Miale Programmes Archives

December ASA has always been fantastic because the kids have so much time at the centre. They have more time to develop their talents, be creative and enjoy themselves. They have different activities to do and the new kids are very glad to be part of the wonderful team. The kids choose the club they like and feel comfortable in. During the activities, the kids also develop high self esteem and confidence.

PRIZE GIVING DAY!
Miale supports a total of 72 children at Ayany primary from class 2 to class 8. The programme has been supporting children in Ayany for the last 6 years. 3 Miale children received prizes on this beautiful day which was held on the 29th September.
Mwende Nzomo and Ireen Khasiala were awarded because they were the best pupils in performance. Daniel Omondi was awarded for being the best head boy; he has shown good leadership skills. The three children were very excited and they were encouraged by the Miale representatives to continue working hard in their studies. They have been performing very well from last year and I believe they will pass with flying colors at the end of this year. They will sit for the final exams –KCPE in November and we wish them all the best with so much love!!

During a visit to Kenya Tom spent a day with children and guardians at the outreach program (central part of Kenya). He attended a guardian monthly meeting and had a chance to distribute food to guardians during monthly food distribution. He praised the guardian for their co operation and urged them to participate actively at Johari activities especially the guardian’s empowerment program.
The guardians thanked Tom and his family for the visit and for the support which they have been receiving. They also got a chance of visiting a school called Karembuini primary school where he went round in all the classes and encouraged the pupils to work hard in school. He wished all the class 8 success in their forth coming Kenya certificate of primary education exams (KCPE).
Lastly Tom and family visited one of the social groups formed by the empowerment program in Kandara during their meeting. This is a group of 10 guardians who gather together to address their social and economic wellbeing. He saw the guardian empowerment program -Kitchen gardens- and encouraged the guardians for their hard work. It was time to come back to Nairobi and I was very certain that their visit had a great impact to the children and the guardians too.

As part of children growth and development, Johari foundation always engages children with different activities during the school holiday vacation. During the august vacation, Miale children had been gathering at Kibera (CSP) and Muranga (Outreach), we have been engaging them with activities like making crafts and cards, singing, storytelling to improve their self esteem, essay writing to improve their writing skills as well as games to make them relax and feel loved. We have been training them in different thematic topics like HIV/AIDs, Behavior Change and Reproductive health. The ultimate goal is to nurture and develop their talent and show them love as well as disengage them from harmful peer influence by other children within the community. We have been having one on one counseling as well group counseling. Children have been also sharing different challenges which they face at home and in school, and we assisted them to come up with informed decision. We discussed their performance in school and many of them promised to work hard so that they improve on their grades. Holiday is over and its now back to school for the children.

Prior to the summer holidays Bo'ness Public School's Primary 5 class received some autobiographies from the children on the Mile Programmes. The class under the supervision of their teacher; Mr Potters had previously written their own autobiographies complete with pictures of themselves and family and sent them over to Kenya. The children on the Miale Programmes loved reading all about life in Bo'ness and what after school activities the children enjoyed doing. Likewise it was very inspirationsal for the children at Bo'ness Public to read all about life in Nairobi.

Here is what some of the children had to say -

"I liked the autobiographies because we got to hear about the way that children live in Kenya". Jay

"I enjoyed reading the books because it taught me a bit about foreign life". Ben O'Neill

"I liked the books becuase it ws very interesting to learn about their life". Lewis

"I liked the autobiographies because they had put a lot of hard work into them". James

Johari foundation has been partnering with sight aid international in organizing free eye clinics to different school going children in Kibera and Muranga ( Central Kenya).This time round we went at a school called Githigi primary school ( Central Kenya), our intention was to give children free spectacles. We were able to give 24 free spectacles to children who had been checked and found to have eye problems. Parents and teachers were very grateful because Johari foundation cared for the well-being of their children. Some of the children had serious eyes problem due to lack of routine checkups. Many parents in the area are poor and accessing eye services is a major challenge due to high cost. It is therefore certain that Johari foundation came at the right time to solve the children problems

The young kids have shown so much interest during May, June and July ASA. They are always excited every Fridays when they come to the centre. The ASA which is being spear headed by Faith Mwikali has shown positive changes. There are remarkable key indicators which can be seen through observations. There is the aspect of behavior change which has improved tremendously, the kids are confident and some of them have improved on self esteem. In terms of hygiene, some of them are showing positive signs of taking good care of their bodies.
They normally have different activities and this term they did a lot of crafts, life skills, singing, dancing, spelling, library and drama. They have also had talks from volunteers who are invited to do motivational talks, guidance and counseling sessions. We look forward to have the kids around for longer hours during the August ASA.
The challenges we have at the centre are: lack of enough story books both English and Kiswahili, lack of enough revision books which can help them in construction of sentences, crafts and games.

MIALE BOYS SHINE DURING THE PRIZE GIVING DAY IN OFAFA JERICHO HIGH
It was a very encouraging moment for our students who are learning in Ofafa Jericho High School. The two boys who got prizes joined the school in 2009 and they have been working very hard. Their performance has been constantly above average. Jared Okeyo and Dennis Oduor are the pioneers of Miale program and over the period they have shown tremendous positive change. Jared was the best in French and computer while Dennis Oduor was the best in Kiswahili. The two boys were awarded with Ksh.500 vouchers.Currently the boys are in Form three. Bravo to you guys!!!
Jared Okeyo
Dennis Oduor

On the 17th of June 2011 Miale kids received bags from Johari Foundation. We distributed a total of 82 bags to the primary kids. Most of the children had a challenge of carrying their books every day to school. They were using paper bags and some used their sweaters to carry books. Miale kids and I are very thankful for the wonderful donation. May God bless you!!

On this day, we went very early to Muranga (central Kenya) this is an area where Johari foundation support orphan and vulnerable children. Our main aim was to visit homes and schools, as well to give mattresses and shoes to the children. In many homes which we had earlier visited, the children did not have mattress to sleep on and were going to school without shoes. It was all smiles and happiness on children face as we gave them mattresses and shoes, we also taught their guardian on how to keep their houses clean and tidy. We went to different schools and gave children some school uniforms, this are meant to make the children feel worthy as they learn and interact with other children. The head teachers of different schools where the children attend are very grateful for the generous support which Johari foundation has been giving to the children. Long Live Johari !!!!!!!!!!

"Johari Foundation has been paying for my school fees, giving me food, clothes, writing materials and shoes. I am also able to recite poems to many people through the life skills and mentoring programmes that Johari has provided. My dream is to become a professional tailor".that was what Anastasia Wanjiku, an orphan child supported by Johari Foundation said at her school open day.

Johari Foundation focuses on the positive growth of children by identifying and nurturing children talents at an early level and providing support systems for them .Not only do we focus on education, but also on the childs interest and what he/she is able to do best.

We visited Kiranga polytechnic (Central Kenya) where we pay school fees for children who are learning a course on tailoring. The school had an open day where the teachers and students informed the general community on different courses which are on offer and how these courses can benefit the community members. The children supported through the Foundation had excelledwell in different ways. It was very pleasing to note a positive change in their lives thanks to the generous support of the Foundation.

Hope, hope and more hope; this is what you see in the eyes of children and families that Johari foundation supports in amidst many challenge.Currently in Kenya, the families are facing very challenging times especially due to the fact that Global Oil price has increased replicating the same to all the commodities. Food prices have increased by almost 100% but despite this, when we visit and socialize with children and families, we find that some children are filled with happiness and joy, the children are hoping for the best a day at a time. As we do some home and school visit, we meet a child by the name Samuel Wanyoike who is11 years and schools at Githigi Primary School in central part of Kenya. The child live with her grandmother after his mother died and father abandoned the family. The Grandmother has a broken ankle but still, the hope of assisting Samuel to realize his full potential is clearly seen in her eyes as we discuss with her about her health status and family well being. The family living condition is pathetic but there is still, family love and cohesiveness. Johari foundation have been filling the gap by assisting the guardians and children by showing them love, giving them hope and providing for the basic needs for the children and the family.

My name is Anne Wambui, am in class 8 at Kirunguru Primary school which is at Muranga County. I will be doing Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) this year. Am the Head Girl of the school and I feel honored to be the leader of 560 students. This is how a spend my day: I wake up at 5.30 am and bath; I take some porridge courtesy of Johari foundation. I walk to school from 6am to 6.30am; I have to be in class from 6.30-7.30 for early preps. Since am the head girl of the school, I have to ensure that other children in the school maintain displine and are not making unnecessary noise. The actual lessons start from 8am, we usually have a break of 30minutes that is from 10.30am- 11am.Lunch hour is from 1pm -2pm, we eat at school, Johari foundation has catered for the food. The afternoon lesson start from 2pm -4pm, I hate the afternoon lesson because it is sometimes very hot and I feel sleepy. From 4pm to 5pm, we have some tuition which the organization has arranged for me. We break at 5pm and I head home where I assist my aunt with some house work job up to 7pm.Together with my big sister we assist my aunt to prepare supper and we eat at 8.30pm. I do my homework and studies from 9pm. I usually sleep at 11pm. Am really working hard in school to pass my KCPE exam and go to a good secondary. Thank you so much Johari foundation for your support.

