Friends of Ngong Road

We empower Nairobi children living in poverty to transform their lives through education and support, leading to employment.

Search Results for: saturday program

By Leave a Comment

Saturday Program Update

The Saturday program, a child development initiative, has been making a significant impact on the lives of our students by providing a platform for engaging and fun learning experiences. Through a range of activities facilitated by dedicated staff, students have been able to explore their interests, enhance their skills, and build lasting friendships among themselves. In the past months since the beginning of the year, we have also been privileged to have visitors, sponsors, and donors join us during the Saturday program.

One notable visit to the Saturday program was by Amy, the Chief Operating Officer of Friends of Ngong Road. During her visit to Nairobi, Kenya she visited the program and joined the students in various activities. Her presence brought a sense of excitement and encouragement to the students as she conveyed warm greetings from sponsors. Amy’s personal interaction with students fostered connection, reminding them of their sponsors’ love and support, fostering a sense of connection.

Robin, a sponsor and brother of Andy, visited the program and interacted with sponsored students, friends, and participated in fun activities. Andy, a board member and Chief Technical Officer at Friends of Ngong Road, also met with the students.

Another significant contribution to the Saturday program came in the form of donations from the Waterfront Mall in Karen, Nairobi. They donated books, clothes, and shoes for the students. Book donations increased library collection, while clothes and shoes were given to students . These donations will not only provide valuable educational resources but also help improve the students’ well-being. 

The Saturday Program fosters hope, transformation, and belonging among students, fostering growth and community, inspiring them to support each other.

Donate towards the Saturday program.

By Leave a Comment

The Saturday Program

Each Saturday we host a child development program with the help of our Case Managers. The program consists of fun activities surrounding a wholesome fresh lunch prepared and served by our cooks. A nurse is on hand to distribute multivitamins and deworming pills regularly and meets with individual children who are ill, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate. The nurse also gives health talks to different age groups. The Saturday Program Coordinator organizes activities geared towards cognitive development, and social and physical development. We invite volunteers to support running the activities as well as bring in new ideas. The activities rotate between the following themes;

  • Cognitive activities include book reading and puzzle games
  • Olympic athletics which is all about running (which Kenyans are famous for)
  • Clubs and talent search including drama, music, and Taekwondo
  • Ball games such as soccer and Katie (dodgeball)
  • Crazy Olympics. This includes crazy games such as banana foot pass relay, balloon relay, three-legged relay, and sack relay.

In 2020, we put the Saturday Program on hold due to  COVID-19. This dealt a big blow to our students as the Saturday Program is a good opportunity for kids to build memories, friendship, sportsmanship, and enjoy a “sumptuous” meal together. We resumed the program in May of 2021 but, despite all the hype, the attendance was very low as most parents and guardians were very cautious of releasing their children due to COVID-19 fears. Program coordinators faced challenges in organizing activities with minimal contact and ensuring compliance with Ministry of Health guidelines. However, the program has grown, reaching over 90% attendance in the last quarter of the year. The holiday break saw high attendance, necessitating a larger field for next year.

The August Camp was also canceled due to Covid-19 and with the change of the school calendar, the Saturday Program has now become the new “mini-camp”. The Saturday Program has defined the true meaning of the NRCF family as the staff and students come together to share joy and happiness with each other and forget about the hustle and bustle of the slums and city. It is also during the Saturday Program that the Case Managers get to do further follow-up on the child’s wellbeing.

Saturday Program

Two and a half minute video about our program produced by KMSP TV in 2011 featuring our Saturday Program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auCyfIYs3Zw

The Saturday Program is held in a field near our campus which is large enough to accommodate games and various activities.

  • Early each Saturday morning, our cooks arrive to prepare food for the children.  Through the combination of school lunches and the Saturday Program the children are assured at least one meal six days a week.
  • Before the official start many children go to the library and check out books to read to themselves or out loud to an appreciative audience.
  • Our Saturday Program coordinator (one of the case managers on a rotating basis) organizes activities including games and music.  The case managers coordinate writing letters to sponsors, reading time in the library and scheduling time in the computer lab.
  • A nurse is on hand to meet with individual children suffering from ailments, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate.  Multivitamins and de-worming pills are distributed on a regular basis.
  • Case managers take roll call every week and connect with each child to ensure they are getting the attention and support they need.

