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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George is Employed with Hope and a Future

A few weeks ago the Managing Director of Pentair in Kenya visited the local office in Kenya. Pentair has been a supporter of the program since 2016, and the manager was interested in learning more about how Pentair is helping to provide education for children in his own community. When guests tour the program and office the tour ends with a personal story from either a graduate of the program or a guardian of a current student. The tour’s final speaker was George , a graduate of the program who now works as a caseworker in the local office for primary-aged students. George shared his story in more detail than he has in the past. President and Founder, Paula Meyer, was also in attendance at the tour and said it almost made her cry.

George explained how his life has turned out thanks to the program versus how it could have turned out. He said that he sees his friends from before his acceptance in the program in his home area, and they are thieves or have fathered many children out of wedlock. He felt he would not have even been able to finish primary school if not for the program. George is still living in the slums and spends a large portion of his salary helping three of his cousins get an education, rather than spending it on a nicer apartment for himself. He works with hope and a future.

If you are ever in Nairobi or know anyone who will be, let us know! We’d love to show you around and introduce you to the students and staff.

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Letter from Nairobi to Sponsors

I take this opportunity to appreciate all our sponsors and supporters of the Friends of Ngong Road (FoNR) and Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF) organizations. Through your enormous support, we are able to achieve more every day and transform the lives of the many children that we support. Towards the end of October, I got an opportunity to travel to the U.S. to meet Friends of Ngong Road. The objectives of the visit were:

  • To meet and connect with our supporters. I shared my story with them in terms of family background, academic journey, past work experiences, and why I am very passionate about working with NRCF.
  • To meet and appreciate our sponsors and supporters in the U.S. for the great support we are receiving from them.
  • To share with our sponsors and supporters our achievements and 2018 plans.
  • To participate in the Portable Sanitation Association International (PSAI) Nuts and Bolts Conference. The conference is designed for portable sanitation suppliers and operators and provided a wealth of knowledge and connections for me as I have recently started leading Karibu Loo in Kenya.
  • Attend training at Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Leading with a Theory of Change.
  • To speak in Professor Izabela Steflja’s Sustainable Development class at Tulane University.

I am happy to report that all the objectives were achieved through the support of our President, Paula Meyer, the Friends of Ngong Road Board (FoNR), FoNR staff, and many of the FoNR sponsors and supporters in the U.S.

I was humbled, thrilled, and grateful to meet so many strong supporters who make the program possible. As an NRCF team, we are ready to improve on the levels of achievement in order to make the program more vibrant. With the willingness of sponsors and supporters both in Kenya and the U.S., our ability to attain the mission of the organization is unfettered. This dovetails with our 2017 theme of “Ready, Willing, and Able.”

After meeting our enthusiastic sponsors and supporters, I wholeheartedly appreciate the sacrifice and endless efforts put in to make the program successful. I wish to thank in a very special way the President of FoNR, Paula Meyer for the warm reception and hospitality she accorded me when I landed in the great country. I felt at home since everyone did his/her best to make me comfortable. I can’t leave out Keith Kale and all the FoNR Board who hosted me on different occasions in Minneapolis and New Orleans.

Lastly, I promise to work tirelessly in order to ensure that the program is vibrant guaranteeing the less fortunate children a future. This is only possible with prudent management of resources. I am more than willing to work with both the Kenyan and U.S. teams to attain our organizational goals. Once more it is a big thank you to all.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2018.

Maureen Mulievi
Programme Director

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New Sponsor Portal Launched!

We are excited to announce the launch of the new Friends of Ngong Road Sponsor Portal: https://ngongroad.org/sponsor/

Purpose: The new portal is designed to foster a deeper understanding of Friends of Ngong Road sponsors of the children they sponsor and to form a stronger relationship between sponsors and students. The portal includes a photo gallery, school marks, child assessments, renewal information, and a link to write the sponsored child.

