Kesho's Blog

IT Training with DOTKenya

2012-02-22T07:49:00.002+03:00

Kesho secondary graduates setting up email accounts

Throughout February, DOTKenya, a charitable organisation in Kenya, has been running an entrepreneurial course and IT training for Kesho secondary school graduates. Specifically, they've been learning the fundamentals of setting up and running your own business and how IT can be useful in the whole process.

It's been really well attended with over 70% of our graduates coming in every afternoon; some even come in the mornings too for some extra tuition with their peer, Mbigo who happens to be a quite a hotshot on computers!

It's lovely to see our new resource centre being used and but the greatest pleasure is seeing what fantastic young men and women the Kesho graduates are becoming; empowered, self motivated and optimistic about their futures.

Many will go on to study for diplomas and degrees over the next year or two and others will find jobs. What ever they decide, we'll be there to support them.

Graduate's Go Sailing with 3 Degrees South, Kilifi

2012-02-10T13:00:00.001+03:00

Kesho graduates had the most awesome time yesterday.

3 Degrees South in Kilifi has very generously offered for free a 5 to 6 day sailing course for Kesho students to take them up to RYA Level 2 Certification.

I can't tell you how much fun was had. Our first volunteers were 9 students who graduated from secondary school in December.

The 8 to 13 year olds Kesho children will have their turn starting on Wednesday 22nd. A great activity to add to our Enrichment Programme.

Thanks Anne, Jo, Kevin and Hanni for this fantastic community effort to get Kenyan Kids Sailing. You're experience, professionalism and boundless enthusiasm was what made it such good fun for everyone.

Kesho's journey

2012-01-04T17:59:00.000+03:00

It's been a great journey for the students as well as the committee and staff. Over the years we have grown from sponsoring 3 or 4 children in 2005 to over 250 in 2011. By listening to what the children told us and responding to their needs we now not only provide financial support we also have a whole host of enrichment activities which we arrange during the holidays in response to their requests.

Here is our journey in pictures.

From 2005 until 2008 Kesho sponsored around 50 children and our small committee, led, as it still is, by Zena Salim, all worked from home, using the local restaurant (Members Club) overlooking the creek once a term to meet the students and offer some academic advice and encouragement.

April 2006 - meeting students from Kilifi Members Club

It wasn't until June of 2008 that we opened an office and employed MacKinlay, who, thankfully, is still with us. The office was shared with Upendo Orphan Support Group and we spent a very happy year there.

A committee meeting in the gardens at Upendo

A year later, with over 100 children being sponsored, we were in need of our own offices. We moved to a lovely room (split into two and each 5m x 4m) at Jacob's. It was perfect. Just above a uniform shop and in the centre of town. We missed Upendo's lovely garden so we continued to hire it for hosting student enrichment days under their mango tree, such as our Careers Days; indeed, we still do.

We loved our rooms downstairs but it was just too crowded

Before long students were asking us for a quiet place to study, away from the hustle and bustle at home. We listened. And in December, 2009 we cleared a small area upstairs, negotiating car doors and rubble and provided them a desk and some chairs. It was hugely popular.

December 2009 - very early days - students negotiating car doors to study quietly!

In 2010 Beatrice joined the team and in 2011 Sandra joined too. With over 250 children being sponsored we needed an energetic and committed team to run our secondary and primary enrichment programmes. From experience and from listening to children, we appreciate that giving financial support isn't always enough. By starting an enrichment programme for students we're able to offer opportunities to enhance their academic, emotional and social development. This includes activities such things as story time and reading support for the little ones, and careers days, entrepreneurship training and
empowerment workshops for the older ones.

It was due to the success of these programmes that we then had to find a larger space. The upstairs was still the preferred spot - it just needed patience to wait for completion.

The preferred space - April 2010 - walls were plastered - nowhere to study though

April 2011 - nearly there....floors swept - certainly good enough
to host events, seminars etc. during the holidays.

It was worth the wait! On Jan 3rd we moved upstairs. It's bright, breezy and has space to provide students with all the enrichment activities we ever dreamed of.

Here we are on day 2 of our move upstairs. Light, breezy, spacious.
Worth the wait most definitely. Ask the students...they already love it.

Mac on the Kesho office verandah
enjoying a peaceful moment before we moved upstairs!

Kesho moves up!

2012-01-04T17:36:00.000+03:00

1st day in our new offices and resource centre

Kesho moved up - upstairs and up in the world on January 3rd this year. It was 18 months in the waiting but worth every minute! We've now got room for our offices as well as our resource centres. These include areas designated for nursery play, primary reading, secondary study, computer access and training as well as an open area for hosting seminars, workshops, films....

As you can see we're still in the process of hanging curtains but we'll be ordering extra tables, shelves and resources in the next few weeks. Very exciting!

It's truly wonderful to have such a light and breezy space at long last. Come and visit us anytime - we can even make you a cup of tea now without climbing over boxes and tripping over the computer wires!

On the previous post you can see some pictures of our "climb" upstairs over the past couple of years. As you can see we've been pretty cramped, moving around car doors and rubble but you can admire our resourcefulness and improvisation skills!

Any new sponsors out there?

2011-12-08T14:32:00.001+03:00

Is anyone able to help?

Now, we don't often do this, but we're putting out a call for help as we're desperately in need of extra sponsors to enable us to support the very brightest children on the coast of Kenya at top National secondary schools.

We need to raise a total of Ksh880,000 or £6,300

by January, 2012!