Miale Girls Club
The girls club started on February 2011. The Miale girls club fills a huge gap in the girl child education which they are not able to get at home or at school. The club will help the girls to find solutions to the challenges they face especially living in the slums without positive role models. Most of our girls are orphans and some have single parents and therefore lack direction to follow.
During the meetings that the girls will be having, they will be introduced to various trainings, discussions and practicals. The girls club will also be targeting its objectives set by the program in terms of achieving its mission and vision. Apart from facilitation the girls will be having talks from their role model, from their fellow peers and from different organization; they be having an exchange program.
Other activities will be involved such drama, poem and dancing to help them improve on their self-esteem, assertiveness. The club targets girls from 11 years and above.
Its main objectives are
• To provide a forum for increased knowledge and experience sharing that will build them positively.
• To facilitate the emergence of girl child leaders and promote mentors who are able to give back to the community.
• To reduce the girl child vulnerability
• To create awareness of the challenges that the girl child faces in the slums
• To build the girls confidence and increase their self esteem.

Vision: To empower vulnerable girls and help them become young leaders.
Mission: To change all the girls in the Miale program positively

In March 2011, Laura and Julia donated sanitary towels, pants and bras to the young girls. This brought smiles to their lovely innocent faces. Most of the girls in Kibera face challenges of sanitary towels and pants. They are not able to afford a packet which cost Ksh.75 only and so they improvise by using pieces of cloth which are dirty and unhealthy. Kudos to Julia and Laura 

Eye problem is common everywhere. Most of Miale children have eye problems and they are not able to seek treatment simply because they can’t afford. Sean Walls came and touched the sight of some of our children. They are now able to read and write. All the guardians and children appreciate the wonderful support. Kudos to Sean.

Children are a gift from God and therefore should be shown love, concern and care. Just imagine as you grew up, if you were not shown love and care, how would your life be? The scenario with some of the children that Johari foundation supports is on the contrary and this is because some of the guardian and parent see them as burdens; just because the child is an orphan does not mean that he/she can not succeed in life. Johari Foundation team is always there to meet the children needs as well as to directing them towards positive growth in their life.
Food, toiletries, clothes, books etc that we give to orphans and vulnerable children are meant to show them that we care and love them amidst very many challenges which they face in their homes, schools and together with their guardians. Children in Kenya require to be shown love and concern and directed in moving toward the right direction. Johari will always be there to give full support for orphans and Vulnerable children holistically, that is; socially, economically, psychologically, and spiritually. Feel free to join us in putting a smile in the lives of our children.

This is a new initiative from Johari Foundation where each month we will be requesting a different in-kind donation.

The request in March is for stationery sets suitable for boys and girls age 5-16. You can buy these for about £3 or £4 from the supermarket and they usually contain a pencil, eraser, ruler and pencil case. The children on the Miale Programmes would love to have these for going to school and doing homework. These can be handed in to one of the Sumerian offices or the Johari office in Nairobi. Alternatively please post to these offices marking the package for the attention of Johari Foundation. If you are sending a few items and need these to be collected, please contact Johari Foundation If you don't have time to purchase a pencil case you can always make a financial donation for the value of the pencil case using the form below. It's quick and it's easy!

Donate

Click here to make a donation using our secure debit/credit card payment facility.

Education which is the Johari key tool of empowerment is a great challenge to poor families who are our beneficiaries. Many children frequently drop out of school due to lack of basic needs such as food, exam fees (as little as twenty shillings), lack of uniform, books and pens. Girls on the other hand are hard hit especially in the rural areas where they have to attend to many household duties after school, hence they have difficulty in performing well. Part of this is associated to culture which play a big part in hindering the further development of women.

Johari encourages all the girls to do their best and create positive impact to their lives.

Johari is committed to addressing the above issues by empowering through opportunities. This is a noble task which requires a substantial sum of money for effective implementation and assistance to the children we support in our Miale programmes. The pupil:teacher ratio is very high thus there is a compromise on quality of education. Johari Foundation is committed to give the best to each child though extra tuition, attention and counselling and help improve the performance of every child.

Please help us to brighten the future of Miale children.

Kids in different school at Muranga (central Kenya) were very happy to receive school uniforms from Johari foundation. This is yearly activity which assists the children to be comfortable as they learn in school. All the children were very exited and they promised to work hard and get good grades in school.

The guardians were also given monthly food supply which included:- Maize flour, Beans , Soap, cooking fat, paraffin and toothpaste .Food has been of great help to the families especially at this sunny season where farming is a problem due to bad weather, there is a hunger disaster in Kenya. Together with the guardians, and the teachers we discussed the different mechanism that we can put in place to enable the kids to perform better. We concluded that we will buy all the school requirements on time, the guardian will ensure that the children are always in school and they will make sure that the kids finish their homework on time. The teachers agreed to offer a personalized tuition to the children.

A trip to Sagana
My name is Jared Omondi. I am 16 years old. I am in Ofafa Jericho High School. I am in form two. My mean grade was B+ which qualified me to go for a trip with Miale in Sagana. The trip was to Sagana fisheries. It is about three and half hours drive. The place is so cool with a nice breeze. It has an attracting freshness with abundant plants and animals.
We were warmly welcomed at the reception where we were taught about fish and its environment. The lesson was fun as people asked funny questions. We had a jovial teacher with an interesting teaching.
We were then taken around the farm compound and made some new discoveries about fish. We all enjoyed the walk around the fish ponds. The lesson finally ended and we were taken to a cool place to rest. Chatting resumed its position as we waited for lunch. This is the time when we got to mingle with the other children from Kandara.
We went for lunch afterwards. The meal was delicious. It was a special meal – chips, chicken and soda. We chatted and joked as we enjoyed our meal. We then said thank you to Johari Foundation as Miale children.
By 4.00 p.m., we were boarded our vehicles. The long nice trip had eventually come to an end. We all enjoyed the trip and wished to have another one again.
I am grateful to Johari Foundation for organizing the holiday program and the trip. I am so grateful for the school fees, food and housing support.
I wish you all a nice time!
Jared from Kenya.

Schools in Kenya opened on 4th January 2011 after a long x-mas seasons. There was happiness and jubilations after Johari foundation in conjunction with sight aid international organized free eye check up for the children at Githigi primary school. Githigi School is one of the 9 schools which Johari foundation network with; it is located in the rural area of Kandara about 3 hours drive from Nairobi City Centre. The eye check up was held on 6th & 7th January. 230 children were checked in both days, this was to make sure that they are medically fit as they start 2011. Githigi primary has an enrollment of 1170 pupils with 20 staffs, which implies that every staff teaches about 58 pupils.

The school is dilapidated and its windows and floor is unkept. The area is very poor with many of the children surviving with one meal per day. Due to high poverty level some children are infected by jiggers and other disease causing organism. Johari foundation will strive to improve the well being of children by provision of necessary services for the betterment of the society.

A JOURNEY TO RWANDA
It is a trip that I will never forget. Everything started so well. I had been chosen by my school to represent Kenya as the ambassador together with my friend from Nairobi primary school. My father got me a passport and the Educational Officer who came from Nairobi city council department of education organized my visa.
I was taken to the airport by Mrs. Kavyu who is our deputy teacher. We stayed outside the building for an hour before the education officer could arrive. She arrived a few minutes with a boy from Nairobi primary. As I entered the building I saw a large notice “PASSENGERS ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT.” Now it was the time to say goodbye to our Deputy.
We gave out our bags to the check in desk and showed our tickets to the check in staff. “May I see your passport, please?” a man at the desk asked. I handed over my passport. The man looked at it carefully, “Did you pack this bags alone?” he asked. “Has anyone asked you to carry anything for them?” he asked again. “No!” I replied looking puzzled. “Thank you, here is your boarding card please go through immigration,” said the man. I showed him my passport again at the immigration desk and walked to the writing area.
“Hallo Jesse” I called “isn’t this exciting? Looking over there, you can see the plane landing and taking off.” I saw the control tower and two pilots at the cockpit of the plane. There was a long queue, everyone had to put their hand luggage through a machine and then through a door.
At 8.00a.m the flight crew announced that the plane will be leaving to Kigali. We were told to fasten our seat belt. The plane took off at 8.15 a.m.
We stayed in the air for an hour and fifteen minutes. When we arrived in Kigali it was 21 degrees c and the time was 8.15a.m. We were taken by the Rwandan bus. We went to the major house to sign our arrival documents. When we had finished we went outside the building where we were taken by the Rwanda Red Cross people.
We were accommodated very warmly. We were to stay for seven days but we only stayed for five days. In the evening we were introduced to our fellow members from East African Countries. I was so happy to meet them. We sang nice songs and went to sleep.
Every morning we woke up very early and take a bath then go to the conference room except for Tuesday. Tuesday was set for people to participate in giving ideas. I participated as a mother and was awarded a certificate in the 6th Summit. On the fifth day we had to say good bye to our beloved sisters and brothers from the other countries.

Story by Ireen Khasiala in class 7 (Ayany Primary School).

