Children sponsorship update from Nairobi
14/12/2007
Update from Summer 2007
Dear Sponsors,
We have come to the mid of another year which started of well with expectations that it will bring better times for us all. SOS Children’s Village Nairobi and its ancillaries have been very active and are making good progress in different activities.
The children participated in the launch of a children’s play area at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and also had an opportunity to display some of their artwork. Academically, all children have shown a steady rise in their overall performance although we have had exceptional cases of excellent academic performance. Two youth have successfully joined universities in South Africa to pursue various disciplines and eighteen are in various colleges in Kenya. In addition, four youths who have been admitted at the SOS International College in Ghana.
SOS CV KE co-workers were trained in Child Protection Policy, Child Rights and c.a.r.e. (Challenge, Abuse through Respect and Education). This was aimed at sensitizing them on how to recognise instances of abuse and ways on how to avoid them. Apart from that a total of nine SOS Mothers and two Aunts attended a refresher training. It was a time for them to share best practices as well as draw from the expertise of the retired mothers. At the end of all the trainings, SOS Mother, Aunts and co-workers were more enlightened on how to act in the best interests of the child and their skills have been sharpened.
The SOS Nursery School and Primary school participated in various activities involving art, musical competitions, sporting and academics. Also, a school parents’ meeting was held for the purpose of discussing the way forward on the progress of their children with their respective teachers. This was also an opportunity for the parents to air their views as well as commend the school on the good standards they have maintained. The school also went through two evaluations conducted by the SOS Education Co-ordination team and another by the Officers from the Ministry of Education. The purpose of the evaluation was to fulfill the annual assessment in areas like school curriculum, academic performance and ensure proper utilization of resources in accordance to the guidelines set by the government. The reports from the two teams showed that the school has continued to work towards building and maintaining high quality in their work.
At the Technical Training Institute students have continued to register good performance in most subjects with one student performing exceptionally well. He was amongst the best performed in the world under the Association of Business Executive International Examination and received a examination fee waiver. Worth mentioning is the support given by the fashion and design department to the Nairobi Village, during a fashion show in a fundraising event.
The SOS Vocational Training and Production Unit continued to make furniture for SOS CV Kenya and other villages in East Africa. As the work continued, former students worked as apprentice. This was to enable them gain practical experience which would help them attract prospective employers.
The Family Care Centre has been a bee hive of activities in all its departments. At the medical centre the number of clients receiving medical treatment had increased from 1,481 to 1,922. Worth noting is the specialised medical services offered by the gynecologist and dental doctors from Germany who have occasionally visited the clinic. In addition, 944 clients benefited from medical camps held in various slum areas within the vicinity of the Nairobi village. Observations made at the Voluntary counseling and testing centre shows that the number of people testing for HIV/AIDS increased, as has the usage of both male and female condoms. To build capacities of the clients attending the clinic, an ARV support group was initiated and monthly meetings conducted. Under the Family Support Programme, 300 families are receiving standard food pack to boost their families.
The Street Children Programme earned membership at the Kenya Museums and were able to participate in cultural festivals and exhibitions held. They also had an opportunity to visit the museum on an educational tour. Currently 58 children are actively participating in this program.
The youth centre participated in various HIV/AIDS awareness campaign whose theme was “Stop AIDS - Keep the Promise”, crazy Olympics and a dinner focused on de-stigmatisation of youth living with HIV/AIDS. Twenty youths were certified by St. John’s ambulance and formed a First aid club. The youth also participated in a boxing tournament which they won. Worth noting was the invitation from the Ministry of Youth affairs and French Embassy for the youth to participate in the drafting of the national youth policy.
As the government continues to implement its policies on child care providers; all child care service providers were deregistered. New government directive stated that they had to be inspected according to the guidelines and an inspection report forwarded to the headquarters at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Nairobi. All our villages have been inspected and have met the required standards.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock & fisheries development nominated SOS Children’s Village Nairobi for the Agriculture Field Day. The main activity for the day was to have farmers dealing in different areas display their products. Besides that, the banks took advantage of the occasion to create awareness of their products suitable to the farmers. The event was graced by the District Commissioner on behalf of the line Minister. Also in attendance were high ranking government officials.