The way it works in Kenya is that those students who get the best grades at the end of Primary School (that's only 1% of the total entrants on the coast) are offered places at the top secondary schools or "National Schools". Once there, they have access to great facilities and teaching staff and hense 85% of them go on to join University; an amazing opportunity which not only helps build the future leaders of Kenya but also helps break the cycle of poverty within their own families and communities.

Kesho has pledged to sponsor all these high achieving students and hence, in January this year, after Equity Bank had sponsored about half, we took the remaining 11 students from Kilifi and Ganze Districts.

While we can continue sponsoring these 11 students in 2012, we don't have enough funds to sponsor any new "National" places next year. Being offered a place at a National School is an opportunity such students really can't miss and for Kesho to overlook their need due to a temporary shortage of funds would be criminal really don't you think?

These kids are definitely worth the investment.
If you're able to help please contact us on info@keshokenya.org
Thank you and a very Merry Christmas!
The Kesho Team

Christmas Craft Day 2011

2011-12-05T13:26:00.001+03:00

Another wonderful Christmas Craft Day on Saturday morning (3rd Dec) for Kesho and Upendo children. About 70 children came and we stuck with our usual, hugely popular, theme of making decorations with beads, stars and ribbons, pipe cleaners - you name it... The creations get more and more wacky as the day progresses and the imagination flows. The last ones hurriedly put together before everything gets packed away are my favourites!

We'll be sending all our sponsors a decoration through the post later this week - you may even get it in time to hang on your own christmas tree..... but don't hold your breath!

Have a wonderful Christmas from us all at Kesho

and thank you, asante, tunashukuru sana, for all your help

It was lovely - everyone was so busy.

One of many beautiful arrangements

Sandra, Kesho's Primary Programme Officer helping peg up
all the amazing christmas creations

253 students sponsored this year

2011-12-01T21:19:00.001+03:00

Student Events reach new heights in 2011

2011-11-23T14:15:00.001+03:00

We've hosted more student events this year than any other; over 17 in fact!

The events are completely child centered and part of our growing commitment to our Enrichment Programme in which we are promoting the personal, social and academic development of our students.

Events have included craft and reading sessions for the nursery and primary children, and a careers day, first aid workshop, a university field trip and tuition classes for our secondary students and graduates.

The attendance and feedback has been tremendous. When we move upstairs to the larger resource centre space (hopefully next week), the opportunities for offering more enrichment services will be even greater.... the sky's the limit!

32% of Kesho Graduates at University

2011-11-07T07:49:00.000+03:00

50% of Kesho sponsored students are now in University (32%) or College (18%) studying for a Degree or a Diploma and a further 7% are in the process of applying.

That's an amazing achievement; the district averages for Kilifi and Ganze are that only 2% attend University and 10% attend either college or university to undertake a degree or diploma.
Keep it up guys; we're cheering you all the way.

38 Kesho sponsored students have graduated from primary and secondary school since Kesho started in 2005; this is set to double next year!

Kesho continues to sponsor students beyond school by paying their college fees or contributing towards their upkeep while at university.

Ngala Lemic - Welcome to the Kesho Team

2011-10-12T13:16:00.004+03:00

We're delighted to have Ngala Lemic join the Kesho team. He has taken over from Ambrose who has just left for Nairobi University. Lemic will be working in the office until the end of the year helping with general duties, gaining IT skills and work experience as well as being a role model and mentor to other secondary students sponsored by our programme.

He's settling in so well and watching him now you wouldn't believe that only a month ago he'd never used a computer.

Lemic is a really dynamic young man. He graduated from Ribe Boys secondary school in 2010 with a B plain and will be called to Maseno University in January next year to study Sociology.

In November last year, after leaving school Lemic, from his own initiative, set up a children's football team in his home area, with around 35 members, with the idea that football could be a vehicle for change. Many of the children in his area were not in school and he was concerned about their futures. Once they joined the team they would talk to Lemic about the importance of education and he'd inspire them to study. He was the perfect role model having struggled himself to finish school; and indeed would have dropped out of secondary school had Kesho not sponsored him.

He's proven to be a great role model for young people and we'll be proud to be supporting him again in his new challenge at University next year.

Johnston really settling in to Aga Khan

2011-10-12T12:45:00.000+03:00

I went to visit Johnston Kirimo at the weekend. Mac and Kelly had been encouraging and inspiring him for a while so it was a good opportunity to say Hi in person. He showed me around his boarding house and introduced me to all his new mates. Everyone seems to know him - he can barely turn around without someone greeting him! We went out for lunch (burgers and chips!) at a restaurant nearby, picked up my kids from a cricket tournament (where he knew even more people as Aga Khan had put in a team too!) and afterwards did a bit of shopping at Nakumat.

He's super busy and signs up to lots of weekend activities - last week he went bowling at Nyali Cinemax, and found he was pretty good at that too.

He's finding the academic work quite easy because he's bright (though he's far too modest to say that) and because he's covered a lot of the material in his KCSE particularly in Maths and Science (he did say that!). He learned at the UK University Fair at Whitesands that he needs to major in English to be considered for any overseas university scholarships. He sensibly switched and is now doing Swahili as a core subject and English as a Major. English is the most different as it's English Literature rather than English as a foreign Language, but he's enjoying it all the same.

He's involved in lots of community projects as part of the IB ethos and curriculum and the latest one involves interviewing and videoing local people about their needs. They're presenting the work on their computers and setting it to music and the works. He's loving it!

