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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Letter from Paula

Dear Friends,

In 2021, the Friends of Ngong Road Board of Directors concluded a strategic planning process that will guide our work for the next five years, from 2022-2026. We have made significant changes in our Mission and Vision to better reflect how the program is running today, and where we will need to focus our energy over the next five years.

UPDATED MISSION STATEMENT: recognizes the importance of employment in life transformation

“Empower Nairobi children living in poverty to transform their lives through education and support leading to employment.”

VISION: outlines our aspirations for the next five years

  1. Double our Impact in Kenya
    • Double the number of active students in the program from 375 to 750 
    • Increase the number of alumni from 125 to 325.
    • The program will then have affected 1000+ students.
  1. Improve employment outcomes
    • Enhance existing programs supportive of employment:  Life Skills Training (high school); computer skills training (high school graduates); guidance counseling (high school); and alumni program.  New initiatives will include TechMates internships; entrepreneurship training; and an expanded placement office.
    • Achieve the goal of 75% or more of graduates employed within six months of program completion
  1. Ensure organizational sustainability
    • Implement streamlined operations (technology, program, process)
    • Define and implement the post-founder operating model and organization structure
    • Ensure a sustainable financial infrastructure
  2. Define earned income strategy
    • Evaluate Karibu Loo Limited’s strategic future – grow, hold or divest
    • Consider other earned income opportunities

SHARED VALUES AND CULTURE: shape how we act

Our values:

  • Respect 
  • Teamwork 
  • Integrity 
  • Student-Focused 
  • Reach Higher

Our culture:

  • We have a purpose 
  • We care
  • We drive results
  • We learn together

An exciting and challenging five years lie ahead.  

Thank you for your continued support as we make progress against our vision objectives.  

Gratefully,

Paula R. Meyer

President

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M-Pesa

Ever used Venmo, Apple Pay, Cash App, PayPal or Crypto? 

By 2021, digital currency seamlessly integrated. Curious about its origins shaping deep-rooted connection in our lives? What steps and precursors did we need to take to reach where we are today? In large part, one answer to these questions is M-Pesa.

Around 2000, developed nations’ banks embraced digital expansion, exploring financial technology and new financial mediums for global transformation. Kenya, on the other hand, encountered a reluctant central bank’s response to the new ways of the world. A largely unbanked population found an opportunity to respond creatively due to this.

Enter: Telecommunications giant Vodafone and Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile network operator.

Thanks to a grant from the UK’s Dept. of International Development, the Pilot launched in 2006, primarily as a means for micro-lending.

However, users quickly discovered a feature that allowed for peer-to-peer transactions. They had identified one of Kenya’s biggest needs almost completely by accident. Kenyans required quicker, cheaper money transfers than costly bank options due to poverty, prompting a demand for improved solutions.

The demand for this service reared its head in the first year of M-Pesa’s launch. Safaricom set a goal for 350,000 users on their micro-finance and loaning program, which grew to the tune of over 1.2 million users. Most of which were largely utilizing the user-to-user transfer function.

M-Pesa identified service demand, aiming to offer accessible ATM features due to its expanding user community’s rapid growth. Without the time or resources to open branches at such a large scale, Safaricom utilized what already exists in Kenya; small mom-and-pop stores and even smaller specialized commerce stands. These micro-businesses were weaponized as hosts for M-Pesa Kiosks across Kenya and allowed for its meteoric rise to a significant market share of Eastern Africa’s economy. 

M-Pesa has achieved an almost unmatched market penetration in any industry worldwide. Over 96% of Kenyan households are utilizing the service. Today, Sub-Saharan Africa boasts over 150 million active mobile money users thanks to M-Pesa and other similar services, accounting for nearly half of the world’s active monthly mobile money users. 

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Join our worldwide community coming together.

It’s time again for our Annual Gathering. This year we are gathering virtually to review 2021 and celebrate accomplishments. More than just surviving, we are embracing resilience, as has been demonstrated by our whole community responding to recent challenges. Hear stories from and about students, alumni, and staff. Get an update on the progress of the new Elimu Hub. And, learn about insights we discovered when we surveyed our First 100 Alumni. 

Embracing Resilience is about responding to the ever-changing world we live in, focused on our mission to transform lives through education. We hope you will join us at one of our events!

RSVP – Thurs 11/4 – 6pm Central – via Zoom
RSVP – Tues 11/9 – 8am Central (5pm East Africa) – via Zoom

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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 schools 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.

Teachers instruct students not to question them, but rather to learn what the teacher deems necessary. People view students who struggle with memorization as less intelligent, which limits 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 training 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 Loo 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.