N/B: Ireen on the left side

END OF THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
The ASA came to an end on the 17th December 2010 until January 2011. The children had good presentations. The event kicked off at noon, we had the drama group who had a play about drug abuse. One of the challenges that most children experience in the slums is drug abuse, some are forced to take drugs through peer pressure or some want to experience how it feels and some get involved into drugs because it is easily accessible. The play was very educational; the actors showed us the effects of drug abuse and how to avoid the act.
The second group was very entertaining; we had the dancing group who showed us different styles of dancing. The moves motivated the children who are shy to join and dance. We also had the choir who sang soft and sweet songs which were very appealing to our ears. We have talent at Miale!
The next group was the modeling& fashion, the two girls had designed their own outfits and they looked wow! It was a lovely show and the children were so excited. The girls got the pieces of materials from Johari designs and they sure patched the pieces into beautiful dresses.
Finally we had the art group who presented artistic drawings.
There were rewards for different categories: performance in school, most improved either in behavior or academic, most active during the ASA, best mentor and best club.
The children received Christmas gifts from Catriona and David Sibbald. Thank you David and Catriona….we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. You sure brought a smile on the Miale children this season.

We closed the event with a word from the two children and the community workers. Happy holidays from Miale!

The holiday program which started 3 weeks ago ended last week. The children have been having fun as well as sharing some challenges which they face at home and at school. The social Worker has been able to address different issues and assisted the children to come up with different solution. The children from Karembuini School had improved in education most, than all the children from the other 8 schools which the organization network with. The different activities which the kids enjoyed are: - Playing Soccer game, Crafts, Story telling, drama, singing and eating competition. At the last day of the programme the children were each given some Xmas gift courtesy of Catriona and David. They were very much excited because they will spend the Xmas like any other child. The children who had improved in school were given some special award. Johari foundation wishes all the children and foundation friends a Merry Xmas and a Happy 2011.

December ASA

Miale children are enjoying themselves this December with different activities everyday.The younger children from age 7 to 10 years come in at 9.00 am and leave at 12.00p.m. The older children from 11 years to 18 years come in at 1.00 p.m and leave at 5.00 p.m. The younger children enjoy painting, drawing, singing and dancing. The children are encouraged to participate in activities they like and here most of them develop their talents. The children are also taught about hygiene and are involved in life skills like washing their uniform, handkerchief, and cooking. They also have library sessions every wednesday, we have mentors who assist them in reading the story books.

The older children enjoy drama, art, fashion, dancing and debate. They are also encouraged to participate in activities which they like. Most of the children are shy but with time they gain confidence and their self esteem grows. The older children are involved more in community work and we have sessions where they are trained on issues like: drug abuse, early pregnancy, career choice, relationships, life skills e.t.c. They get to choose topics for discussion and they also get to go for exchange programmes in the centres in Kibera.

Every friday is a sports day for all the children. Children who are good in football and volley ball are encouraged to participate during games.

Children from Kandara, Miale Outreach program were so much exited to receive mosquito nets from Johari foundation .Each child received a net and was very happy because they will no longer be infected by malaria. Miale outreach team followed a child by the name Boniface Kamade who schools at Githunguri primary school to his home and helped him to put the mosquito net in his bed which they share with 2 relatives. Boniface was overwhelmed by the fact that we assisted the family in putting the net. The guardian was also amused because the children will no longer wake up at night due to mosquito bites. Johari foundation will always strive to improve the living standard of the sponsored children.

Kenya Certificate for Primary Education (KCPE) will start officially from 8th - 12th Nov 2010. Today, 8th is a rehearsal day where the candidates are supposed to clean their classes, Desks and the invigilators will have to ensure that all the rules and regulation are followed and every thing is in place. Miale program has 17candidates sitting for the exams. 7 candidates are from Miale outreach Programme based in the rural area of Kandara District and 10 are from Miale Community support Programme based in the sprawling Kibera slums. Miale Social team have been preparing the children psychologically to ensure that they sit for their exams without any problems. All the children have informed us that they are well prepared for the exams and they promise that they will perform in a satisfactory manner. KCPE is National exam which the children in primary school are tested for the 8 years they have been in primary school. The results are published in the daily newspapers toward the end of this year. The exams also form a passage as the children graduate from primary school to high school. The choice of The High School to attend depends on the performance of the candidate. The candidates will be tested in the 5 main subjects namely: - Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Social Studies and Science. Johari staff and friends wish them all the best!

My name is Wendy Atieno. I am 8 years old. We live with our mother. We are two children in our family and I am the first born. My brother’s name is Scholes Ochieng. He is in pre – unit and I am in class 2. We live with our mother alone after our father died two years back.
I like watching cartoon, swimming, reading the Bible, reading story books and singing gospels. In future I want to be a lawyer. I love Jesus because he is the only father I have in life.
Thank you and God bless you all people in Miale.

Eye clinic
The eye clinic took place at Ayany primary school. Mrs.Khayeri allowed us to use the school premises. The eye clinic was sponsored by Sean Walls and we had five Doctors from Kenyatta National Hospital. The activity took two days and the team was able to test more than 200 children.
There are so many children with eye problems but because of financial constraints they are not able to access medical facilities. Most of the children and teachers were very happy because to some it was an answer, or a solution to their problem. The teachers complained of a high population of children with eye problems in the class. The children are forced to sit infront in order to see the blackboard clearly.
I am very thankful to Sean and his team for the good cause. I have had complaints from the children in the programme about issues with their eyes. They are not able to afford spectacles basically because their guardians are not able to raise money. The guardians/parents in Kibera are economically challenged and therefore request Sean to kindly come back and test more children.
This day was a blessing to the children who were tested. Kudos to Sean and his team you sure brought smiles to most of the children including myself.

A child in the Miale program goes through different challenges especially before joining the program. With a focus to the journey of a Miale child (Mercy and Patrick) they both have great challenges that poses ahead of them before they become self reliant in future.
To begin with, children recruited in the program, in most cases have challenges like late enrolment in school, malnutrated, tattered uniforms and no shoes which many guardians since cannot afford. The walking distances from home to school are quite a challenge especially during the rainy seasons. The children walk bare footed in the cold muddy grounds and still have to sit for long hours in a wet, cold and muddy class.
Sometimes they get to school already very wet having been rained on and probably has not had any breakfast because the guardian can only afford one meal a day. Every teacher expects this child to perform like the rest of the children in his class. However, a child of this kind of background has more difficulties in class as opposed to any other child from a better background. The children are naive, have nothing to enjoy, they are not comfortable playing with the rest of the children and have very little confidence in anything they do. At home most of the children live with guardians who are aged and ailing. They have to do a number of house hold chores like fetching water and firewood and even cooking for younger siblings while the guardians try to make a living somehow.

Mercy and Patrick are an example of children in our Miale programs. It’s very encouraging to note that children in the Miale programs have drastically improved and have accepted their situations can change. With the provision of our monthly supply of food, toiletries, uniforms, (mattresses, lamps, study tables) which we give them once and school fees, it has become a reality in their life that they can also be successful in life just like the rest of the children in from better backgrounds. A great challenge that Posses the Miale Social programs is to maintain the pace and ensuring continuity and sustainability.

These children need assistance in every way from me and you.
Miale appreciates any kind of assistance from well wishers to help change the lives of these children.

MY STORY
It was life with sadness. I was born in 1997. I am 13 years old. My mum and dad died many years ago. I don’t have a brother or sister. I am a lonely child. I have one uncle who was my mother’s brother and her sister. My aunt supports me and I love her so much.
She has two children who are now like my brother and sister. When I was in the clinic my dad was in the mortuary. I went off to live with my uncle’s wife. She was cruel to me. My grandmother came and took my away. I went to live with her. She died five years ago but now I live with my grandmother’s sister. I am in school.
I have forgotten about my parents. I know one thing, am happy to find that I have somebody who can help me with everything I need. I am so happy and I give thanks to God. My friends who are like me don’t give up. If you will be simple you will see that life is not hard, I have a great future infront of my life. I will try to work so hard.

By Sheila Atieno in class 6 (Kibera primary)

UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION
Miale child support provides uniforms for the primary school children once in a year. The April 2010 new intake was given uniforms on 10/09/2010. The children were very happy. We have a total of 22 new children. The distribution was as follows:
• Girls – one dress, pair of socks and sweater
• Boys – one short, shirt, pair of socks and sweater
Most of the children in Kibera are not able to afford uniforms, some wear very old uniforms and sometimes they are sent back home because of not having the correct uniform. A child is affected psychologically when he/she has an old uniform; it is uncomfortable to be around other children with an old uniform so one tends to shy away from the rest of the children. Sometimes the children with old uniforms are laughed at and this tends to affect their performance is school. There are cases where children or a child is forced to stay back at home because he/she lacks the uniform and this affects the child’s performance; in that the child lags behind in his/her studies.

Miale child support ensures that the children in the programme have the full the uniform. Most of our children have improved in their performance and also some of them have increased their self esteem. On this particular day we brought big smiles on the faces of the 22 children. They were all happy and very appreciative. They went home wearing their new uniforms feeling so extremely happy.

Songs, Dances, Games and prizes was what culminated the end of Holiday program for the outreach children last week. The children received some medical checkup and were also dewormed. The children were informed to maintain personal hygiene in order to avoid common infection and ailments. Meanwhile the children who had actively participated in the program were awarded with prizes. The children who had performed well in school last term were also given some fantastic prizes. All the children also got some cloths donation.”Am very much exited to have attended the program and I can’t wait for the next holiday “That was what Irene nduta, a class 4 child at Githigi primary school said.
After all the hard work, social talk and encouragement during the holidays its all system go as the kids head back to there respective institutions where they will seek to perform better than second term.
Johari Foundation ensured that they have the necessary items to enable them study and have no worrie during 3rd term. As always there is the much 3rd parties can do, its up to them to study hard and achieve the best results.