The only thing Johnston really needs is his own lap top computer. All the other students have one and it's proving difficult for him to complete his assignments (there is a lot of project /course work on the IB programme). He only has access to the library computers which are not always available. I believe this is a problem not unique to Johnston and one which is going to be an issue affecting all our students moving to University or Diploma education.

Some thoughts on how we can meet their needs would be worth some careful consideration.

Well done Johnston - we're all cheering you on at Kesho!

Kesho Chairwoman, awarded Head of State Commendation

2011-10-05T22:53:00.003+03:00

Zena Salim HSC delivering rice as part of the Compassionate Relief Programme of Kesho

Mrs. Zena Salim, Chairwoman of Kesho, is now officially Mrs. Zena Salim HSC having been awarded the Head of State Commendation, Civilian Division. This includes a title, a certificate signed by President Kibaki and a medal. The award was in recognition of her role "....in promoting education especially by financing girl child education and supporting payment of school fees to bright needy students [through Kesho]. She also participates in advisory panels to eradicate retrogressive cultural practices like early marriages and teenage pregnancies [and works towards the empowerment of women]....."

This award is highly prestigious. Zena has been nominated by the community and it's leaders and it is without doubt, extremely well deserved.

Congratulations Zena - we're so proud and grateful to have you leading the Kesho family.

Certificate signed by President Kibaki on 18th Dec 2010

2 Kesho Students off to University

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000+03:00

Ambrose

and Duncan on recent Kesho Trip to Pwani University

Congratulations to Ambrose Mwango and Duncan Ngoma who are both off to Nairobi University today. Ambrose will be studying Electrical Engineering and Duncan, Pharmacy (although he's hoping to change to Medicine once he gets there).

As 'A' grade students they both qualified for government sponsorship and loans. Kesho was happy to top up their finances a bit by providing some support towards their upkeep.

Both students graduated back in December 2010 and while awaiting their calling letters for University they really made good use of their time by helping in the Kesho Office and doing some voluntary teaching and tutorials at their old schools.

In addition, Ambrose was employed most of the time by Kesho as a Peer Educator as well as doing a lot of data entry and analysis to support our Monitoring and Evaluation programme. We'll really miss him but are thankful he trained up another Kesho graduate, Ngala Lemic, to take over.

Duncan was also very busy as he was selected to join the first cohort of 6 students under the School Leavers' Attachment Initiative coordinated by Alun Davies of Kemri. The aim of the programme is to nurture the interest of talented students in health research careers. The attachment involved 2 week job rotations within 6 different departments at Kemri where students shadowed staff and got involved in a range of activities (more about this on our other blog entry 1st Sept 2011).

Well done again guys. We're all very proud of you and hope you will continue to visit us at Kesho to inspire our up and coming students.

Graduate Student Successes

2011-09-22T00:00:00.000+03:00

Daraja Academy - a top girls secondary school 'up country' in Kenya approached Kesho to assist with their 2011 recruitment and 2 girls were selected. Well done!

Kemri Internship - Ngoma, a Kesho graduate, was top (out of around 1700 students) in the district when he graduated from secondary school in 2009. In January he was selected by the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Unit for a 3 month internship programme aiming to promote careers in science. He said 'the experience changed my whole life'. He'll start University in August to study Medicine.

Lemic and Johnston, top secondary graduates in 2010, applied for full scholarships at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa to take the IB Diploma. Thanks Kelly and Mac for helping them in their applications. Johnston was successful - what a wonderful opportunity. See other blog post.

Emanuel spent 3 months in the UK and in Sept 2010 started his Diploma in Business Management at the Kenya Institute of Management in Mombasa.

Queen is doing great and is now in her 2nd year of Law at Moi University.

Well done to Ambrose Mwango and Ngoma Duncan, 2 more Kesho students have joined Nairobi University this month (September 2011). Read more about them in their own blog page.

Kesho student Duncan Ngoma completes School Leavers Attachment @ Kemri

2011-09-01T12:10:00.000+03:00

Students form the School-Leavers’ Attachment Scheme leave for University

The first cohort of students under the School Leavers’ Attachment Initiative recently left the programme to join various universities within Kenya. The students, who were drawn from Kilifi, Kaloleni and Ganze districts, had been attached to the programme since November 2010 for a four month programme where they were they got the opportunity to gain valuable work experience which will be useful in their future careers.

The School Leavers Attachment programme, coordinated by Alun Davies, is a pilot initiative that seeks to nurture the interest of talented students in health research careers as well as contribute to the broader KEMRI-Kilifi community engagement strategy by promoting mutual understanding between researchers and the community.

Selecting the six attachment students involved liaising with the District Education Officers (DEO) for Kilifi, Ganze and Kaloleni to identify 30 students who achieved B+ or above in the 2009 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations (KCSE). These students were invited for an open day at the programme where they got an opportunity to learn about locally conducted research and complete an application form for the attachment. Twelve students were selected for face-to-face interviews based on the application forms and from this, six successful candidates were selected.

The six were Katana Kombe James from St. Georges High School, Gona Rehema from Ribe Girls Secondary School, Mrima Lucky Mgandi from Majaoni Secondary School, Kilifi, Ngoma C. Duncan from Ribe Boys High School, Kazungu F S Huldah from Ribe Girls Secondary School and Mrima H Patrick from St Teresa, Kaloleni.

The attachment programme involved two week job rotations within six different departments and clusters including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Operations (Human Resources, Finance, Procurement), Socio Behavioural Research and Community Liaison Groups (SBR & CLG), Field studies (EPI-DSS), Wards and Labs.