We hope that this letter gives you an insight of what has transpired in our country in relation to our work at the SOS Children’s Village Nairobi. Thank you for your continued love and care which has made a difference in our work.
Yours sincerely,
Gladys Mumbi (Ms),
Sponsorship Co-ordinator
Child sponsor letter from Mombasa
Update from SOS Children's Village Mombasa
Dear Sponsor,
The Christmas season is in the air in Kenya, just like the rest of the world. We send you our heart-felt gratitude for supporting us throughout the year. The year began well at SOS Children’s Village Mombasa as well as most Kenyans.
Kenya has been under a great deal of anxiety to meet the millennium development goals. A lot has happened both in the economic and political arena. Leading economic indicators show that the economy performed better this year than last year. Despite the high oil prices and drought that was experienced in the first quarter of the year, overall inflation decreased from 11.6% to 10.3%. In the agricultural sector, the long rains commenced in good time and were also well spread across the country. There was notable performance mainly in cereals, horticulture, sugarcane and dairy products which led to the growth by 30% in the industry. The Kenya shilling has continued to stabilise against all major international and regional currencies. Under the stock market, the share index rose from 2946 to 5000 this year. In addition, international visitors’ arrivals grew from 1.4 to 1.5 million in the tourism sector.
On the other hand, the government has continued to invest in children and there has been an increase in enrolment of the early childhood education from 7.4 to 7.7 million. This is as a result of the free primary education that was implemented by the government last year. In the health sector, infant mortality has fallen from 10% to 6.5 % over the same period; moreover free Malaria drugs and mosquito nets are provided for mothers with children below 5 years. Health clinics within the community vicinity have been re-opened making it easy to access heath services. Apart from supporting the children the government has also introduced investments policies for the youth. They have made successful youth-friendly policies and expanded opportunities by providing funds to support the entrepreneurial youth and enhancing training through the agri-business. There is a youth ministry to highlight and manage youth affairs unlike before.
In SOS Children’s Villages Kenya, various youth programmes were organised to assist our youth cope with life issues and prepare them for competitive markets. The youth in colleges attended an entrepreneurship skills enhancement workshop supported by different leading corporate organisations. Youth in high school participated in a seminar which enlightened them on issues pertaining to peer pressure, relationships and career choices.
In addition, an HIV/AIDS, drug and substance abuse workshop was facilitated by the SCAD group (Students Campaign Against Drugs). This was to create awareness and educate the youth on HIV/AIDS and drugs. The facilitators also tackled life skills such as self-esteem, self-awareness and decision-making. Video clips were run, each with a story to learn from. They enjoyed and learnt a lot from the workshop considering that the facilitators were mainly their peers and therefore were quite at ease with them.
In the academic department, most children’s performance continued to significantly show an upward trend. Children who completed their primary and secondary school successfully got placement in secondary schools and colleges respectively. Two youth were admitted to universities in Kenya and Ghana. The weaker children were not left behind; tuition was conducted for them as well as for candidates sitting for the Kenya National Examination certificate.
The children also attended the annual Agriculture Society of Kenya (ASK) show. At the show children get an opportunity to learn about the different products manufactured, crops grown and talents displayed by different groups as well as schools. Some of the happenings this year were; performance in music, acrobatic skills, air show by the Kenyan army using jet fighters & parachutes and children’s play ground activities like the bouncing castles, comedies among others.
This year, the annual inter-village Drama and Music festivals were held in Nairobi Village. The audience sat amid soft instrumental music waiting to see presentation of songs, plays, choral verses, and dramatised dances. The plays emerged from solo acts to group formations while the poems and chorals verses showed different forms of creativity. It was also captivating to watch the drumbeat and the dancers as they moved smoothly and gracefully. When it was over, the audience went wild with applause. The judges for the festival were impressed and said that the youth, had combined a mixture of everyday movement in life as well as showing their talents. SOS Children’s Village Nairobi took 1st position followed by Mombasa and lastly Eldoret.
All in all, the year was full of activities but we have managed to accomplish our set goals for the year. We wish to mention that the significant role you have played in helping us achieve so much, did not go unnoticed.
We wish you all the best as you celebrate the Christmas season and look forward to the dawn of the New Year.
Relevant Countries: Kenya.