Children in the Miale outreach program were very much exited to start the holiday program last week.
Children from different schools came together in 2 different venues (Gakarara and Githunguri primary school in muranga) and had some good time together.

Activities that have been going on include:
Playing football something that the kids really enjoy, on top of the fact that they get to use good footballs unlike the home made ones they are used to.
They also had story time sessions which assist the children in building personal confidence.
We also had other small games including balloons and kids games.

As Miale outreach team; we evaluated how the children performed in school last term and we realized that the children who were meeting at Gakarara primary school had improved in their performance than those who were meeting at Githunguri primary. We advised them to work hard in school and ensure that they get good grades and qualify to go to the next class. They all agreed to work extra hard in school next term, for the children who had improved in their performances we promised to award them with some prizes before the end of holiday program. The program continues this week and next week.

Journey 1
MERCY SUSAN- MIALE CSP
Mercy Susan is the youngest child in Miale CSP. She is 8 years and lives in Kibera with her brother Peter Gerenge, the largest slam in East Africa. She lives in a small section called Kianda in a one room house which has one bed, one blanket and two stools.
She now lives with her sickly mother who is HIV Positive after her father’s death in 2004. The mother is always on and off from her from her unpredictable daily casual labour because of her deteriorating health condition. She can no longer do much for herself.

Mercy has been promoted to class 2 this year. This has made her very happy.
When Mercy first joined Miale CSP in 2008 when she was 6 years old she was very untidy, with a running nose, her hair was unkept and wore tattered uniform and shoes was a tale to her. She was naive and had no confidence. No close friends since she could not manage any. No one wanted to be associated with her by the fact that the mother is sick with a deadly disease. The trauma associated with the disease kept everyone away. This made her lonely and heartbroken. Her performance in school was very poor and missed classes often to because of hunger and this discouraged her.
Since joining Miale CSP she has tremendously improved. Basically, her image is now different. She looks neat in her new uniform, shoes and her hair is short and neat. Her ever smiling face cannot fail to be noticed among other things. She has friends whom she relates to and is able to play and talk with them. Her performance has improved and she managed to score 453 marks in third term.
Mercy will spend the next 6 years in primary school where she will be assisted through Miale CSP program. The program offers basic needs and education at an average rate of Ksh 3000 per month to see her fed, clothed and go through school with ease.
Mercy is also expected to show improvements in behaviour, attitude and her relation with other kids. She is also expected to do her best in class and that the program will completely change her life for the better.
Mercy joins scholarship program immediately she is through with primary school where her results determines what she will be in future.

In 2016…..Plan A
Mercy will sit for her exams (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) KCPE. Assuming that she will perform excellently, Mercy will join secondary school though the scholarship program. This will last for four years. This will be between 2017 and 2020 when she will sit for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
At his point her performance determines which tertiary College or a local University she is going to join and will pave way in seeing her become a career woman. This will be an exit strategy for Mercy.

Plan B.......2016
Mercy will sit for her KCPE in 2016 and if she does not perform well academically or if she decides that she doesn’t want to continue with formal education then the other option is join tertiary courses e.g. tailoring, catering, hair dressing and it has to be a course of her choice. This may be the next exit option to ensure that Mercy goes through a course which will enable her either get employment or starts her own business if possible with the support of Miale Child Support Program. If Mercy chooses to undertake a dressmaking course or jewellery making ,she will join Johari Youth Empowerment Program which will see her through further training to make her a fashion designer and more marketable and a producer for Johari foundation. This will be her livelihood.
Mercy would still set her own business and after YEP with assistance from the foundation and can become a productive person within her local community. Johari from time to time would give her order for uniforms for other kids in the program. This will be a way of promoting one of our own.
Plan C
Mercy will continue with her formal education after passing form 4 and joins a public University. In public universities there is HELB (Higher Education Loans Board) where she can get a loan. Though this is not guaranteed the foundation will support her to ensure that she completes her education. The foundation will also assist Mercy to search for a job depending with her specialization and if she can bridge any gap in the foundation, Mercy will be absorbed by the foundation to get exposure and later with another organization which she may absorb her.
Comments

The story of Patrick and Mercy clearly shows that the two children have a very long journey to undertake before they become self reliant. As a foundation, we have a greater job to make a different in their lives and enable them become self reliant hence lies a great challenge. The foundation has to ensure structures and policies that are sustainable to make the dreams of the children come true and meet the foundations goals.
The journey has begun and will go on for at least 10 years plus for both kids. The journey is in stages with different programs rolling in every stage of the child. In primary, the child is either in Miale Child Support Program of in Miale Outreach Program. As the child joins secondary school, Tertiary courses or University, the child moves to scholarship program and later exits from the program which is determined by choice of scholarship.
It is therefore important to make prior preparation with the very basic understanding that children in the program will stay for a long long time in the program before they are self reliant. Taken care of well, the children will one time look back and say, ‘THEY ARE PROUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH JOHARI FOUNDATION”. We will also be happy to have made a difference in their lives and the good work done when we can see the fruits of our labour.

BY REGINA

check out more programme photos on our Facebook Fan Page. Please leave your comments there

Caroline Kemunto at the Emmanuel Technical Institute
I would like to write this letter to Miale Programme to appreciate what you have done for me so that I can make it in life. I am happy to inform you people that I am doing my best at the beauty college. I want to come out with good results that will make me to achieve what I want.

I want to come out with a success of Diploma so that I can gain knowledge and I also want to be an entrepreneur to be able to help my younger ones. Once I have achieved all this I would like to be a hero to somebody.
I really appreciate your support and I will not let you down. I will come out with a good success.

Miale outreach program has been for the last 2 weeks recruiting new children into the program. The program target to increase the children from the current 50 to 70.The intake of the new children involves the following stages.

1. The program coordinator (James Kamau) requests the head teachers in various schools to list all the orphan and the vulnerable children in their school.
2. A home visit is conducted, where a case study form is filled. The social worker also observes how the family lives and the size of farm as well as the number of livestock, this is meant to ensure that we only recruit the needy child into the program.
3. The social team discusses the various cases to ascertain the case which deserves help. The team also award marks to the various cases.
4. The guardian and their children are called for a 2nd interview to ensure that the initial information which was filled in the case study is genuine.
5. If the case is genuine the child qualify into the program but is given a probation period of 3 months. In this period the social worker verifies that the child is genuine and all the information given is correct.
These are the stages which the miale outreach social team is undertaking to ensure that only the deserving needy children are recruited into the program.

We can all agree that social networking has been greatly impacted by the arrival of Facebook. 2010 statistics show that more than 60% of people aged below 45 are on a social network.

At Johari Foundation we have realised that through Facebook we can interact with our supporters on a more regular basis and update them on the progress of our Miale programmes and forthcoming fundraising events.

We hope that you will join us on Facebook and enjoy our postings and photographs. We look forward to your feedback and support! Johari Foundation On FaceBook

The journey of a child in Miale social programs is long just like for any other growing child.. This is from the time a child is recruited in the program and the time a child becomes self reliant. Self reliance for every child in the program is the key objective for Miale social programs.

Charles Kuria a standard two boy in Karembu – ini primary school in Kandara central Kenya is the youngest in Miale outreach program. Charles is born in a family of 11 children and the mother is single. Living in a one roomed house, Charles appreciates his humble home and vows to work hard in school. He wants to be a teacher.

Charles will be in Miale program for the next 12 years and the program will provide for all his needs to ensure he finishes primary school, joins secondary school depending with his performance. He will then join university or college for four years before getting a job or starting his own business. The journey is long. This means that the program must ensure that the child is given the best support in terms of basic needs, proper education and more so social psycho- support to ensure that the child is successful.
Charles represents all the 186 children in the Miale social programs. The journey for each child depends with the time the child joins the program and at what point the child becomes self reliant and exits.

From my experience, it is important to ensure proper structures and strategies have been put in place to enhance growth and success of each child in the program. Given that each child will take ample time in the program, we have put in policies that have enabled the organization role out Miale programs with ease. The growth and success of each child depends solely on the efforts that child will put and the provision that the programs will offer. Doing our best to ensure positive change in every child is our joy.

THANK YOU MIALE!!
My name is Brian Maeba. I am I standard three in Ayany Primary school. I thank God for directing the Miale child project to Kibera.
I take this chance to thank the Miale project for sponsoring me. I thank them because they have helped me in changing of my life. First and foremost I thank them for paying my tuition, exams and feeding programme. Secondly, I want to thank them for providing me with food when I am not in school.
I take this chance again to thank the Miale project for helping me with learning facilities such as school shoes and many more things.
Lastly, I pray for the Miale project so that God can unite them and help them stand firm and help many more children who come from poor families.
Since I was sponsored I have improved in school and in the social activities.
Yours brother in Christ,
Brian Maeba.

Video coverage day
This was a very interesting day for the whole team!
We had the video coverage crew, staff from office – Stella, Peter, James Kamau and James Mwangi. It was an adventure for people like Peter and the Video crew being their first time in Kibera slums.