During these rotations, students got the opportunity to shadow members of staff; develop their critical thinking skills through reading and discussing research articles and other documents; and to attend team meetings, seminars, journal clubs, SSP, SCC and CCC. In addition to this, students attended fortnightly tutorials aimed at consolidating some of the learning at each department/cluster, and developing professional skills. Tutorial workshops included: Qualitative and quantitative research methods; communication and presentation skills; writing a Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter; and preparing for a job interview.

As the students head out to university, plans are in place to invite them for a further one month attachment per year during their vacation periods until they graduate. This will be useful to monitor students’ progress and sustain their interest in pursuing science related careers over the period of their tertiary education.

By Alun Davies, Kemri-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Kilifi, Kenya - 2011

Parental Engagement Day 2011

2011-08-27T08:57:00.000+03:00

A parent contributing to some lively discussions on ways of supporting
children in their education

117 Parents from all Kesho sponsored students attended a day in which the shared responsibilities of Kesho and parents were explained and discussed. There were also be opportunities to discuss ways of giving support to young children and secondary students to help everyone reach their full potential.

Parents listening to MacKinlay at the Kesho Resource Centre

Once again the day was very well received and helps to reiterate the importance of continued parental engagement in their child’s education and also the work of Kesho and what we are able to offer students both financially as well as through our resource centre and enrichment programme.

1st Aid Training for Kesho Students

2011-08-25T08:46:00.000+03:00

27 secondary students signed up for the introductory 1st Aid workshop on 25th August, 2011 by Mr. Mwahali Mwarimo, the Disaster Preparedness and Response Office for Kenya Red Cross, Kilifi. The day was hosted in the Kesho Resource Centre.

Students were offered basic 1st aid training and also introduced to the contents of a standard 1st Aid Kit.

Everyone had a go a CPR and practiced making splints for broken limbs. It was tremendous fun as well as being a great and important learning experience.

New Kesho Brochure / Leaflet

2011-08-24T22:19:00.004+03:00

We've updated our brochure / leaflet. Doing a fundraising - telling friends about Kesho? You can download our new leaflet here by clicking on the images and then print your own copies. (Each page is just under 1Mb)

Visit to Pwani University

2011-08-23T09:36:00.000+03:00

The visit to Pwani University on 23rd August, 2011 was well attended by 33 Form 3 Kesho sponsored secondary students.

Nearly all universities in Kenya are up country and in Nairobi and, therefore, seemingly inaccessible for many children growing up on the coast. Indeed only 2% of students from Kilifi and Ganze Districts currently attend University.

The visit to Pwani University in Kilifi, was intended to expose our students to University life, experience the atmosphere, find out what's needed to earn places and hopefully inspire them to strive for this wonderful opportunity.

They were met by Dr. Rarea who gave a talk about the university and what courses are available at Pwani. Students were shown around by Pwani University students who are known to us as they often volunteer for Kesho during the busy holiday periods.

32% of Kesho graduates are currently attending University and a further 18% are doing Diploma courses. This is amazing compared to the district averages of 2% and 8% respectively.

We are hoping that many more Kesho students will follow in their footsteps next year. As Mac says "you've got to want to go to University in order to go". Hard work (of course) and also exposure to university life and encouragement from peers will help you on your way.

Be confident and ambitious - Unaweza (you can)!

Kesho Students leading the way at Pwani University

Kesho Careers Day 2011

2011-08-20T08:36:00.000+03:00

30 professionals representing 11 careers and 93 students from Kesho and Moving the Goalposts gathered together at Upendo for the 3rd Kesho Careers Day on 20th August, 2011.

Career advice is not available in schools yet for students to make realistic choices and plans for their future it is essential they are given access to relevant information and the opportunity of discussing ideas and options with experts in their field.

The day focused on enlightening students on available career choices based on their likes/dislikes, skills, market needs and academic performance. Talks on interview techniques from Dr. Sam Kinyanjui (Head of Training at Kemri) and about careers in Law from the Kilifi Senior Chief Magistrate were highlights of the day.

Kesho Student awarded IB Scholarship to Aga Khan Academy Mombasa

2011-08-12T22:56:00.000+03:00

Well deserved indeed!

Kirimo Johnston - Awarded scholarship to Aga Khan Academy 2011

Kesho graduate, Johnston Kirimo, has been awarded a 95% scholarship to undertake the International Baccalaureate Diploma at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. This is an amazing opportunity for Kirimo as he will be exposed to a very different curriculum and international experience. It was a tough interview process, but he prepared well and deserved his success. He will spend the next 2 years at the Aga Khan and then take up his place at a Kenyan University in 2013 (unless he gets a scholarship to a university overseas in the mean time - it wouldn't surprise us!).

Kirimo came from a very poor rural background and is the only boy from that school who has ever done well enough to earn a place at one of the top National secondary schools in Kenya.

We asked him:
What have been the most significant influences in your life so far....
"I was originally motivated by an educational officer who visited the school many years ago, when I was in class 1 or 2. He told us we were all stupid and lazy because we were from the rural coast. I was so affronted and angry that from that moment on I was determined to prove him wrong.

When I got offered a place at Lenana Secondary School my dream had come true but there was no way my family could afford to send me. If it hadn't been for KESHO I'd have never been able to go. Once I got to Lenana secondary school I've been really positively motivated - at school and at Kesho we are always reminded that we're the best and we really learn to believe in ourselves."

