Friends of Ngong Road

Providing education and support to Nairobi children living in poverty whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS.

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Changes to the Kenyan School System

Kenya was a British colony until it gained independence in 1963. After independence, many colonial influences persisted in the country, including the old British educational system (long abandoned in Britain). This system is test-based with key examinations that take place at the end of each academic term and then at the end of the equivalent of 8th grade and 12th grade. Students’ scores on these tests determine what secondary and post-secondary school they can attend and the type of job they can get. Teaching in Kenya has almost exclusively revolved around preparing students to take these exams as their entire future hinges on how they score.  The movie “A Small Act” portrays the terrible pressure students feel to succeed in this system.  

The advantage of a test-based system for Kenyan educators is that it is easy for the government to determine where students are able to continue their schooling. For example, if a student scores above 400, they go to a quality government school, or below 250 they go to a trade school. There are however many disadvantages to the test-based system. It rewards students who can memorize the material but it doesn’t encourage any analytical thinking skills. Students are taught not to question the teacher but only to learn what the teacher tells them must be learned. For students who are not good at memorizing, they are viewed as not bright and this reduces their access to a life with better opportunities. Many students are not successful in this system.

Kenyan educators clearly understand some of the downsides to the old British system and the country is now transitioning to a Competency-Based Curriculum. This new educational system will teach students more analytical, critical thinking, as well as practical skills.  There will be many challenges with such a large systemic change, they will be transitioning for the next decade at a minimum.  Few teachers in Kenya have experienced any other system, so to train teachers on how to teach in an entirely different way will be a monumental hill to climb. In addition, this will require the curriculum to be changed at every level and current high school and post-secondary placement processes will need to be redesigned. Our Case Managers in Kenya are staying up to date on the upcoming changes to anticipate needs, and to understand the organizational impact required to support students through the changes.

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Karibu Corner

Business Update 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt business performance in Kenya and the world at large. At Karibu Loo, the short-term event-based business has experienced the largest downturn due to the restrictions placed on public gatherings put in place by the government. However, with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, the economy is starting to gain traction, potentially allowing short-term business to sprout once again.

Social Media Marketing

In 2021, we launched a digital marketing campaign, including Google Ads, a beefed-up Google advertising campaign. The aim of this strategy was to establish a robust and diversified online presence. We are also planning on engaging other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Non-commissionable business (no salespersons attached) accounted for over 80% of our revenue since its inception.

Long-term Business Update

Since the onset of the pandemic, Karibu Loo has survived on long-term business (loos hired for more than 30 days). In our 2021 Plan, we focused on pursuing more long-term businesses, especially construction companies. Our successful online marketing strategy and engagement of all our staff to market our services by making direct calls and sending emails to reach targeted clients has resulted in a continued increase in long-term business.  Thus, the business has continued during these challenging times. Currently, we have about a quarter of our cabins leased out and we are receiving more long-term inquiries as the year progresses. 

Staff Update on COVID-19

Unfortunately, two of Karibu Loo’s staff contracted COVID-19 but later recovered after 14 days of medical leave; they are now back in operation. Currently, we are encouraging all our staff to be vaccinated, with a goal of 100% vaccinated by the end of the year as vaccines are now more accessible.

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Alumni Stories

Lydia is a Call Center Attendant at Zuku Kenya Limited and is Looking Ahead to Graduate School

A Chinese proverb states “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step” which simply means for a person to reach a goal or destination they have to begin somewhere. This is the story of Lydia, born in the sprawling slums of Kawangware where she could not imagine that she would be a college graduate.

Lydia’s journey has not been easy. In her early years, as far she can remember, her father left the family leaving them stunned and hurt. Being the sole breadwinner, his departure affected the already financially struggling family. Her mother was not able to care for Lydia and her small brother. They barely survived with only one meal a day, if they were lucky. Lydia woke up every morning and went to a community primary public school with no hope of joining a secondary school. Life was unfair and each day things seemed to be deteriorating. She never dreamt of having the life she lives now.

Thanks to Friends of Ngong Road and Ngong Road Children’s Foundation, she was paired with a sponsor who was instrumental in her success. Her school fees were fully paid from primary school through university, including necessary school supplies. This generous support made her work even harder to achieve good grades. 

At 23 years old she prides herself not just for having attained a BS in Economics and Finance but also for being among the few girls in her neighborhood that have transformed their life in this way. Her transformational journey has just started as Lydia now works as a call center attendant at Zuku Kenya Limited, a fiber optic company. Her future aspirations include earning a master’s degree so she can pursue better job opportunities.

Bernard is an Operations Associate at Karibu Loo Limited

Benard is one of our graduates who currently works at Karibu Loo Limited as an Operations Associate, after completing a driving course. He is grateful for how far he has come and is now on the right path to transforming his life. His story is that of persistence and demonstrating a spirit of not giving up. 

He was raised by his aunt, since his mother was in poor health, which made it impossible for her to be involved in his upbringing. Unlike many children, he had a lot of challenges which caused him to enroll in school at an older age than is normal. He and eight of his family members lived in a single-room home, where it was impossible to get any privacy, something that he treasured. Every time he went back to boarding school he had a sense of relief. 