We started off with Ayany primary school. The Head teacher Mrs.Khayeri has always been helpful during such visits. We took shots of the children in class rooms as the learning continued. There was no interruption as the pupils continued as if nothing was taking place. Afterwards we took shots of the children during break time, with them all over us– kids really like photos and videos!! We had interview sessions with three students who are in class 8.
A trip to some of the houses where our children live in Kibera was an adventure to the crew. We managed to take a few photos and interviews with the guardians of the children that we support. On our way back Peter stepped on something awful, this made him scream so hard!!
We later went back to the office to do interviews for Stella, Julia (community worker) and myself. This was done in a very short time. I felt like I was in some studio with all the floodlights, the heat and the microphone. It was a nice experience…..
I believe it was a good experience for the group which had visited the slum for the first time. It is always good to know how other people live, interact with them and also to have a glimpse of what it is really like to live in a slum. These people are not different from any of us, it’s just the environment and the situation that makes it look different but we are all the same, we suffer from the same diseases, learn the same syllabus, eat the same food and go to church just like everybody else. They may be less advantaged but they are all human beings.

A guardian/parent’s meeting.
Miale guardians/parents normally meet once every month. The first Wednesday of every month was set for the meeting and the turnout has been good so far. The guardians come together to discuss about the programme, the children and challenges.
This month’s meeting was very successful, the guardian agreed to be contributing Kshs.100 to help support bereaved families. This was well received by everyone. I really admired how they came up with the fantastic ideas and how they all spoke one language – to be together in solidarity which is very important.
I encourage them to always be together and help support one another. A healthy community is guided with norms and at Miale we have simple rules that every guardian is required to follow

Supplies Day at Kandara for the month of June– Outreach Programme
Giving the children a better educational environment is one of our main objectives. Therefore one of our monthly activities is the food supply. This ration is geared towards ensuring the children get food before, during and after school. This makes sure a child is healthy and does not have a reason not to concentrate in class.
It happens once a month where we give the guardians or parents the supplies .James Kamau the outreach Coordinator has made prior arrangement with a few local business supplies to deliver the supply for the month.
For new parents the starter supply is a bit detailed, i.e. things that we buy once
On this particular day we did provide mattresses and lanterns

For the other monthly supply it included whole meal maize flour, cooking fat, Beans, and paraffin…

James the social worker also takes this opportunity to talk with the guardians and listen on their needs.

He also enquires about the progress the parents are taking in order to fulfill the major goal……Help a child acquire education.
Reginah had goodies for the new children….underwear’s. Do not get shocked, for a long time boys and girls in the rural have had undergarments as a luxury so it was a pleasure giving them the underpants.

On the particular day when we were at the field where we conduct the food distribution, there were the primary school music festivals happening at Gakarara primary school hall. Some of the kids we support were also part of their schools teams.

Johari Founation Kenya have been filming a documentary that will show what we do.
We believe that it will help give you an understanding of what we do in Kenya.
Kibera is the second biggest slum in sub Saharan Africa and we had to go through the slums to get to where the children stay.
The Camera Men getting ready……

Through the rivers….
And the houses
The grafiti showing what most of the ones who do not go to school do….

We visited the home of Mama Kimaswa (Kimaswa is one of the kids we support) who is physically challenged….
At Ayany Primary where the largest grop of children we support are educated.
Back to the Olympic center for Maureen the CSP Social worker & Stella the Afterschool coordinator to be interviewed…..we were there on a Wednesday when the children come for their weekly ration which includes; vegetables, bread, beans and porridge flour….
A tiring day it was but worthwhile……

Look out for future updates on editing the documentary..…then soon after that the documentary will be complete.
Main aim: To give you insight and an improved understanding of the Miale programmes.

Dennis Oduor says……..
Since starting back at school this term I have been enjoying it. I have not been as busy as last term because I did most of my school work during the April holidays. I like to be ahead of what the teacher is currently teaching in various subjects because otherwise I get frustrated because I have to read and revise and at the same time that I have to write notes. This mid-term will be the longest I have had in Ofafa Jericho.

I have to revise because next week on 8th June I will be sitting mid-term examinations. I also want to be able to chat with some of my friends and relax a bit though. I am trying my best to make sure that in the coming exams that I achieve at least a B in every subject. Although last term I found Maths, Chemistry, Physics and French difficult. I have prepared well for them except French which I find difficult to understand. After next term (in form three) I will drop French and continue with Computer.
I am trying to get a good grades that can give me the qualifications to join University. It is possible because I am sure that at the end of it all I will pass. I would like to request Miale buy revision text books for every high school, it would be good. One thing that I thank Miale for is that you always pay my school fee in time and so I don’t miss classes unlike some of my friends. I don’t feel good when nobody comes on parents’ day.
Dennis (Left side) and his friend Jared (right side).

A day out in search of a Vocational Institute
My day started very early in the morning, I was already in the office by 7.30 a.m. making arrangements on how we were going to spend our day searching for a vocational Institute. The search was for an Institute where we can place one boy in the programme to learn skills that can help him in future.
I met with James Kamau and James Mwangi and the journey began. We were to visit 3 institutions on that day. We started with one Institution known as St.Vincent Technical Institute which has about 35 students and is in a conducive environment. The second institute P.C.Kinyanjui Technical Institute is in a very friendly environment, it is under the Ministry of Education and the setting is just perfect. The third Institute did not meet our requirements. After visiting the three relevant institutes in the area we decided to visit one boy who is in the programme – Daniel Otieno he is doing a mechanic course and to our surprise Daniel was in another garage helping to open an engine. This really made all of us happy especially me. Daniel impressed me so much, he believes in himself and is ready to take up any challege. After a chat with him, I felt so encouraged to see that the resources Miale has invested in him is being utilised in a good way.I believe this gives the programme more reason to assist more children.
On our way to Kibera Primary, we spotted one child in the programme Joab Onyando walking on the road. This was strange because the boy had no reason to be out of school we had paid up all the school charges: tuition, exams and lunch. We had to take the boy back to school to find out why he was out. These are the kind of challenges that I have to deal with; children missing classes without viable reason.

Lucy is 18 years old; she lives in Kibera with her elder sister Everline. She has been in the programme since 2006. She has four siblings: - 1st born is Everline Odhiambo who is 30 years and earns her living by plaiting, 2nd born is Olga Odhiambo who lives in the upcountry with grandmother, 3rd is Abigail Odhiambo who is also in the Miale Programme she completed form four in 2009 and attained a mean grade of D+, 4th born is Lucy and the last born is Collins Odhiambo who lives in the upcountry with the grandmother.
Lucy is a total orphan her parents died when she was still young. She misses her parents very much and says life is difficult without her parents. There are days that they go hungry because of lack of money. Lucy lives with her elder sister who sometimes goes for a week without getting a client to plait. She really appreciates what Johari has done for her. Johari came to her life as a blessing and she prays that the programme should continue supporting other children in Kibera. Lucy had lost hope in finishing her education, Johari made her dream come true. She says Miale has helped her in school fees, given her food and most of all it has given her courage to face the future.
Lucy’s interest are reading novels and socializing with people. She did KCSE in 2009 and attained a mean grade of B-. She was the first in the school. She attended Green Valley High School in limuru. She would like to be an accountant. She is looking forward to joining college.
This week from 19/05/10 she joins Francis Kanyoi the Johari Accountant to get an insight into the work of an Accountant. We will hear from her about the Accountancy field.
Social worker’s comment: Lucy is a very hard working girl; she is soft spoken and has a bright future. She likes to come to the centre to assist with the kids. If given a chance she should continue with her studies because she is a bright girl who can perform well.

A sad time in the Miale CSP
Life is a precious gift given to us by God and it is always good to appreciate at all times. It is a mourning period for the children and the guardians of Miale. Two girls in the programme lost their guardians; it has been a trying moment for everyone. The guardians, children and the community workers all came together as one family to form solidarity to find ways of assisting the two bereaved families. The two girls are very young and so I have to ensure that they get to live with guardians who can support and guide them. Life is not easy especially when one looses their loved ones like parents. One can only imagine the kind of life in the kibera slum without a positive role model in a child’s life!
My role during this time is to reassure the young girls, counsell them and assist them in accepting the death of their guardians. The children at this time get really confused, sad and traumatized. Some even think of committing suicide because they believe it’s the end of the road for them. Some think that after they have lost their parents, guardians they will be dropped from the programme. At this trying moment the children need constant sessions with the Social worker.
When the children loose their parents/guardians, the burden is left for Miale. Miale programme becomes the father and Mother of the child or children. The guardians are supposed to chip in, this helps to reduce the dependency syndrome. When we loose our guardians it doubles our work.
Death is something that no one has control over, it doesn’t give any warnings nor does it say the particular time or moment that it will occur.

In April, we had a new intake of twenty one children from Kibera Primary School. For the first time we have children from a different school which is a great opportunity for our Ayani Primary children to interact with students from a different school.
The increase of children has meant that a lot of logistics have changed in order to cater for the increase. We need more food stuff, water, cooking items, craft items, books etc to accommodate all the children.
The community workers, coordinators and volunteers have worked as a team to ensure that the programme runs smoothly and is a success.