What will you be doing while you wait to take up your place? he explained...
"I'll be helping out at my old primary school, giving extra tuition and also being a positive role model to them - the kids there will really benefit from learning about what amazing opportunities are out there for them if they work hard. It doesn't matter if you're from the coast or from a poor family - if I can do it, so can they."

The international baccalaureate (IB) programme is an internationally recognised diploma offered by accredited institutions across the world. The IB prepares students for university education by imparting useful skilss such as critical thinking, research and project work as well as exposing students to a variety of other life skills.

Event Programme - August Holiday 2011

2011-08-10T07:00:00.006+03:00

It's the holidays and students have a great "Enrichment" programme ahead.
1. In the Primary Resource Centre, Sandra Liani (Primary Programme Officer) is reading lots of stories to the little ones and playing games to help with their general literacy levels. We hope to help generate that natural passion for books which all young children have, given the exposure and opportunity.
2. In the Secondary Resource Centre students are coming in for some quiet study time (voluntarily I might add!) and to talk to our Graduates, Ambrose and Lemic, who are great role models and offer students some very solid peer support and encouragement.
3. Our events include:

Biology Seminar (Form 1 & 2). 11th August. Janet Kasyoka.
Chemistry Seminar (Form 3). 17th August. Alun Davies, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Unit
Pre-Careers Day Orientation - 17th August
Careers Day - 20th August. Over 200 students from Kesho and MTG have been invited to meet professionals from all walks of life; to find out about what career opportunities exist and what qualifications are needed to pursue those careers.
Visit to Pwani University. 23rd August.
First Aid Training. 25th August. Kenya Red Cross.
English Workshop. 26th August. Mrs. Read, Braeburn Mombasa International School.
Parent's Engagement Day. 27th August. All parents of Kesho sponsored students.
Meeting for Rotary Sponsored Students. 27th August - Kilifi Rotary Club.
Maths Workshop (Form 3 & 4). 30th August.

Workshops and seminars are held in the Kesho resource centre. Larger events are held at Upendo Orphan Support Group Grounds.

Kesho Alumni - Official Launch

2011-07-01T12:31:00.001+03:00

The Kesho Alumni was officially launched on

Friday July 8th 2011.

The aims of the Kesho Alumni are to
1. Create a professional and social network for Kesho graduates.
2. Create a forum for offering mentorship of existing Kesho students.

The Alumni Committee were elected at a meeting at the Kesho Offices on 24th June '11 and include.

Emmanuel Mbaji - Chairperson
Alphonse Mrima - Secretary
Cellestine Jefwa - Assistant Secretary
Ambrose Mwango - Treasurer

Congratulations to the Kesho Office and Student Graduate team for organising such a great new initiative.

Kesho Alumni

2011-06-23T12:59:00.007+03:00

A new initiative to:

Create a forum for students to keep in touch and form their own professional and social links
Provide an opportunity for students to give back to Kesho by sponsoring students themselves and/or offering them professional services support and mentorship.

Since we started 24 students have graduated from secondary school - by the end of 2011 the number will have more than doubled, totaling 56.

Alumni having a very positive response
Students planning launch shortly

Sidi's Story

2011-05-18T00:00:00.004+03:00

“Sidi wake up, you are going to be late for school” these are the words I hear from my granny Hawe Kadzo every morning. Struggling to rub off the little sleep in my eyes, I walk out of the hut to start preparing for school. My breakfast is as usual, a hot cup of tea with ‘mahamri’ (doughnut). After hurried good byes and promises to work hard in school, I pick up my small bag and set off to school with my cousins, Charo and Katana. Katana tells very funny stories all the time. I think he lies a lot too but he makes our walk to school fun. As we walk, I can see Charo’s toe is still swollen since the cow stepped on it last evening; he is not limping though.

I will be 14 years old next week, and I am working very hard for my class eight exams in November. I hope to do well and go to a national secondary school. KESHO has promised to continue sponsoring me if I keep my grades up. I have been sponsored by KESHO since class six. As a result of the sponsorship my grandmother has a little more money, she can now concentrate on selling fish which enables her to buy food for the family. My favorite subjects are English and Mathematics and when I grow up, I want to be a doctor.

My best friend is a tall and lovely girl called Jumwa. She is a 15 years old and in class five. Like a lot of other children in Kilifi, Jumwa went to school late, as her peasant father could not afford to pay her school fees, being the last born in the family of six. When we get to school we clean up the school compound, attend assembly and are sitted in class by 8:00 am. Our teachers teach us mostly in English but sometimes my Mathematics teacher has to use some Kigiriama (local dialect) especially when the sums are too hard to understand. Jumwa’s teachers use Kigiriama more because they are in a lower class. We sit in rows facing the blackboard and I am lucky I get to share a desk with two of my good friends; Zawadi and Halima.

There are eight classes in our school each accommodating 60 children. The classrooms are made of air-bricks to keep us cool in the sun and a tin roof to keep us dry when it rains. It gets noisy when it rains and can be difficult to hear what the teacher is saying.

I can’t wait for break time. Yesterday I beat Halima in skipping and I hope to beat her today. She wins most of the time as she is smaller. I am better at playing rounders though, as I run faster. Zawadi always buys ‘viazi karai’ (boiled Irish potatoes dipped in a paste of wheat flour, food colour and water then deep fried) or fried cassava which she always shares with me and Halima. Sometimes we eat mangoes which we get from trees close to the school. Other students who live very close to the school rush home for a cup of porridge.

