Friends of Ngong Road is planning a trip, especially for our sponsors, donors, friends, and families to Kenya(Africa) in February/March 2023. Have you ever thought about traveling to Kenya to meet your student? Do you want to experience a life-changing trip with your family? Is it a dream of yours to join and be part of a photo safari? Your dream can become a reality. 

The Africa trip will be hosted by an experienced FoNR traveler, a sponsor, and a local Nairobi guide. The itinerary will include time with students, a visit to their homes, a school tour, and time at the Saturday Program.  You will also see our new student center, Elimu Hub.   It’s a wonderful opportunity to see some Kenya national parks, African wildlife, and the uniqueness that Nairobi has to offer. 

Contact Naomi at naomi@ngongroad.org if you are interested in learning more.  We will follow up with more details on the itinerary, timing, and costs. There will be an online information session to provide more details about the experience, answer any questions you may have, and join fellow travelers.

August usually means that our students are out of school for the month, but because of COVID-19, the education calendar changed and required our students to be in school to make up for the lost class time. Instead of a month, they only have a one-week break. Unfortunately, there will be no August Camp for our students this year since they will be in school during the weeks that are normally on holiday. Nonetheless, we have various activities in store for them that will not only keep them busy but which are fun and enjoyable.

The Saturday Program will continue weekly and include all students during the one-week holiday break for older students. We strive to engage with our students and provide an opportunity to bring them together. This is an important part of our overall program as it enables us to interact with our students and learn more about their school and general life progress. We spend every Saturday with primary students and provide a wide range of fun activities and importantly, lunch. Activities are planned to enhance their cognitive skills and provide a way for them to interact with each other. Our roster includes racing, various clubs and societies, taekwondo, gymnastics, book reading, and much more. During the holiday week this year, we will have special activities for older students.

Time to write to sponsors. As a special activity, we will have all students visit the new computer lab in the Elimu Hub to send emails to their sponsors. All students come to the office, log in to their portals and write letters to their sponsors. The letters are an opportunity to update sponsors on their progress, especially in school, and tell them more about what is happening in their lives. We encourage them to include any changes that might have taken place since the last time they wrote.  Remember, for many students, these are the first personal letters they write, and it takes a while to get the hang of it! Letter writing is very important as it is the best way students keep in touch with their sponsors.

Concentrated computer classes will be held. We will be having computer classes for the primary students.  They will come for classes on selected weekdays and on Saturdays before the Saturday Program starts. Classes ensure that students are computer literate as this is fast becoming a necessary skill in learning. Our computer/IT lab assistant will take them through the classes in the computer lab in our newly constructed Elimu Hub.

Life Skills Training and Sexual Reproductive Health sessions are scheduled during the one-week break for older students. The Life Skills classes will enable them to gain the relevant social skills that are needed for interpersonal relations. The SRH classes are meant to educate them on major topics around sexual and reproductive health for them to make informed decisions on the same. 

We are optimistic that our students will enjoy and learn from all the activities scheduled for this summer. 

This spring, the high school seniors in Kenya took their KCSE exams (similar to the SAT or ACT in the US). It is a series of exams that is extremely rigorous and takes days and days to complete. This year, Sam received the highest score of any student in our program – ever! He scored a solid A. 

We are so excited and proud of his accomplishment. This score means he will likely be recruited by the Kenyan government to attend a prestigious university for his post-secondary studies. We hope this achievement will show the younger students in our program that it is possible to reach their goals and transform their lives through education. Congratulations, Sam on passing your KCSE! 

Carole Partikokos has joined Friends of Ngong Road as Executive Director, a new position for us. She has a great passion for our mission and is quickly immersing herself in the organization, both in the U.S. and in Kenya. 

After spending the past 15 years in roles of increasing responsibility at Books for Africa, Carole was most recently the Director of Philanthropy there. During her 20 years of professional experience, she has stewarded resources for the advancement of education and social support for African children. Carole’s passion for African children began during her college years when she studied and volunteered in Senegal. She is energized by Friends of Ngong Road’s strategic plan to double our impact in Kenya in the next five years.

Carole is excited about driving our plan to double the number of students served. This includes driving awareness of our program, building our donor base, expanding the number of sponsors,  developing a grants program to build capacity, and leveraging connections in Nairobi to expand internship and employment opportunities.

“I see the dedication of the staff, volunteers, and Kenya team, and look forward to rallying my network to deliver on the mission. I believe that there are enough resources to go around in the world, and by redistributing wealth, expertise, and high expectations, all children have an opportunity to prosper. The dynamic Friends of Ngong Road network delivers on this. I look forward to meeting many of you in the months to come.”

We are planning an informal gathering for people to meet Carole in person.  More details to follow.