The new children from Kibera Primary adjusted well to the programme with many of them eager to participate in the planned activities. The children who have been with us have welcomed the new ones and are taking the time to show them how things are done in Miale. It’s also exciting for them to interact with children from another school as they share their experiences and forge new friendships.

Fun Activities
During the afterschool programme in April activities included; cookery classes, sewing, sports, arts and crafts and interactive sessions for the children to share their experiences in various areas. The children really enjoyed these activities and this was evident by their requests to have the same activities in June when they resume the programme. Can’t wait for June! It’s interesting to note that the small children keep checking every day when the after school programme starts again.

Acrobatics
The Kenya National Theatre acrobats gave Miale children a real treat with their daring performances. The children were so taken in by the performances that they actually formed their own “Act” which they showcased during the final day of the April Holiday programme. There are a lot of potential acrobats in the making at Miale...Watch out!

Group discussions
These group discussions seem very important to the children as it is “their” time to share their experiences with each other and discuss about issues that concern them. Some of the discussion such as peer pressure, relationships, even politics were turned into debate topics! It was really interesting to see different groups of children battle it out to have their “motions” be the winning ones!
Actually its amazing how this has allowed some of the shy children to come out and speak boldly and confidently! More power to them!

Facilitators
Our programme saw two guest speakers come and talk to the children. We had a nurse from Kenyatta hospital come and talk to the children about their health and how to take care of themselves .The kids got to ask a lot of questions which showed genuine interest about their health. We also had a social worker who talked to them about nutrition, various food groups and basically how to eat a well balanced diet.

How does it feel to be in a new environment and with new people?
Perhaps this is what is in these children’s mind.
Miale Child Support Programme increased the number of children in April 2010 by 23 children. There was a large number of children shortlisted but only 23 qualified for the programme.
Its amazing to see them try to fit in the program, so naïve yet strong to cope. We are growing, one of the Community workers commented. The families are happy to be part of the Johari family.
It was very funny to see the older children on the programme volunteer to work the first week followed by the new students the second week. A Swahili saying sprang to mind - “Mgeni siku kwanza mpe chai, Mgeni siku ya pilli mpe ugali, Mgeni siku ya tatu mpe Jembe.” In English when a visitor comes to your place the first day give him/her tea, the second day lunch and the third day give the visitor Jembe to dig. So the new children got involved in helping after their first week on the programme.

Comments from the 2 new children
Khadija said “I enjoyed myself during the training and I learnt how to maintain myself, Thank you!”
Faustine Kayosa said “During the holiday programme I enjoyed reading story books.”

Miale child support programme is looking forward to increasing the number in primary education.

After a long April holiday, children in Miale outreach returned to school a couple of weeks ago. Most of them struggled with getting up early on their first day back because they were used to waking up later during the holiday. During the rainy season the children don't enjoy waking up early!
During our discussions with the teachers from the schools we visited we found out that the teachers are more strict with the children who come to school late as they miss classes. Children in the programme enjoy going to school but like all children need to be encouraged.

Photograph of class two in Githunguri Primary school teacher Mrs. Maina at the back.

Miale Outreach team recruited some new children on March 2010 for the programme.
First of all the children were selected by their respective class teachers as being in need of our help. After the selection home visits were carried out by the Miale team to ascertain whether the child is needy and whether the home situation deserves some assistance.
Following our selection criteria and policy the Miale team analysed case by case and 8 children qualified. They are now in the program and although a bit naïve have adapted very.

The girl on the left and the boy at the back are in the Miale programme.

Regular Home visits is an important part of the remit of a Miale social worker to ensure that the programme runs smoothly and to be able to understand the families and guardian’s who live with the children.
James (outreach social worker) and Charity a social worker in the making went to visit a home at Githunguri area a couple of weeks ago. The team had to walk a long distance because the area was in-accessible by car due to heavy rains. The road was muddy and slippery.
On reaching the home the team met a guardian who welcomed them whole heartedly. The team discussed many issues which included the wellbeing of the child, problems affecting the family at home and how to ensure that the child performed well at school. We also visited other homes. Charity found the visits interesting and really good experience.

The Guardian pictured above was thrown out of her marital home by her in laws upon the death of her husband. She lives in a one room house which she has rented with her three children and her late sisters two children. Miale support one child in this family.

Due to the excessive rain, trying to access schools in Miale outreach has proved challenging.
One ought to be in gumboots if not bare footed. However, the rainfall will be good for the harvest. Most of the farms are green and guardians are busy weeding and happy at the prospect of a good harvest this year.

During our home visit we meet one of our guardian's in her small piece of land and she is very happy. Her crop looks great and promising. She has planted Maize, Beans and vegetables and wishes she could do something to ensure the success of her harvest in coming years!
Her three children work with her in the garden during the holiday which is nice that the children give their mother a helping hand.

Regina Wambui is the Social Development Manager with a key role of driving the development and expansion of the Social Development programmes.

As a Social Development Manager, I feel proud to be associated with Johari in this noble service. The challenges and experiences are very educative and of wide exposure.
When I look back from where we have come from, I can confidently say that we are changing kid’s life positively. The programs are growing day by day with increased number of children. Every time I get to share with kids in the program, I get to realize that Miale programs are doing a great job.

I have learnt with time that the more poor or vulnerable an individual is, the more hopeless one becomes. “Where there is no hope, there is no life”. I have observed a great change in kids gradually, before and after joining Miale programs. It is wonderful to note that most kids look happier, smart and confident and are able to play and fit in their different ages unlike before.
Kids know a lot of things and have a lot to share given an opportunity. That, I have learnt during my sharing with them. They love being recognized, respected and to be given space.

Miale Support Programme office is located in Olympic estate in Kibera Slum.. The office is very important as it makes the programs operations simple and it’s accessible by the 136 children in the program since they live and school within the vicinity of Kibera. The office has a kitchen, a library, 1 room used as a reception area, 2 rooms used as classrooms and an office.
Miale office is facing a “water crisis” in spite of the long rains for the last one year. We spend approximately Ksh. 2000 per week when the children are around and Ksh 500 per week during the normal working days.
Water is life! The acute shortage of water is very dangerous because it poses danger to kids especially when we have to buy water and yet we are not sure where the water is fetched. A big reservoir of about 5000 Litres is of great need right now especially with the heavy rains and considering that Kibera is a big slum, high populated and with very poor sanitation.
We hope to get a bigger reservoir for water soon!! Considering the 136 children on board and we are yet to increase the number we need a solution very soon.

The April holiday program for children came to an end a week ago. The faces of the children could not hide their excitement because of participating in different activities which includes: Playing soccer, Making Crafts, colouring, ballon games, Drama and singing.

The activities were culminated by awarding prize to the children who performed well in school and some outstanding children in the holiday program. ``I can’t wait for the next holiday’’ That is what John Nyoike, a child who attended the program said.

The Outreach team had a chance of socializing with the children and doing on the spot counseling. Performances of the kids academically was key area of discussion
It’s now back to school time and the children promise to work hard.

Maureen is the Programme Coordinator/ Social worker of Miale Child Support Programme. I love to work with children and the community. I have been in Miale for the last 2 years. My work entails: making sure the feeding programme runs smoothly, follow up on the children both in school and at home, and ensuring the children get their requirements like uniform, shoes, and monthly supply, offering psychosocial support to both the children and the guardians, making sure the children are in good health, guidance and counselling to the adolescents, managing both the community workers and the suppliers.

Working and supporting the Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVCs) in Kibera community gives me satisfaction, and at the end of the day putting a smile on a child’s face makes me feel complete and happy. My best moment is when we have talks with the children, whereby they get to express themselves, and i get to learn so much from them. We also talk about life, their experiences and what they want to become when they are young adults. I am a good listener and try to help the children come up with solutions to their daily problems and challenges. The children are also taught to respect themselves and others and we try to mould them to become better people in the society.

Life in the Kibera slums is challenging but with positive thinking, and good relations with the people I work with as well as the children, everything runs smoothly. I care so much about children’s education and so I advocate for them, encourage them to work hard and have good grades. I value happiness, health and education of a child and encourage them to work hard so that they can become independent in future.

I have a social education background with over five years experience in social work. I am currently pursuing a BA in sociology and communication at the University of Nairobi. My goal is to gain more experience, exposure and to use the skills that I have to bring a positive social change in my community.

The New Year has come with gladness. The Christmas festivities were full of glamour as always. The Johari Foundation was not left behind in making sure that the children they support had a wonderful one. This was done through two parties held just before the festive season fully kicked in.

It’s not been all that smooth in Kenya as rains are heavy, but we hope they will not do as much harm as expected. Dec 29 marked the official release of the results of KCPE candidates who did there exams last year. We had a total of 20 candidates spread over different schools in different localities. They did perform very well the first garnering 354 out of the possible 500. Note the First candidate in the country scored 438. This is an improvement from the previous year where we had the lead scoring 343 out of 500.

What can we say unless to thank all you out there who support this noble cause.

We hope we will be in touch throughout this year to see how we can help each other and lend a hand to a needy child in Kenya, East Africa.

For more information please continue visiting our website www.joharifoundation.org, and ask any questions via info@johari.co.uk.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=94586073207&ref=ts

The Foundation has been making great progress and changes this year. Firstly, we have changed our name from the Sumerian Foundation to the Johari Foundation. This move reflects the growing integration of Johari, our social enterprise business with our wide variety of social development programmes.