I am happy that currently, the government is running lunch feeding programme in my school, and I do not miss lunch any more. In the afternoon we in upper primary (Class 4 to 8) go to class while the little ones go home. At 4:00 p.m. we break for games where we play our hearts out. For us who are in class seven and eight we go back to class at 5:00 p.m. for extra tuition until 6:00 p.m.

Back home, I help out my granny; I fetch water and also go to the shops while Charo and Katana bring in the goats and cows. We then sit to enjoy a meal of ‘ugali‘ (our stable of maize flour boiled in water until it forms a very thick porridgy dough) with fish and sometimes kales, which granny likes to prepare.

We eat outside when it is too warm in the house, and tell some stories. Then I go ahead to do my home work and head to bed before 9:00 p.m; granny doesn’t like the lamp being on for too long as kerosene is expensive; one day I will live in a big house with electricity. I am so passionate about attending school and am excited with a chance KESHO has given me. I believe this is not just my story but of many children in Kilifi who are benefiting from KESHO’s programmes.

Student Resource Centre in Full Swing

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000+03:00

This Easter saw loads of activity in the student resource centers. There was story time and craft activities for the nursery and primary students and lots of activities to break up the study time for the secondary students.
We also held 2 seminars for the secondary students in an improvised space upstairs (see blog entry for more info ... we're still waiting for the building work to finish so we can move in!)

For more news visit our website

Workshop on "Setting your own goals"

2011-04-26T19:30:00.001+03:00

Martha Mwangome from KEMRI/Wellcome Trust, Kilifi, gave a fantastic seminar to the students over the Easter holidays (26th April, 2011). 50 students attended and everyone went away feeling very much more empowered to take control of their futures.

What we especially learned was that it's important to "Own" your own goal; without that as Martha says, we'll never have the motivation to even make plans, never mind implement them!

Thanks so much Martha! Can you do another one sometime?

How to Pass that English Exam !

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000+03:00

Registered examiners from Kilifi Township Secondary School gave Kesho students top tips on what they look for when marking English exam papers.

A very popular event with over 80 students attending.

Kesho students in our improvised space upstairs

Orientation Day for new Secondary Students

2011-04-19T00:00:00.001+03:00

Warm up games led by Kesho Graduates

On 19th April, 2011 we had such a lovely day! New Kesho sponsored students were introduced to Kesho and inspired by their peers of the opportunities ahead.

Two things made it really special, for me, at least. One was seeing the Kesho Graduates leading the warm-ups; they were so empowered and confident and everyone was laughing and singing in no time. The other was to see Mary Mwandisha, not only being confident and inspiring during her talk to the other students but also to witness the way in which she has so naturally adopted the role of mentoring Hawa, another Alliance girl in Form 1. Mary told us how she started out in rank position 80 out of 250, improved to 40 something and left this term being number ONE. What a story.... she made us all want to work harder!

There's no doubt there are some very special students coming through.

As always, special thanks to Upendo for the venue and delicious food, to Beatrice for organising and to the students for coming along. This should definitely be an annual event!

Mary inspiring us all as she talks of her journey towards success

Form 1 Kesho students studying their Kesho Student Packs.

Compassionate Relief Fund

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000+03:00

Zena and Kesho volunteers have been busy with the compassionate relief programme this month. They've delivered mattresses, mosquito nets and rice to particularly needy families. This year we've delivered loads of clothing parcels (thanks mostly to donations from Neilson guests staying at the Mnarani Hotel) and also provided 15 families with 560 kgs of food, 24 litres of cooking oil, 8 mattresses and 11 mosquito nets.

13th April, 2011

Sponsors - keep it coming...

2011-03-23T00:00:00.000+03:00

Sponsors keep doing the most amazing things for Kesho... thank you everyone and please keep it coming....
Here are a few of the creative activities you've done....

Diving with Sharks in Bangkok (see other blog entry)
Walking the Great Wall of China
Book and Cake Sales in UK and Canada
A Valentines Party in Kilifi
Selling Kenyan Beaded Sandals in Australia

Top Grades

2011-02-28T13:14:00.000+03:00

Kesho secondary students are really doing well academically. They're commitment and hard work is having great results. At the end of the academic year in 2010:

62% of students were performing in the top 25% of their year group/class
7 out of the 10 students who graduated achieved grades A-C
3 students will be offered government sponsored places at University (district average 2%)

Very, very well done guys!

An extra 90 children being sponsored this year

2011-02-16T00:00:00.000+03:00

If it weren't for your help these children would still be at home. We'll be sponsoring over 240 children this year bringing the total to 346 since we started in 2005. Well done everyone for helping, but let's not relax - there are loads more kids deserving of a chance to go to school!

Girls at Ganze Secondary School

Secondary Exam Results - 2 students to University

2011-02-15T00:00:00.000+03:00

All 10 students who graduated from secondary passed with C- or above; 80% scoring A-C.

2 scored did so well they will be offered government sponsored places at University next year! An amazing opportunity and one which will really make a difference to them and their families in the future. Here they are on the office balcony on Friday (Mar 18) after an open day to discuss their options. Many want to go to college and Kesho will help them with their choices and offer financial support wherever we can.

Kesho Graduates 2010

Kilifi-Mombasa Student Exchange

2011-02-01T00:00:00.000+03:00

Mikingirini and Kiwandani Primary Schools host students from Braeburn Mombasa International School

Students spent the morning having lessons together and then had a game of football before leaving at lunchtime. Braeburn children couldn't believe that in Class 3 of Mikingirini there were 120 children (sitting on the floor); more than the whole of Braeburn Primary School put together. When it came to football and to lessons they found they had a lot in common - certainly the Swahili lessons challenged some of the Braeburn children!