Future Enhancements: As this is version 1.0, sponsors can expect to see updates and improvements in the coming months. In upcoming versions we plan to include:

  • Annual student assessments are delivered electronically instead of via post
  • Donation and sponsorship payment history (an easy way to check on giving history and print receipts for tax purposes)
  • Monthly giving subscription management (ability to update credit cards, pay for multiple children, etc.)
  • Photo library and tagging system (we have a wealth of amazing photographs–too many for our current system to handle–an upgrade is needed to make these photos available to sponsors)**
  • Communication tools and tracking (a history of all written communications between sponsors and children and the ability to correspond more efficiently that supports photo/video, etc.)**

**We are currently seeking funding for these projects. If you are interested in underwriting one of these enhancements, please contact Lacey Kraft at Lacey@ngongroad.org.

Sponsors: To log in for the first time you will need to create an account. Here’s how:

  1. Start by visiting ngongroad.org/sponsor/
  2. Click “New User” under the login
  3. Enter your email address (the one you use to communicate with Friends of Ngong Road).
  4. Check your email inbox. You will receive an email with a link that allows you to create a password. Click it.
  5. Enter your new password. You will use the same email address and the password you create to log in from now on. You can reset the password at any time by clicking the “Lost Password?” link below the login form.

See the brief video demonstrating this process here.

We welcome your feedback as we continue to make the portal and your sponsorship a positive experience for you and your student(s). Please use the feedback form link at the top of your portal homepage. Or, for assistance and comments, contact the Friends of Ngong Road technology and operations team at staff@ngongroad.org or 612-568-4211.

Thank you for helping to transform lives through education!

Andy Walz
Board Member, Technology
Friends of Ngong Road

PS – if you are not a sponsor but are interested in learning more about the new portal, please contact Development Director, Lacey Kraft, at lacey@ngongroad.org or 612-568-4211. She would be happy to give you a demonstration of the portal and explain what sponsorship entails.

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Giving Tuesday a Success!

Thank you to everyone who made Giving Tuesday 2017 a success! Your support helps people like Winnie’s mother no longer have to choose between education and food for their children. There are still matching funds available before the end of the year! Double your impact and transform lives through education at https://ngongroad.org/donate

Winnie and her mother

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2017 Annual Gathering Recap

Annual Gathering Guests_2

This year’s Annual Gathering, themed “Ready, Willing & Able”, was held at Surly Brewery on Monday, November 13. It was a huge success thanks to the many who came to hear an update on the program, and the success of the students, and meet Maureen Mulievi, Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Program Director who was visiting from Nairobi.

Paula Meyer, Friends of Ngong Road Founder and President, highlighted the success of the first ten years of the organization that is proven through the organization’s own data. After post-secondary education, 91% of students find employment or internships, moving towards full-time work.

Kenya’s employment rate is around 60%, while first-time young adult workers face just 15% employment opportunity. Paula noted that this organization is “Ready” to continue transforming lives going forward.

Maureen Mulievi, Program Director in Kenya, then shared about her background growing up in rural Kenya in a large family. Her father was a teacher and farmer and believed in educating girls. At the time, the popular belief in the rural community was that educating a girl was a wasted investment as the girl would marry young and only enhance the new spouse’s family, not her own.

Rotary and Wilderness Inquiry

Finally, Evan and Meghan Feige, young professionals from the Twin Cities, talked about their experience launching a pilot life skills program in Kenya In January 2017. They plan to return to Kenya in January 2018 to launch a comprehensive life skills program for all secondary students and recent graduates with the support of Rotary International.

As always, the gathering was a reminder that the mission of transforming lives is only possible because of the committed and diverse community of people who care about providing access to education for children who otherwise would not have a chance.

If you did not get to attend the event, we invite you to listen to the Illumini Podcast produced by longtime volunteer, Steve Kotvis.

Steve has interviewed Paula and Maureen and intends to release a third interview with the Feiges. This will provide individuals who were unable to attend the Annual Gathering with a more comprehensive understanding of the discussions.

Listening is fun for anyone, whether they are new to or already familiar with the organization. Go ahead and check it out!