We continue to develop and build our social programmes, helping people and communities in a positive, respectful and purposeful way. The Miale Child Support Programme is thriving and currently provides support to over 100 children in Kibera, the largest slum in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Miale Scholorship Programme which offers secondary and tertiary education to the children from the Miale Child Support Programme is delivering great benefits to the children and their families. The Apprenticeship Centre continues to flourish and the jewellery and clothing that is being produced has been a great success with consumers at the recent UK sales events. There is a new collection for 2010 which looks fantastic!

The Foundation is also offering a unique opportunity for 12 individuals to climb Mount Kenya with a two day visit to the Foundation Programmes in November 2010. Spaces are limited and the closing date for applications is 29 January 2010. If you are interested in finding out more about the challenge please visit www.johari.co.uk/challenge

It’s yet another time of the year when thousand of high scholars in Kenya start there national exams.
It has been: grueling, books, symposiums, group studies, tuitions, study timetables. Books...books and more books and do not forget libraries. That has been the life for four years. Now is the time to test all that in a final exam. Sumerian foundation has for another year a number of form four candidates who are among the over 200,000 students sitting for their exams starting today. They are all at green valley international. Alphonce one of the students commented a month ago that they were ready to face the exam.
All the best to the form four and as one of the ladies said…”if it were not for support by Sumerian foundation I could not have made it to this far.”

Every individual is responsible for his/her own life. Every activity contributes to ones success or failure. One has to make wise choice after comparing the pros and cons of something. The very beautiful way called. `I don’t care`, leads a very ugly city called, ` I wish I knew.
A stitch in time saves nine.
It`s never too late to change.
The last minute can save a man.
Always take heed to messages of the wise.
Always obey those who help you as your parents.
In conclusion if you go to hunt for hares beware of the cats in the field.

By one of the MIALE outreach Kids

The holidays are here with us and everything is set for the Afterschool programs conducted by MIALE.
At MIALE CSP Stella is pulling an interesting program that will keep the children glued to positive influence. Besides having quite a no of sports activities towards the end of every week, the older ones will have a tuition program running through the other weekdays. The so called hard subjects have been considered to help them perform better. I.e. Mathematics, Chemistry and physics for the high scholars.
I bet this Holiday will impact these kids positively from the norm of playing in the slum fields as is the case with most kids who live in kibera.
MIALE Outreach is not being left out though being on a different structural setting. Both the parents and the kids will have several meeting to help them understand a few things on both platforms. I.e. Parenting and discipline to the parents and kids respectively.
Sumerian foundation Staff in Kenya will play a major role in the holiday program. A few volunteers will still give a hand in the program.

Make sure you come back and see the difference and impact after the holidays are here.

Story By Peter

You might have read about Jared Omondi in a previous article. Here he gives an update about himself in high school. Having overcome a lot of hardships in his life, the Sumerian Foundation is delighted to hear about his progress. Here in Jared's words is his update.

“With the help of Miale I performed not badly in my final exam, I attained 332 out of the possible 500. Miale was able to send me to OFAFA Jericho high school. This is a very good school with a lot of activities beside school work. I joined form one earlier this year and I can say I have been able to learn a lot of things. Games are held every Thursday at 5:00pm.

During our first holiday as high scholars’ Miale was at hand with an afterschool program. I was elected to be a mentor. I was so happy for the program and especially mentoring the young ones who usually came for the morning session of the after school program.

Story By Jared Omondi

Having done all the home visits, selection of children according to the criteria came next - Friday the 15th May was the D-Day. The guardians arrived as early as 8.00am to take the supply, accompanied by other relatives making sure that they too everything home safely. Excitement, hope and satisfaction could clearly be read from the guardians' faces. 29 children have benefited from the program so far.

‘It’s true! This is even better!’ One of the guardians said. All is well and may blessings of God be with you were the last words that closed our meeting. Our hearts are joyful and happy was our closing song.

Story by Regina Outreach social worker

My name is Jackson Kimaswa. I am in a family of six and am the youngest.
I was born in KIBERA in 1994, where we have lived ever since, only changing houses. My father passed away in 2003 and left my mother who is physically challenged (crippled). She struggles so much so that we can eat. She used to sell small snacks outside Kenyatta national hospital (Kenya`s biggest national referral hospital). She was not lucky as the city council abolished such trading.

My elder sister Carol used to wash clothes for people as well as plait hair so that it could supplement what our mother would get. But now she is married. My mother loves us much and treats us equally and that’s why I love her so much. She is a wonderful mother.
Our house got burnt and all my belongings got burnt. The cause of the fire was a candle…that’s all I got to know of the fire.
I thank God for MIALE and SUMERIANFOUNDATION who give us food every Wednesday and Friday. This food helps us very much and we appreciate it. God bless them.
Story by Jackson Kimaswa

As the holidays have drawn to a conclusion, we thought what would be the best way to culminate the MIALE April afterschool programme. Few ideas came forth but a trip to the arboretum would put ice on the cake. The last day of the month was the day we went to this recreation park. It has very good scenery for anybody who appreciates nature. It has grounds that enabled us to have different activities.
The older kids who are in high school took this time to bond more with each other as they took nature walks. Some even had saunter. The trees and the cool breeze was the best place they would have done these as they had been used to housed places.
For the slightly younger ones, a game of football for the boys was in hand while the ladies would enjoy a bit of “kati” (A game where 2 people on either end throw a ball to a crowd in between them, the crowd is supposed to make sure they don’t get hit by the ball. The last person to be left in the centre wins the game)
Sumerian Staff was in hand to enjoy with the kids as well.
Was a great way to end the holidays for the kids and I know they can’t wait for the August after school program offered to them via MIALE.
Breaking sweat was the order of the day for the staff that was at hand to be with the children.

By Peter

Friday the 24th April 2009 was one of those days when the MIALE kids took to the field and you don’t want to know how much joy this brings to the kids. After days of being in class and doing other activities which are very good for there lives it was time to say that, `work without play makes jack a dull boy` in our scenario,’ indoor activities without outdoor games makes MIALE kids dull kids’.
Off we went to Ayany grounds and the boys enjoyed themselves with a game of football where in our case the blues hammered the greens 3-2. What a day.
The girls on the other hand were not left alone as Jennie Duck took them through a series of activities and one of them which was close to netball. After all was done we set back to MIALE center for lunch and you could see the joy on there faces. “Another one”, was the song all were singing.
By Peter

The April holidays are here and children all over Kenya are excited to be home for the whole month .For the children at Miale, this is particularly exciting for them as they get to have a wide range of fun activities to occupy them during this time. At the Miale center, they will have an opportunity to read all kinds of books and magazines, participate in fun sports activities, have interesting talks from volunteers, do some exciting art and craft work, come up with plays and even go for a trip. There’s definitely something fun and even educational for all the kids and what’s even more exciting is the fact that we have volunteers and members of Sumerian foundation/Johari staff participating in this program.
The holiday program provides fun and educational activities for the kids but more importantly helps the children spend their time constructively and keep them out of trouble!
By Stella

Kenya has its education system categorized in four; Kindergarten, Primary school, High school, University/college/tertiary, with the middle two having unified exams in the country.
The primary education national exam results are released at the end of December every year while the secondary schools results are released towards the end of February.

The post election violence at the beginning of 2008 that rocked Kenya interfered with the school system throughout the year. This can be attributed to the low grades registered this year.
Miale was able to produce one candidate in the just released 2008 KSCE results. She attained a fair grade. The reason why I chose to tell the story of Dolphine is because many times students like her fail to succeed in life, not because they aren’t capable but because they don’t get anyone to support them and guide them through the period after the exam results are out. Hence they are unable to make the best decisions that would help them to succeed in life.

Low grades however does not mean the end of all hope as is the case with Dolphine .She had the opportunity to interact with staff of Sumerian foundation and Johari and got to understand the diverse backgrounds of the staff ,and how they got to reach where they are in their lives. She discovered how it’s possible to proceed on to University/ college without necessarily attaining the highest grade i.e. doing a bridging course which then allows one entry to the degree level. Through the one week program organized by Maureen Buyu Miale coordinator where she got to talk with Sumerian and Johari staff, Dolphine was able to have a different perspective of life and have a sense of hope.

She is currently doing computer classes in Nairobi, Kenya. Successful completion of this course would be a stepping stone towards achieving her dreams. She says and I quote,”...I am so grateful for the help Sumerian foundation has given me, more so for allowing me to come to its offices and talk with all of the staff. Thank you for your advice.”

We at Sumerian foundation Kenya hope to have more success stories with all the children in the Miale programme.
Story by Chiku

Good communication skills are usually as a result of reading, and one way of enhancing language skills is by reading a lot in the same language.

We at Miale have not been left behind in making sure that all the children we support have the best of communication skills now and in the future. We want them to excel in this, particularly as language skills in their respective schools can uplift their grades. It has been proven that understanding a question in an exam is the first key to success. If you misinterpret the question, you risk answering the question incorrectly. We at Miale understand this and are trying to make sure that the children we support have resources that will help them better comprehend the English language.

To help this in a big way we received book donations that helped us start a library at our premises. Previously, we would have to take the children to a national library, but we thought having a small one of our own will go a long way to helping the kids. They will not have to wait for the next trip to the national library to access the vital information that books provide them for their language skills.