His family situation affected his academics and like most teens, he had his own challenges. But he never gave up and finished high school with the support from his sponsor and program staff. He was even elected school president while in high school. Bernard says, “Learning to have that persistence, letting my ego down a bit, and asking for help is what has made me come this far. Thanks to everyone who helped me through school.”

Brian is a Sales Associate at Platinum Credit Limited

Brian is one of our recent graduates whose life has been transformed by the support he received from our program. His story is one that will be told for generations to come in his family. Despite all the odds in life, Brian has been able to use his experience as a stepping stone to climb the ladder. His mother died after separating from his father which left him and his siblings no option but to stay with their grandparents. He recognized early on that he needed to take school seriously if he was to ever get out of the deplorable living situations he found himself in and help his aging grandparents.

While he was sponsored,​ he gained various skills that helped him develop as a whole person. The life skills learned during school holidays and at camp encourage him to pursue leadership roles in both secondary and post-secondary school. The computer skills he developed through our program have been essential in his journey to acquiring a job. He completed his diploma in Entrepreneurship Development from The Eldoret Polytechnic and currently works as a Sales Associate at Platinum Credit Limited. Even though he’s only been there for a month, he’s already able to understand key marketing tips and handle queries from clients. 

He knows his life was changed for the better because of his education and he is not only full of gratitude but wants to support someone through their education in the future. Brian shared, “Success favors those who fail till they succeed and never let challenges be a stumbling block rather let them be opportunities for growth.”

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COVID-19 Update

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create havoc globally, positivity rates in Kenya continue to rise and fall in multiple waves. President Uhuru Kenyatta refers to this pattern as a “’containment seesaw.”

Like other countries, Kenya is trying to manage the Delta variant. Within the slums of Nairobi, poor sanitation and overcrowded living conditions make social distancing impossible.  Positivity rates rise and fall causing constant uncertainty which has brought about a renewed survival instinct in the Kenyan population.

The Kenya Government and the Ministry of Health have instituted measures such as wearing masks outside of private homes to mitigate the spread of the variant and shorten the next wave.  A COVID-19 vaccine return to work policy for all civil servants has been implemented. Individuals in the government employ are required to be vaccinated so they can resume work physically and improve service delivery.  The Kenyan military is required to get vaccinated, or they will not be paid. 

It’s been 17 months since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Kenya. One year later, in March 2021, Kenya rolled out a National Vaccine Deployment Plan to inoculate 10 million adults by June 2022 and 16 million by June 20, 2023.  At the end of September, 4.5M doses will have been administered. However, this is a small dent in the approximately 40 million people aged 12 and over.  It is slow due to limited vaccine availability and challenges with reaching the people in rural areas with the road system in poor condition.

At NRCF, we are adopting a similar policy due to our work which involves interaction with students, families, donors, and other stakeholders. We are pleased that progress is being made as 75% have at least the first dose, most with the AstraZeneca vaccine. It’s our goal to have all staff fully vaccinated by year-end.  Fortunately we have had only one student and three alumni be diagnosed with COVID-19.  Two of those alumni work at Karibu Loo.  The student and three alumni have all recovered.

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Letter from Paula

Dear friends,

Our mission since inception has been to support life transformation through education and ultimately employment. In 2021, we have come to believe we must increase our focus and effectiveness on the employment dimension of our mission.  

Much of the employment in Kenya is called “casual”. Since there aren’t enough job opportunities in the formal Kenyan economy, people must create their own employment to survive. Most families of students in our program support themselves with casual labor. At the low end, this means cooking food to sell in the slums or running a small kiosk or doing day construction labor. If you are educated, casual labor may be contract or temporary work.

In May 2021, Friends of Ngong Road conducted a survey of alumni that we call The First 100.  We surveyed 112 alumni of the program and received 95 responses. We learned that:

  • 80% of alumni have had one or more jobs in the past twelve months.
  • At the time of the survey, only 46% of alumni were employed. Among that group, more than 80% had a job in the formal economy.
  • Among the unemployed, more than 70% had been working in the casual economy and when COVID hit, their work disappeared.
  • 59% of alumni are supporting at least one other person – a child, a parent, a sibling.  

Our conclusions are that we must provide more support to help students gain employment in the formal Kenyan economy.  Kenya’s employment picture is certainly not at its best due to COVID-19. Nonetheless, our board of directors concluded we must do better. We are working to accelerate our efforts to support long-term employment by:

  • Deepening our understanding of areas where job opportunities exist in Kenya and then ensuring our students are preparing themselves in areas where there are employment opportunities.
  • Preparing students for employment during high school by teaching them about what kinds of jobs exist and the skills needed to get those jobs, teaching self-awareness so they become more astute about where they are likely to succeed and teaching interviewing/communication skills. We call these programs Life Skills and now deliver curriculum to all four years of high school.  
  • Redoubling our efforts to partner with employers, local board members and other Kenyan supporters to connect students to that important first job.

A student with an education is much more likely to succeed than one who is not educated, but lives will only be transformed through employment. We will be working hard on this and sharing our findings. We support transformation through education AND employment!