Braeburn Mombasa School sharing a Maths class at Kiwandani Primary School, Kilifi

Sponsors visit Vitengeni

2011-01-19T00:00:00.001+03:00

Cellestine invited her sponsors to her family home this week. What a lovely day it was. A goat was slaughtered to mark the occasion with the whole family enjoying the feast. The celebration ended with a huge sing-song in our van on the way home with everyone squashed in. You must have heard us....!
Cellestine is one of 13 children and is the only girl to have completed secondary school thanks to her sponsorship with Kesho. Having done well in her exams, she volunteered for a while in the Kesho Office and is now being sponsored on a Business Management Diploma at Mombasa Polytechnic.

Cellestine in the kitchen/bedroom with her sponsor and some of her siblings

Diving with Sharks for Kesho

2011-01-16T00:00:00.000+03:00

Adam and Lisa (founder members of Kesho) went diving with sharks in Bangkok and raised over £1200 for Kesho. An amazing effort - thank you guys. You can see more of their crazy sharking on facebook

Lisa and Adam - what an amazing experience

Adam works for the Patumwan Demonstration School, Bangkok, Thailand

Lisa works for Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Bangkok, Thailand

Social Return on Investment

2011-01-15T10:56:00.000+03:00

A Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis was conducted recently to understand the short and long-term impact of Kesho's Secondary Programme. The results showed a very high return on investment of £18 of social value for every pound invested. The executive summary by Mrs. Sally Bagenal can be downloaded from our website.

Rotary International

2011-01-15T00:00:00.000+03:00

As part of a Rotary International initiative between the clubs of Vinnings and Kilifi, another 8 secondary students were sponsored in 2011 bringing the total to 31. Thank you for your support!
They also made a video for us last year...take a look

Emmanuel on camera
The video was made by Elizabeth Mearns of Cosy Media in 2010 and commissioned by Kilifi Kids

Reproductive Health Day 2010

2010-12-09T23:11:00.000+03:00

Raising awareness on:

Taking joint responsibility in relationships
Menstruation and making your own towels
Risks of HIV and STD's

What a success again! This year we broke convention and invited girls and boys on the same day! They were together for the morning session which included a movie and discussion on reproductive health issues and then in the afternoon the boys talked about HIV, drug and substance abuse while the girls talked about very practical ways of how to manage menstruation with demonstrations on how to make your own towels.

A total of 63 Kesho sponsored students (30 girls and 33 boys) attended (aged 13 - 22 years) and some brought their friends along too. More than half the students said they learned a lot about decision making in relationships and 13% said they learned the importance of self-esteem.

Experienced peer educators from Scope, Kilifi and Mr. John Lord from Mombasa helped host the day and did a great job putting everyone at ease and empowering them to feel free to ask all the important and pressing questions they had.

Special thanks again to Upendo for the venue and delicious food and to the participants for their full participation and frankness.

Christmas Craft Day 2010

2010-12-04T23:52:00.000+03:00

Another gorgeous Christmas Craft Day with children (parents, grandparents and younger siblings!) from Kesho and from Upendo creating beautiful beaded christmas tree decorations. All the children got to take a pack of beads and thread home with them and the decorations were posted to sponsors - did you get yours?

Thanks again to everyone who helped make it such a lot of fun and especially to Upendo Orphan Support Group for the venue and lovely sweet teas.

Parents Day 2010

2010-08-21T22:47:00.000+03:00

Zena Salim,
Kesho Chairwoman addressing
parents

85% of parents and guardians of Kesho sponsored students came together for our first Parents Day at Upendo grounds.

We discussed and clarified our shared responsibilities to students and had some very lively discussions about the ways in which we all can contribute to the emotional, social and academic support of children / students to enable them gain in confidence and fulfill their academic potential.

Thank you to everyone who helped and especially the parents, some of whom travelled for several hours to come.

We learned a lot from each other and reached a better understanding of the needs and expectations of all partners; students, parents and Kesho.

2nd Kesho Careers Fair 2010

2010-04-17T22:54:00.000+03:00

129 young students and 54 professionals gathered together at Upendo grounds for the 2nd Kesho Careers Day. Students from Kesho and girls from Moving the Goal Posts attended the event and talked to experts from a wide range of professional fields including Medicine, Law, Engineering, Construction, Carpentry, Science, Human Resource Management, Teaching, IT, Banking, Media and more....

Career advice is not normally available in schools yet, for students to make realistic choices and plans for their future, it is essential they are given access to relevant information and the opportunity of discussing ideas and options with experts in their field.

The Careers Day focused on enlightening students on available career choices based on their likes/dislikes, skills, market needs and performance at school. For some, this knowledge can help overcome feelings of helplessness, particularly among average performing students who sometimes feel there is nothing left for them once the top performers have taken the highly competitive places in medicine, law and engineering.

All in all, it was a really amazing day and the students came away feeling much more aware of the range of careers that are out there to choose from and also the broad range of jobs within each field that can be matched to people of all academic abilities. (You can download our report from the evaluation from our website)

Thank you to everyone, especially the professionals, who gave their time and supported the event. A huge amount of advice, guidance, encouragement and inspiration was given to the students and it was clear that they really valued the experience. Hope you'll come again next year!

The KESHO Careers Day is only possible because of the huge amount of voluntary support given on the day.