Miale library sessions
The Miale children’s library is an important resource that is well stocked with all genres of books that appeal to all age groups. One of the activities that the children enjoy during their school holidays are the library sessions. They have free access to various books that interest them and it has proven to be a very worthwhile pastime. The Miale library was introduced when the children expressed their interest in books during one of the holiday trips to the national library. There, they had the opportunity to read various books, magazines, as well access information from computers.

These library sessions provide the children with the opportunity to broaden their vocabulary as well as learn lots of fun and educational things. Some children have even got ideas of careers they would like to pursue as result of something they’ve read and this in turn helps to shape their focus and work hard in school. It’s our hope that the library will expand to accommodate more books and even computers which are great reservoirs of information.

Good communication skills, good grades in languages - all as a result of the Miale Library. Thanks to Stella for contributing to this story.

By Peter Irungu

The past three weeks have seen secondary schools admit tens of thousands of students into form one. It has been a hectic period for any guardian whose child or candidate cleared class 8 in the year 2008. They had to get new uniform, books, bags, boxes, and a lot of new things.
On a light note: A point that varies with what school you go is that you have to come with some item e.g. jembe(hoe), slashers (grass cutters), and hockey stick e.t.c
The students are usually so excited that they have graduated from being children who could do subjects as told by the teacher in primary school to that state where they can now choose the subjects they will do in secondary school in line with their career goals.(make sure you stay tuned to this website for updates)
They are also so happy that they can now be away from their guardians for a longer time; something that might not have happened in some of their lives, especially if they attended primary schools as day pupils, which is the most significant in the country.
This, however, comes with its shortcoming since some children tend to become home sick. But this is generally a worthwhile experience for children of this age.
Sumerian foundation was not left behind in this period. Through MIALE : the child support program we support we are able to support 16 children to class 8 last year and it was a turn to give this less fortunate kids an opportunity to experience what they ought to at their age and in entirety help them build a future which otherwise was on the thin line. Maureen Buyu, who is in charge of this program, with help from James Mwangi, had to travel far and wide to various good schools so that eventually the kids get an opportunity to continue learning. After weeks of driving and walking into offices they successfully sent all the 16 kids to various schools and vocational training in different areas and locations in Kenya, all within reach of Nairobi. This exercise went into completion early this week (15th Feb. 2009). Bravo to the two and to anybody who played a part in these kids lives while they were in primary school, and now in secondary.
Arian Agoo. Age - 14.
She is one of the children Miale program has been supporting. She has been a very good girl and was it not for the program she would not be where she is right now. Over the afterschool programs that she has attended she has been of very vital importance and the bits that she has been able to achieve are tremendous. For example; Over the April holiday in 2008 she was able to share her life experiences with the rest of the children and after that 50% of the kids were able to relate with her and this changed their perspective of their lives.
In the August holiday she was able to learn how to take care of the young one in the program and in the community. She was among other couple of children who were awarded at the end of year party for the children witnessed by Melanie van de velde the foundation Director and David Sibald the Foundation Founder.
She performed equally well in the KCPE exams and together with other girls they were admitted to Mattuu Girls high school. We will have them over the April holidays when I bet you they will have stories to tell of there first year in high school.

Story by Peter Irungu

The Foundation's Child Support Programme based in Kibera is currently providing 100 vulnerable children with food, a school uniform, tuition fees and an after school programme to support their basic needs and enable them to attend primary school. Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa with a population of around 1million. Children who live here are some of the world’s most deprived, with approximately 50,000 orphaned, many as a result of their parents dying from AIDS related illnesses.

We recently moved to a new premises for our after school programme and one of the first activities we ran was a Christmas card competition. The children had a great time drawing pictures of what Christmas means to them, and a lot of happy pictures of people, biblical characters and flowers were produced. Christmas in Kenya is a far cry from the commercial event that happens in the UK – with a much bigger focus on church, family and feasting.

We received lots of fantastic entries from the children, making it a difficult task to judge, but the final design that won us all over was the beautiful flower picture by Snaida Kavetsa. Snaida’s picture is being printed and will be used as Sumerian Foundation and Sumerian Europe’s official Christmas card this year.

Snaida is 16 years' old and lives with her Aunt Phyllis in the small village of Makina, situated in Kibera, Nairobi. She is the second last born in a family of six and comes from Vihiga district in Western province. Snaida’s parents passed away in 2003.

A community worker, who is assigned to Snaida, has been visiting the family frequently. As they work together, Phyllis is happy about the Child Support Programme and appreciates the good work of the Foundation. Snaida herself is very thankful for the care it provides, particularly the story books and food she receives. She says the Foundation should continue with the good work.

Here's a personal message from Snaida:

My name is Snaida Kavetsa. I am 16 years old, and have five sisters and one brother. I am an orphan, my parents died when I was seven years old and then my aunt came and took me to her home to live with her. I have lived with my aunt for four years then she died too in 2007. Now I live with my aunt's family from that day I don't have any problem with anybody or anything. I am happy and very thankful for the feeding programme. For God's prayer can make me live without any problem.

Yours faithfully, Snaida

From all of us at the Sumerian Foundation, in Nairobi and the UK, we wish you a very happy Christmas and thank you for all your support. We look forward to continuing our programmes and making a difference to children's lives throughout 2009.

Please find below an update on all recent fantastic progress!

All in all the last couple of months have shown fantastic progress on putting the foundations in place for the expansion of our programmes over the next few years – new premises / land, budgets and HR structures :0) The political situation is stable, but much skepticism about power-sharing, especially in lieu of whopping 40 member cabinet…Still a lot of displaced people, so shocking that 40 MP salaries are consuming budget, while there are appeals to donors to assist with Ksh31billion to re-house displaced people…General feeling that this is a step backwards – country was on track toward economic independence. Expectation that there’ll be a bit more unrest to come, though doubt it will be violent like the post-election crisis. “

Highlights programmes
The new Fashion Apprenticeship Centre is being set up in the new Studio House premises, Lydiah will be heading up the programme.

Jenny Deans from the Edinburgh College of Art has just been out on a successful two week trip working with Sheila on new designs and new tools & techniques

In Seed of Hope an ‘Excellence staff training’ took place 5, 6 April

The Johari Health & Beauty pilot has started and around 1000 soaps expected to be ready for sale at the end of June

At the Kandara Children’s Home a reduced number of children are supported as the outreach program is getting more established (to support children living with extended family instead), recent medical checks have been carried out on all children and the academic performance is improving. The Board is engaged with the Johari Health and Beauty project - everyone is getting very excited!

The Kids Club (After School Centres) will be located in new premises, a new structure is in place independent of Ayany developed ready for the move.

Wakenya Pamoja - Dates for peace concerts are being finalized, album planned to be brought out end of May.

New premises rented for head office Nairobi, first apprenticeship centre and new land Kandara
Secondment and volunteer involvement.
Great progress has been made on the budget preparation and expansion plans.

A lot of work has been achieved on new marketing collateral on the new Foundation brochure, branding and business cards.

Overall governance & reporting structure defined, HR structures in progress - role descriptions, contracts and HR policies, objective and appraisal process.

All in all a fantastic job by everyone in Kenya and in Scotland - major progress to developing our programmes so we can support more children and young adults :0)

Posted by Jennie Duck. One of our foundation programmes is run in partnership with a school on the edge of Kibera, home to about 100 kids involved with the project and the scene of much violence during the recent upheaval. We estimate about 30-40 of these kids have fled to the Nairobi Showground area, which has become a refugee camp for people displaced from Kibera.

This morning, I met the programme’s social worker who told me, “The kids we’re supporting need the programme more than ever.” However, supporting them will be challenging because access to Kibera is limited – we are relying mostly on a local women’s group who support us and have unrestricted access to the township – and the school is closed until further notice, so, for now, we’ve lost that point of contact.

The best we can do is keep track of the children, watch the situation and start re-evaluating the programme as well as our approach to it. There are many issues to deal with, such as displacement, destruction of businesses, and deaths of parents and guardians. People will need to restart their lives and our support will be needed.

The violence has exposed tribal rifts, the wounds from which will take a long time to heal, and our role is to help the Kenyan children we work with to rise above these issues. We must also be prepared for more difficult times, because as the protests continue, so the desire for revenge between the tribes grows.

Paradoxically, most of the damage caused by opposition-led rallies has been in opposition strongholds. The ‘Pentagon’ – the five MPs who lead the ODM party that is disputing the outcome of the election – have their constituencies in the most troubled areas: Kibera, Eldoret, Kisumu, Rift Valley and Mathare. These areas are now a mess and face further destruction should there be retaliation.

The situation is fluid and it is difficult to predict what will happen next. It is a bit scary, and endlessly sad, that Kenya is facing this setback. Although we must recognise the long-term damage that is being caused, we must nonetheless remain positive. There are still good things happening; people are pulling together, speaking out and trying to carry on with their lives.

The cash machine I withdrew from yesterday told me, ‘KCB (the name of the bank) appeals for calm, peace and love from all to save Kenya’, and my phone network has messaged me, ‘Safaricom appeals to all Kenyans to maintain calm and peaceful coexistence’. This is the thinking of most Kenyans, who need our compassion and support as they start the long road to recovery.