By Leave a Comment

Saturday Development Program

Each Saturday we host a child development program with the help of our Case Managers. The program consists of fun activities surrounding a wholesome fresh lunch prepared and served by our cooks. A nurse is on hand to distribute multivitamins and deworming pills regularly and meets with individual children who are ill, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate. The nurse also gives health talks to different age groups.  The Saturday Program Coordinator organizes activities geared towards cognitive development and social and physical development. We invite volunteers to support running the activities as well as bring in new ideas. The activities rotate between the following themes;

  • Cognitive activities include a book reading and puzzle games
  • Olympic athletics which is all about running (which Kenyans are famous for)
  • Clubs and talent search including drama, music, and Taekwondo
  • Ball games such as  soccer and Katie (dodgeball)
  • Crazy Olympics. This includes crazy games such as the banana foot pass relay, balloon relay, three-legged relay, and sack relay.

In 2020, we put the  Saturday program on hold due to  COVID-19. This dealt a big blow to our students as the Saturday program is a good opportunity for kids to build memories, friendship, and sportsmanship, and enjoy a “sumptuous” meal together. We resumed the program in May of 2021 but, despite all the hype, the attendance was very low as most parents and guardians were very cautious about releasing their children due to COVID-19 fears. It was equally challenging for the program coordinators to try to organize activities with less contact and ensure kids observed the Ministry of Health guidelines such as wearing masks. However, as time passed more students attended the program and in this last quarter of the year, we reached over 90% attendance. During the holiday break, we also had a very high attendance of high school students which means we will need a bigger and better field next year. 

The August summer camp was also canceled due to Covid-19 and with the change in the school calendar, the Saturday program has now become the new “mini-camp”. The Saturday program has defined the true meaning of the NRCF family as the staff and students come together to share joy and happiness with each other and forget about the hustle and bustle of the slums and city. It is also during the Saturday program that the Case Managers get to do further follow-up on the child’s wellbeing.

Our Programs

A CLOSER LOOK AT

OUR PROGRAMS

Breaking the cycle of poverty for Kenyans living in
informal settlements is our goal – but it doesn’t just take an
education. It requires basic healthcare, a caring and supportive
community, and employment assistance.

OUR CORNERSTONE

EDUCATION

The cornerstone of our work is providing an education to students. We achieve this by placing students in schools, often in their neighborhood, and covering their school fees for the duration of their education.

Our program begins by supporting students of Primary School age, typically in grades second through fourth, and follows students through Post-Secondary. In short, our program:

  • Places students in schools and covers the cost.
  • Provides uniforms, supplies, and resources.
READ JUNE’S JOURNEY
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
Ngongroad Children Foundation

STUDENT STABILITY THROUGH

HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Stability to keep students on a path towards an education requires an ongoing focus on health and well-being. We accomplish this in a variety of ways, including meal support, routine medical services, and training in mental, sexual and reproductive health, and substance-use awareness.

By supporting students’ essential needs, we create stability through:

  • Nutritional and medical support services.
  • Education in support of students’ mental, emotional, and sexual health.
  • Equipping students with drug and substance abuse information to help them avoid risky behaviors and adopt healthy practices.
READ RAYMOND’S STORY
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
Ngongroad Children Foundation

BUILDING A

SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY

Every student in our network is surrounded by a caring, consistent system of relationships, opportunity and belonging—because success takes more than academics alone.

By pairing each student with a Case Manager, a student’s success is supported not only through relationships with their peers, but also a team of supportive adults. We provide:

  • A dedicated Case Manager for each student.
  • Saturday Program which brings students together weekly.
READ METRINE’S STORY
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

EDUCATION LEADING TO

EMPLOYMENT &
ENTREPRENEUR–SHIP

A fundamental belief of our work is that employment and entrepreneurship transforms lives for students who grew up in informal settlements. We support students in finding gainful employment by:

  • Supplementing education with computer training and life skills.
  • Pairing students with internship opportunities.
  • Providing introductory experience via TechMates & Karibu Loo.
READ TIMOTHY’S STORY
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

UP NEXT: A CLOSER LOOK AT

OUR OUTCOMES »