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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February 26, 2021 By Michon Garrett Leave a Comment

2021 Spring Appeal: Michelle’s Story

Michelle is a 7th grade student at Jagiet School in Nairobi’s densely populated Kawangware slum-village in the Dagoretti district. Like her fellow students, she spent most of last year in her home unable to attend school for most of the 2020 school year because of the national Covid-19 shutdown. 

Living in the Slums is Challenging

It’s hard for anyone not living here to imagine, but try if you might, to understand Michelle’s story. Michelle wakes up in the predawn hours on a mattress on the floor. Living on the equator, the sun rises and sets the same time everyday. You might think living on the equator means it’s warm outside, but this is Nairobi, Kenya, a place nearly a mile high in elevation. So the nights are cold. 

Michelle’s home is an unheated, single room, lined with thin corrugated iron sheet walls that enclose a slum-typical 12 by 24 foot shared area. A fabric sheet is hung from the ceiling down the middle to create a sense that there are actually two rooms, separating the pubic from the private space. The place is packed with storage bins containing clothing, bedding, bulk food stuffs, water jugs, cookware, dishes, and some collectables that were brought from better times living in the country before the famines drove them to a place less isolated and desolate. The tightly packed quarters are organized but to a visitor it feels extremely cluttered, with only a narrow path to twist through. 

The concrete slab floor has rugs strewn about to soften the surface. Michelle’s home has electricity, something not everyone living in the slums can access. There is no plumbing, no running water. Michelle pours water from a 20 liter jerry can or jug that was purchased for 10 Kenyan Shillings (about 10 cents, USD) and carried home earlier in the week. To make morning tea she pours water into a pan to heat on a kerosene or charcoal jiko stove. She uses some of it to wash. The compound’s outhouse, just a hole in the ground in a small enclosure, serves several families. Michelle’s home is among so many more, lined up side-by-side-by-side in gated neighborhood compounds. Living on about $2 (U.S. dollars) a day, more than 100,000 people live like this in the Kawangware slum. 

Typically, Michelle would walk thirty minutes to school each morning. Her walk starts off chilly, as she starts of with her backpack strapped on and the school uniform sweater pulled down over her knuckles. Michelle’s first steps begin with shivers but her fast pace quickly warms her. The walk begins in the dark. As the orange sun quickly rises, the clay dirt street dust is whipped up from the bustling foot, car, truck and bus traffic, joining a smog you can almost taste. Michelle’s commute takes her from the dirt paths of her neighborhood, through the noisy streets, and eventually to the relatively pastoral setting of Jagiet School. The frantic noise of the morning’s urban hustle and bustle flips to the welcoming sounds of roosters crowing, footsteps shuffling, and children giggling. 

At this same time, Michelle’s mother would be setting off to purchase fresh vegetables from the wholesale lot for the day, and then sell them from her small kiosk in the neighborhood. 

COVID-19 Changed Everything in 2020

The pandemic changed everything, suddenly and dramatically. The Kenyan government took swift action upon the onset of the spreading Covid-19. There were no half measures. All schools closed. Almost all businesses closed, and those remaining open had very restricted hours. Transit systems were shut down. Those who worked in service and retail industries, which make up the vast majority of Kawangware residents, no longer had jobs nor income. Michelle, like everyone, stayed home socially distanced from friends and classmates. Michelle’s mother’s retail business struggled because vegetables were no longer being regularly shipped to wholesalers, and the loss of jobs meant people in the neighborhood could not buy food for their families. Michelle’s older sister who has a young child lost her service job and moved back in with Michelle and her mom. The family restricted their movements and stayed close to home. 

Michelle had a limited ability to maintain her studies through distance learning administered through the school and organized by Ngong Road Children’s Foundation. She was able to pick up and drop off school lessons, materials and assignments using social distance practices. Her family also received the critical Food from Friends support, keeping her family nutritionally supported. These past months were a challenge, but Michelle and her family remain well and safe from the pandemic. Phenomenally, much of the Kenyan population has escaped contamination from Covid-19. 

2021 is Spring Forward, No Summer Break Ahead

Starting in January, schools reopened with protective protocols in place. There remain concerns about the potential for the Covid “variant’ disease to reach Kenya and spread. So precautions going forward are critical. Michelle has her uniform and masks, and as of January has begun a new routine of returning to Jagiet School each day. Ngong Road Children’s Foundation senior case manager Tunda reports that the family is managing as they hope for even better days ahead. 

Going forward, challenges are ahead. With the loss of a school year, the government’s plan is to compress the education schedule for the next two years. In 2021, Michelle and her fellow students will be attending four semesters in the usual three-semester year. The traditional month-long August break is cancelled. School will go straight through from January to December 2021. And, that schedule is planned to be repeated next year.

Michelle’s mother remains hopeful. She believes in her daughter’s commitment to education, and she feels more assured because their home has electricity and Michelle is, therefore, able to study even at night. 

Michelle and her family wish to express that they are very grateful for the support of her sponsors, donors and the generosity of Friends of Ngong Road. The 2021 Spring Appeal is critical to maintaining support during this important time for them and others. 

Donate to the Spring Appeal

August 26, 2020 By Michon Garrett Leave a Comment

Rodney’s Story

By: Case Manager Mary Muriu

Listen to the full interview at:
https://illumini.podbean.com/

Rodney lives with his mother, brother, and nephew in the Kawangware slum of Nairobi. The family lives in a one room house made of iron sheets and timber. He joined High School this year and has been living at home since the pandemic hit and schools closed in March. His mother’s previous job was selling firewood to the slum dwellers but stopped due to a lack of buyers as many people are struggling in the slums as a result of the pandemic. In mid-June, the family was evicted due to rent arrears amounting to KES 6000 (USD $60). Their belongings were locked in the house and they had to leave everything behind with only the clothes they had on.

