Michael

One charming thing that you notice about Michael when you meet him for the first time is his warm and big smile. He has the warmest and most innocent smile a boy his age could possibly have. Michael is 10 years old and is the first born in his family with one younger brother. He stays with both his parents in the Mutego area in Kabiria. His mother does casual jobs while his father works as a carpenter.

Michael is very intelligent, which can be seen from his academic performance to how he speaks and conducts himself. He scored a strong 618 mark out of 700 during his entrance exams. This is way above good performance, it is excellent. He hopes to pursue mechanical engineering in a higher learning institution after completing his Form 4 (senior year of high school)  studies.  He is not just an intelligent boy, he is a fun person to be with. He loves reading books and playing soccer with his friends. He already knows how to balance school and leisure time. 

When Michael is connected with a  sponsor, he will join Ngando Preparatory School and begin his transformational journey. The thought of having a sponsor really excites Michael and he cannot wait to be part of the program.

Esther

Esther is a grade two young girl with a wide smile and an ever-happy face, and that is exactly what you get when you get to interact with her. She lives with her aunt and her cousin at satellite area and their standard of living is not so good. Her aunt is a casual worker who does odd jobs like laundry for other people in order to get some money to sustain the family. The little she gets is never enough to cater to their needs.

Despite her being constantly sent out of school due to accumulated fee arrears, she is evidently a bright student. During the selection interview, she scored 618 out of 700 marks which are above average performance and this performance set her apart from other interviewees. Esther has a dream of becoming a nurse just like her cousin from whom she draws inspiration from. However, she is pessimistic about it because of the family’s financial situation and her absence from school every time she is sent home.

Esther’s only hope of being optimistic about becoming a nurse will only be actualized when she is able to get a sponsor. She will go through school, be able to pursue her career, and support her family at the end of it all. 

So many waiting students, and not enough sponsors. 

Sponsors have an incredible impact on our students and are the foundation of our program.  Having a sponsor is a life-supporting opportunity for our students.  However, we don’t have enough sponsors! We now have over 200 students on the waiting list, each hoping for a sponsor.   

Build our sponsorship community.

Our goal is to double the number of students we support in the next 5 years. This means we need to find new sponsors to support our students. Our goal is to find 70 new sponsors this year.  Do you know someone who wants to change a child’s life?

We can use your help!

• If you are a sponsor, share your experience with others and consider sponsoring an additional student.
• If you are not a sponsor, become one – Become a sponsor
• Host a gathering to raise awareness of the positive impact sponsors have by being a part of Friends of Ngong Road and to help us recruit new sponsors  

Reach out to Naomi at [email protected]  to discuss further.

The organization considers students’ lives to be fully transformed after they complete their studies and are able to secure employment, either as employees or if they decide to venture into self-employment. For this reason, the Entrepreneurship Training Program was started. This program is intended to equip the graduates with the much-needed information in regards to becoming an entrepreneur or small business owner and to connect them with potential investors who could possibly fund their business ideas. 

The training is being conducted by Garden of Hope Foundation, a non-government organization that works with youths and women to offer various training programs, entrepreneurship programs being one of them. Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF) has 11 graduates attending this program. This training is funded by a grant from the Arrow Foundation.

Including both theoretical content and fieldwork, the program participants are expected to go out and gather information when needed. The training takes place three times a week from morning to midday. Breakfast, lunch, and transport are provided to the participants during the training. This is done to ensure that they attend all training sessions.

Each participant developed an initial business pitch so that the program instructors have an idea of the businesses that the trainees have in mind.  Some of the business ideas that were pitched include water refilling, making products from leather, IT-related business, tent hiring for events, content creation, and digital marketing, among others. The program runs through the 22nd of July, During the training, the trainees will be learning the different dynamics of entrepreneurship as well as implementation. After the training program, they will be able to pitch their final business ideas. The best four trainees with top business pitches will get a financial reward from NRCF and the Garden of Hope Foundation.

NRCF is optimistic that the trainees will successfully complete the training and graduate. And, that they will have gained the necessary skills and knowledge to become entrepreneurs and/or start their own business. This will be a big step towards them completely transforming their lives and being able to support themselves.