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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Derrick said “I Can” at Camp

Thanks to you, Derrick found the courage to say “I can” at camp 2017.

Camp 2017 was held near Mt. Kenya, a serene, peaceful part of Kenya. Students rode buses for three and a half hours to the rented boarding school and were anxious to have fun with friends while exploring a new part of their country.

Derrick

Again this year we saw that camp is one of the most effective community-building parts of the Friends of Ngong Road program. Students, staff, board members, and volunteers were together in one, safe place. Students realized that they are not alone, but are part of the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation family.  They got to know their caseworker better. They learned about another culture from several Tulane students and other volunteers who traveled to camp to help conduct the program. They ate three healthy meals a day, learned about topics they do not get in school such as leadership and confidence building, and they had fun.

This year’s camp theme was “I Can.” In Derrick’s essay titled “I Believe I Can” that he wrote at camp, he says, “The most difficult problem that I have faced is standing in front of my peers and speaking to them…I came to realize that if I will not change it, it will affect me academically. How I came to overcome this challenge was during the NRCF Camp 2017. I was appointed to be a squad leader. I accepted the leadership but one thing that was in my mind was how will I speak to my peers and the other adults. But through the mentoring from different guests, (I gained) the courage and strategies to overcome this challenges…I really appreciate the 2017 NRCF Camp with the motto, “I Believe I Can,” that motivates most of us to (have the) courage and braveness to overcome challenges as (well) as we can.”

Because of you, Derrick and over 300 students discovered more about what they can do. The $10,000 match was met, and all students who were available to attend camp were given the opportunity to attend. Thank you for caring. Thank you for saying “I Can” send a kid to camp so that students can say “I can transform my life.” Thank you.

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Adventure Series at Wilderness Inquiry

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 with the Wilderness Inquiry.

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 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 are 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 were 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

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An Impact Beyond a Lifetime-will

Ruby and Gene Hermeier recently updated their will and were willing to share their experience and describe their decision to include Friends of Ngong Road in their legacy giving.

When did you start planning for your will? At various stages of our life together, we have discussed our intentions for our will and legacy. We were transitioning to a new stage of life having recently moved homes, and it was natural for us to revisit our hopes and plans for the future. 

Why did you decide to include Friends of Ngong Road in your planned giving? We want our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to have good lives. We want our communities to be vibrant and healthy, and we want the world to be a better place. We wanted to help Friends of Ngong Road and other charities about which we care deeply continue to thrive for many decades.

And it was quite easy. Friends of Ngong Road is a beneficiaries of our IRA once we are both gone. Our planned gift did not change how we live life today, but it did give us satisfaction and peace knowing that we will leave this place a little bit better for some very needy children. It is really fun to think that even after we are gone, children who don’t have the educational opportunities that our family does will get a chance for a good education. They will then instill education as a value in their children and so on. We get to plant seeds today that could bear fruit for hundreds of years in the future. That is pretty fun.

Friends of Ngong Road Development Director, Lacey Kraft, is happy to talk with you about your interests to include the children of Kenya in your will. We recommend consulting your tax and legal advisors on a wide variety of planned giving opportunities to understand what is appropriate for you.

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The Stock Market at Record High

The stock market has climbed to record highs. Use it to make a gift to transform lives through education!

Do you have some highly appreciated stock?  Our stock donation program allows you to donate stock to us as a qualifying charity and only declare the purchase cost as income, not the appreciated value.  Meanwhile, your gift has the full impact of the appreciated value for Friends of Ngong Road. Just click here for instructions on how to donate your stock.

Are you over 70 ½? The Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) provision allows individuals of at least 70 ½ years of age to distribute funds from an individual retirement account (IRA) to a qualifying charity without the transfer qualifying as income has been made permanent by recent legislation. Consider using this tax-free option to make a gift to Friends of Ngong Road to transform lives through education. Consult your financial advisor or the financial institution that holds your IRA to learn if this is appropriate for you and to find out what special processing is required to make a QCD.

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Notes from Paula

Friends of Ngong Road is in a time of transition as we move from being a volunteer-run organization to one with a professional staff, supported by an engaged board of directors.  Since inception, we have been (and remain) deeply committed to keeping our costs low with a goal that the vast majority of your contributions can be sent to Kenya to support the children. While retaining that intent, we are beginning to build a small U.S. staff, focused on key activities required to run the organization.  I would like you to meet them:

Jil Bakko

Jil Bakko was our first part-time employee and is our Accountant.  She has faithfully and effectively shepherded the organization through our annual audits and required filings. She puts together monthly financial reports and reviews financial reports that come from Kenya.

Lacey Kraft

Lacey Kraft joined the organization in February 2016 and works full-time as the Director of Development. Lacey is leveraging the successful fundraising efforts of the first ten years to establish a sustainable and efficient development program.

Michon Pagitt

Michon Paggitt joined in March 2017 as a part-time Operations Associate.  Michon is an expert in SalesForce.com, our operating platform.  She processes donations, sends renewal reminders, and is working to clean up ten years of data.  We are excited about the many ways we know Michon can help us improve effectiveness.

Elizabeth C Reveal

Betsy Reveal will begin working for us in July as a part-time Chief Financial Officer.  Given the theft in 2016, we are working on many fronts to ensure our financial controls are much stronger than required in the U.S. so we can be assured of our financial security.  Betsy has extensive experience as a finance leader for both large international NGOs and cities all around the world.

One of our 2017 priorities is capacity-building to prepare to make this organization sustainable into the future.  With the addition of this wonderful team, we believe we have taken a big step in that direction.