We extend our thanks to:

The students

From Kesho and MTG who attended and supported the event.

The professionals

Who did an amazing job engaging with the students and sharing their knowledge and experience. Also for giving up your time on a saturday morning!

The institutions

Represented on the day and including: KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Equity Bank, Barclay's Bank, Kenya News Agency, Kilifi Rotary Club, Pwani University, Kilifi, Radio Rahma, Cornerstone Builders, Asembo Carpenters

The Event Organisers

The Kesho Committee (and especially to Sam Akech, Tabitha Mwangi and MacKinlay Mutsembi).

KEMRI Schools Engagement Programme (SEP) (especially to Alun Davies and Bibi Mbete) for also helping to evaluate the event. The evaluation report can be downloaded from our website.

The hosting organisation- Upendo

for providing the facilities, hosting and cooking such a great lunch!

Bookcycle send a container of books

2009-12-23T00:00:00.019+03:00

What a gift! Bookcycle, a charitable organisation in Exeter, very kindly donated a whole container of second hand children's books to Kesho.

Zena and Kate sorting through the delivery

We used some to stock our student resource centre and also distributed a lot to local charities including:

Kilifi Community Library
Streetwise
Moving the Goal Posts
Kiwayu Primary School

Reproductive Health Day 2009

2009-12-05T23:21:00.000+03:00

What a success! We'll definitely do this again next year girls!

All girls over the age of 15, from KESHO and Upendo Organisations were invited and nearly everyone came - word had got out that it was going to be a great day and no one was to be disappointed!

Issues concerning the girls were discussed in various different forums and included sex, sexual feelings, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and menstruation. There was lots of singing and dancing as well as serious discussion!

Experienced peer educators from Moving the Goalposts hosted the day and did a fantastic job putting the girls at ease and empowering them to feel free to ask all the important and pressing questions they had.

Special thanks to Upendo for the venue and delicious pilau, to the girls for their full participation and frankness and to Lydia and the peer educators from MTG who ran the day and made it such a lot of fun for everyone.

Christmas Craft Day 2009

2009-11-27T23:54:00.000+03:00

What a gorgeous morning. About 60 children from KESHO and Upendo Orphan Support Group gathered together and made over 120 beaded, starred and kanga rag Xmas tree decorations. As confidence grew the designs became progressively more outrageous and free. What a treat!

Special thanks to Upendo for the venue and teas, to the children and their families for coming along and the volunteers too who helped make it all such a lot of fun for everyone.

Kesho Careers Fair 2009

2009-04-18T23:27:00.000+03:00

Much advice, guidance, encouragement and inspiration was offered to all the 70 or so KESHO sponsored secondary students who attended our annual Careers Day at the weekend.

Around 15 volunteers, from Kilifi Rotary Club and the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Kilifi, very kindly supported the event. Various professions were represented and there were also desks on how to write a CV, interview techniques, University and College application procedures and course options and requirements at degree, diploma and certificate level.

For most students, this was the first time they had received any such advice and guidance; it was a very valuable experience.

During the prize giving certificates and T-shirts were awarded to Harrison Fondo and Mary Washe for their academic achievement and to Emmanuel Mbaji for being the most helpful and reliable KESHO student.

It was a really positive and motivating day. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the event.

Kesho Open Day & Prize Giving

2008-12-06T23:30:00.000+03:00

The theme for the day was: Making Choices for a Better Future. Activities included:

Art & Craft
Drama
Creative Writing
Focus Group Discussions
Prize Giving

Nearly 100 students turned up to our Open Day at the weekend. Various activities took place to support the the theme including desks for creative writing, art and craft, a drama session on how one can present oneself plus some team building activities and short skits leading to focus group discussions with students.

A prize giving ended the day with certificates and T-shirts awarded to the following students: George Reru Ochieng & Christine Riziki (Achievement, Secondary), Mbigo Mbarak & Christine Nguma (Most improved), Kazosi Ngumbao & Baraka Karisa (Achievement Primary), Zawadi Karisa & Pili Hamisi (Most Creative), Alphonse Mrimah (Best Dressed) and Victor Mwamuye (Most Organised).

It was a really positive and motivating day. Thank you to everyone who supported the event.

Kesho Sale and Coffee Morning 2008

2008-11-29T23:44:00.000+03:00

The KESHO Sale and Coffee Morning was a really lovely day and raised a total of Ksh78,000; enough to sponsor 2 secondary students or 11 primary students next year.

Thank you to everyone who supported the event; especially to the KESHO students and volunteers who helped on stalls, Al, Pete, MacKinlay and the Jua Kali choir for the musical entertainment, Upendo for hosting and providing delicious tea and coffee and to all our friends who came and/or donated items for sale.

Kesho Jazz & Soul Nyt

2008-06-06T23:24:00.000+03:00

A wild time was had by the Kilifi crowd at Kilifi Members Club on saturday night; we were certainly in need of a good ol' dance. The "Men of Steel" band and Tony's Disco, as always, played superbly, setting a great atmosphere which kept some rocking until nearly dawn.

Thank you to everyone who came along and supported the event. We raised Ksh20,000 - enough to sponsor 3 more primary students.

Special thanks to Alun Davies for the whole idea, to Gladys Kibiru for hosting the event at Kilifi Members Club, the KESHO students and volunteers who helped promote the event and man the gate, to Kai Johnson and Sam Kinynjui for giving very inspiring talks. Last but not least, a big thank you to John Abwao for compèring the dancing competition!