023 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

Gift Ephy with the Gift of Education!

Meet Ephy, a 9-year-old girl filled with dreams and aspirations that are yet to be fulfilled. Ephy has been waiting for a sponsor for over a year now, and her window is closing. She lives in a humble home, surrounded by love from her parents and her younger brother. But life hasn’t been easy for this family, as they rely on the uncertainty of casual labor for their daily bread. Imagine the weight on her father’s shoulders, waking up each day not knowing if there will be work to sustain the family’s needs. Ephy’s mother, with her ill leg, carries a burden of her own as she devotes her days to caring for their precious little brother.

Despite the obstacles, Ephy is an incredibly dedicated student, cherishing every opportunity to learn. She understands the true value of education, knowing that it holds the key to a brighter future. An education sponsorship is her beacon of hope, the golden ticket to a better life. Ephy’s heart beats with a passion for gymnastics, a world where she feels free and alive. In those moments of joy, she dreams of becoming a professional dancer, but these dreams are elusive as financial constraints threaten to steal away her chance at an education.

By supporting Ephy’s educational dreams, you’re not just providing her with a chance at quality education. You’re giving her the wings she needs to soar toward her dreams and transform her life. Your compassionate sponsorship will make a world of difference, opening doors that she never thought possible. Be the shining light that guides Ephy’s path and helps her reach for the stars by providing educational sponsorship for this incredible young girl. Your kindness will echo through time, leaving a lasting impact on a life filled with promise. It doesn’t end there, you can also see more waiting students or donate to support other students and initiatives in the program. Your secure donation will be a worthwhile investment that can break the cycle of poverty for a student. Donate now and let the magic of education flourish in the heart of a young dreamer like Ephy.

Sponsor Ephy!

June 22, 2023 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

Camp is back!

Students in Orange
students at grammar camp

We are delighted to announce the return of camp! After a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have resumed our camps, and they are better than ever. NRCF Camp is designed to provide educational value and a fun-filled experience, as well as an opportunity for our students to spend much-needed time outside of the slums. Camp empowers students by equipping them with essential skills for their futures.

We have restructured camp based on school levels to enhance its effectiveness and will take place throughout the year instead of in August. The camps include:

  • Grammar Camp 
  • Junior Camp
  • Senior Camp 
  • Post-Secondary Career Camp
  • Alumni Camp
Students at senior camp

For the younger students, our Grammar Camp will be a one-day event. This camp will include a visit to a national park or conservancy, providing an exciting opportunity for exploration and adventure.

Junior Camp aims to inspire curiosity and provide students with tools and support to realize their potential. Offering a blend of fun activities, promoting innovation and creativity, life skills development, and projects aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum newly taught in Kenyan schools. 

Senior Camp supports the smooth transition to secondary school. They will engage in team-building activities and workshops focused on personal development and goal setting. They will prepare older students to act as buddies to the younger students. Camps cultivate confidence and resilience in students, equipping them with vital soft skills for navigating high school successfully.

The Post-Secondary Career Camp took place from April 21st to 23rd with the theme “WePower PS Career Camp,”. This camp focused on empowering students as they explored various career options and gained insights into the placement process and post-secondary life. The camp included discussions between high school graduates paired with “buddies”, post-secondary students in a variety of careers. External facilitators shared valuable insights about career choices and course selection.

Alumni Camp and the Post-Secondary Career Camp took place earlier this year. The Alumni Camp, held from January 20th to 22nd celebrated the achievements of the 2022 post-secondary graduates and welcomed them into the Alumni Department. The camp featured job preparedness training, employability skills development, and emotional intelligence workshops. Participants received valuable training from “Be The Leader” (an organization in Kenya providing this specialized training). They covered topics such as job interview skills, entrepreneurship, and career development. These sessions empowered the alumni and enhanced their competitiveness in the job market.

students at alumni camp

We are thrilled to bring back our camps. We eagerly anticipate the students’ acquisition of new knowledge and the joy they will experience through these activities.

June 22, 2023 By Victor Wambua Leave a Comment

Amy’s Trip to Kenya

Amy, Chief Operating Officer of Friends of Ngong Road, recently visited the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF) and Karibu Loo (KLL) offices in Nairobi, Kenya. She was there for two weeks. Her objectives were to work with NRCF and KLL staff on a number of financial and operational projects and to visit with students and alumni of our programs. Some highlights from Amy’s visit include:

Visited with Sponsored Students and Alumni

The most fun part of visiting Kenya is spending time with kids and young adults.  Amy spent time at the Saturday program, popped in on alumni in a coding “boot camp” in the amazing ElimuHub computer lab, and visited with the young people she, her husband Daryl, and son Nate have sponsored.  Their sponsored post-secondary students and alumni gave Amy helpful insights on their experiences in the program which she has shared with leaders.  And if you love babies, it will make you smile to know that Amy met the one-year-old daughter of the alumni she and Daryl first sponsored.  Seeing the impact of sponsorship on the next generation is what it’s all about.

Attended Employment Programs for Alumni

Small Business Training – Amy attended a small business training session for alumni interested in starting or improving their small businesses. This very practical training, which is particularly focused on start-ups, is done in partnership with the Kenya Small Business Development Center. The Saturday training usually takes place at the NRCF office, but that day it was held at Strathmore University and was facilitated by Isaac Mwangi, an instructor at Strathmore and one of the county leads for the Kenya Small Business Development Center. 

Metrics! Since joining NRCF, Martha has significantly advanced our employment programs to support alumni. We now need a way to assess the impact of these and future programs.  Martha, Kelvin, and Amy brainstormed a list of metrics – measurable indicators of alumni success and upward mobility – we could use to assess the impact of these programs over time.  This working session has already led to a plan to update this summer’s annual alumni survey to capture key indicators and develop the analytics for our monitoring and assessment. 

Focused on Finance Processes and Controls

A key focus of Amy’s trips is always financial processes and controls, both for NRCF and KLL.  On this trip, she determined that our processes are working well and as designed, but everyone was excited (really!) to find ways to be more effective and efficient.  They tackled and found great opportunities in areas like procurement, managing inventory of supplies, and school fee payments.  At Karibu Loo, they completed a post-implementation review of the team’s fantastic work in 2022 to leverage our accounting system more fully for the sales and invoicing processes. 

Reviewed NRCF Governance

The Board – Amy joined the NRCF board meeting in person to report on finance matters. After the meeting, she and Kelvin Thuku hosted a celebration to welcome two new board members, Neena Shah and Jeff Nthiga who bring important skills and new energy to the NRCF board. They also bid farewell to retired board members Robert Murimi and Anupa Sanghrajka with thanks for their many contributions. Martha Otieno (our employment programs officer) and several alumni joined the event to share their inspiring stories with board members. 

Engaging Alumni in Governance – In its meeting, the board discussed and agreed that having the voice of alumni at the table would be very useful and agreed to develop an alumni advisory board member role.  This role will leverage alumni experiences and perspectives in our programming and give them an opportunity to learn how the governance of an NGO works.

Overall, Amy said it was a highly productive trip.  Seeing the passion and commitment of the staff, the energy of the students, and the impact that is being made, was wonderful to experience.

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Friends of Ngong Road
100 1st St S #581308
Minneapolis, MN 55458
(612) 568-4211 | info@ngongroad.org

EIN: 20-4690846

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