After they were evicted, the family went to live with a relative who lived nearby. They bought them clothes and offered them shelter as they tried to make enough money to pay what they owed for the rent.

Rodney’s mother found work washing clothes for income, but it didn’t produce much income. Yet, the little cash earned was used to offset rent arrears. Thankfully, after a month of staying with the relative, the landlord agreed to open the house and the family happily returned to their home. During this challenging time, the NRCF program provided food aid and supported Rodney with school revision materials. 

We appreciate sponsors for continued support for families like Rodney’s, and the many others that are experiencing hardship during this time. 

Mary Muriu
Senior Case Manager
Ngong Road Children’s Foundation

September 14, 2019 By Kelvin Thuku 1 Comment

Student Spotlight: Eric Badi

Eric joined the program in 2007 and is sponsored by Keith and Kathleen Kale. Since a young age, Eric has been a focused, dedicated student and has wanted to make his family proud. However, to get to where he is today hasn’t been easy.

Eric was raised by his mother. His father died when he was young. To make ends meet, Eric’s mother found occasional work near the slums such as working in a salon and making beadwork. With the work, Eric’s mother was able to rent a small two-roomed home in the slums. The home’s walls were made of iron sheets and had no electricity or running water. Eric’s mother was not able to provide many material goods for her family, but she instilled a powerful appreciation of education in her children. Eric knew from a young age that his involvement in the Friends of Ngong Road Program, through which he gained access to education, was his vehicle to a transformed life for himself and his family too.

Eric attended G.S.U Primary School, one of our past partner primary schools, St. Joseph’s High School, and just a few months ago graduated from Kenyatta University with a Degree.

Throughout his post-secondary career, Eric was a standout employee at Digital Divide Data, a company Friends of Ngong Road has partnered with in Nairobi to provide supplemental income and employment experience to some of our students. Eric’s role at Digital Divide Data was to transcribe handwritten articles to an electronic format for clients such as museums and libraries. In return, Digital Divide Data helped pay for some of Eric’s university tuition.

Upon graduation, Eric was promoted again at Digital Divide Data and is now a full-time Project Manager managing a team of people and interacting with clients. He is looking for a new apartment out of the slums. He has made it into the Kenyan middle class.

Sponsors Keith and Kathleen Kale said, “We are very proud of Eric and his accomplishments. By keeping steadily on track he was able to work his way through university and get his degree. He worked so hard and so many hours, it is inspiring. Congratulations to this fine young man.”

July 9, 2018 By Mary Wanjiru Leave a Comment

Emmanuel: I Believe I Can!

Emmanuel was nine years old when his parents died from AIDS. The end of his parents’ lives meant the end of his education as well. Emmanuel and his siblings moved in with his aunt, who was unable to afford school fees. Emmanuel watched his older siblings come to terms with the reality of their future and lost hope in his own future without an education as well.

In late 2008, his aunt learned of the Ngong Road Children Association program for kids whose families were affected by HIV/AIDS. She applied for Emmanuel to be accepted, and he joined the program in early 2009 and was sponsored by the Halloran family. Emmanuel remembered the weeks of sitting at home and wishing to go to school before he was accepted to the program, and he pledged to himself that he would make the most of the opportunity. Last year Emmanuel was ranked first in his class of 48 high school juniors! He wrote this essay at Ngong Road Children Association’s August Camp last year about his memories before being in the program and how he now proudly shouts that, “He believes he can!” 

Emmanuel Titi's Essay I Believe I Can

See Emmanuel’s full I Believe I Can Essay.

Emmanuel has different goals and perspectives than most young people his age and he makes the most out of every opportunity. He understands that there is more to life than what meets the eye and wants a different future for himself. Keep up the good work, Emmanuel!

February 26, 2018 By Kelvin Thuku Leave a Comment

Tabitha Ongachi

Tabitha Ongachi beginningTabitha Ongachi High SchoolTabitha Ongachi told Friends of Ngong Road President and Founder, Paula Meyer, that she “never thought she would graduate from Form 4.” She knew it was not affordable on her family’s little income. In December 2017, she did just that!

Tabitha has been sponsored by Jamie and Nancy Letcher since she joined the program in 2008 after her father died from AIDS. She and her mother were living with two of her aunts while struggling to make it in the slums of Nairobi. Her mother occasionally washed clothes for other families and sold odds and ends to get enough income for one meal a day.

Tabitha excelled in her primary school environment often performing at the top of her class. She was determined to do well and with a high score on her eighth-grade exam, she was accepted into one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Nairobi, Ngara Girls Secondary School. Although she was one of the few students coming from a background of extreme poverty at the school, she continued to perform well and made friends with students from all different backgrounds. In December 2017, Tabitha scored a B- on her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam. She dreams of becoming a forensic scientist and will be applying to university in the fall.

In December 2017, Tabitha was chosen to be a “Youth Peer Provider” for the new sexual and reproductive health program. Fourteen students were trained through Planned Parenthood Global and eight selected to lead the training for their peers. While applying to post-secondary schools, she has attended our computer training course and Life Skills program led by Megan and Evan Feige of Minneapolis, MN. The program will be expanded later this year thanks to a Rotary Global Grant with the South Metro Minneapolis Evenings Rotary Club and the Kikuyu Rotary Club of Nairobi. She is a respected leader among her peers and an inspiration to her two younger brothers.

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Friends of Ngong Road
PO Box 581308
Minneapolis, MN 55458
(612) 568-4211 | [email protected]

 

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