Final Current Issues Links Round-Up of the Year

Happy Holidays to all Uweza supporters! The end of the year is frequently a time of reflection, and I know that contributing to Uweza is one of the most worthwhile things I’ve done in 2010. I’m looking forward to supporting Uweza’s continued good work in 2011!

And now, a few links for my final blog of 2010:

Equity Bank provides microloans to poor people throughout Kenya. As Equity’s CEO explains, investing in the poor isn’t about charity—it’s about good business. The default rates on Equity’s microloans are the lowest in the banking industry, around 6%. Watch this video to learn more about Kenya’s new “mini-moguls:"


Once every 10 or 15 years, the Masai people hold an initiation ceremony for men to become wazee, or tribal elders. Like much of indigenous culture, this ritual is endangered by encroaching urbanization. This audio slideshow includes narration from two of the new wazee, explaining this crucial rite of passage for the Masai.

The vulnerability of Kenyan schoolgirls to rape, sexual coercion, beatings, and bullying—often by their teachers—has made headlines recently. In this editorial, a Kenyan former schoolteacher decries the everyday abuse of girls and calls for greater attention to the problem. For more information, this report by Plan UK is a comprehensive study of school violence around the world, with recommendations on how to ensure that children “learn without fear.”

In a previous blog, I wrote about the rise of outsourcing in Kenya. This article gives more details about the building of the outsourcing industry, which analysts hope will someday rival tourism as Kenya’s biggest money maker.

Earlier this week the Kenyan Parliament voted to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is currently investigating the post-election violence of 2008. This vote comes one week after six suspects, all powerful politicians, were named by the ICC as alleged organizers of the violence. Critics say that Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC signals its continuing refusal to end impunity in the government. Read more here, in Kenya’s main daily newspaper.

November Counselors Report

Sorry for the delay on this one! Click here to read the report from our counselors about their work during the month of November.

How you can help Uweza for the holidays!

Happy Holidays from Uweza! We are excited to tell you about some new projects and opportunities to support our work. Check them out:

Kicks for Christmas

Our Soccer League Program (http://uweza.org/soccer) has greatly expanded to include over 180 children from throughout the Kibera slum. Our players are currently all on break from school and have been meeting with their coaches to train seven days a week. Participating in the league keeps them off of the streets and builds valuable skills and funds are always needed for field rent, supplies, and coaches salaries. Through the Kicks for Christmas project, you can sponsor one or more of our players for $10. You will receive a printable Christmas card and ornament-magnet about one of our players to give as a present or keep for yourself! [note: the ornament will arrive after Christmas but we will e-mail you the printable card in time].

Kibera Connection

Do you know a teacher, principal or parent that might be interested in connecting with children in Kibera? Please consider Uweza's Kibera Connection Project. Kibera Connection is a brand new initiative that offers students in the United States a unique opportunity to engage with and learn about children living in Kenya. We have created a website filled with learning resources and connections opportunities. Check it out and fill out the registration form or send us an email if you are interested in getting started or learning more! http://www.uweza.org/kiberaconnection.

Sponsor A Child

Our sponsorship program supports 25 children in Kibera with all the costs for gaining a quality education and provides for their health care for $20/month. Sponsors receive letters, pictures and updates from their sponsored children on a regular basis. We have four girls in need of sponsors, learn more at http://uweza.org/sponsorship.

Uweza Community Center

We are excited to announce the construction of an Uweza Community Center in early 2011! The Uweza Community Center will provide an office, meeting and storage space for our current programs and will be a launching point for new community-run initiatives, including an after-school program for children from Kibera. Funds are greatly needed for construction costs and supplies for the new programs: http://www.uweza.org/communitycenter.

Uweza Shop

Shop for jewelry made by HIV positive women living in Kibera. Funds will be used to provide sustainable financial opportunities for the women in early 2011. http://uweza.org/shop.

Soccer Program Update and New Team Photos

Our Soccer Program has been growing rapidly and we now have 160 boys who have signed Uweza contracts of commitment to the team as well as 25 girls. Because the players are currently on break from school, the teams have been holding practice every day. The Points Program is still ongoing and prizes will be awarded in January. We have invested a lot of resources and funding into the program in recent weeks, purchasing new uniforms, goal posts for all of the teams, shoes and socks, and renting the field on Sundays (in addition to Friday and Saturdays). We have also hired three new coaches. The players have noticed and are having a great time being able to come and play every week.

Here are some pictures of the teams in their new Uweza uniforms:

Uweza Girls Team
Uweza Under 14 Team
Uweza Under 12 Team
Uweza Under 10 Team

Here is a video of the Uweza Under-12 team cheering on the Uweza Under-10 team as they play in a match against another team from Kibera. Uweza won the match 3-0.

Focus on World AIDS Day

As most of you already know, today is World AIDS Day. Should December 1st be a somber occasion, marked by remembrance for the millions already lost and mindfulness of the challenges still ahead? Or should it be a day to commend and promote the progress made by extraordinary individuals and initiatives around the world? I agree with both approaches, and I hope I’ve reflected that in this week’s blog.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic was transformed by the development of PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission) of HIV. However, more than half of the world’s pregnant HIV-positive women are still not receiving the treatment they need to ensure that their babies are born negative. UNICEF is stepping up its efforts to ensure an “AIDS-free generation” in Kenya by distributing packs of AIDS drugs to every HIV-positive pregnant woman. Read more about the struggle to provide PMTCT in the developing world here, and watch a video of the launch of a PMTCT program in Kisumu, Kenya here:



How do you tell a child that he or she is HIV-positive? And what are the consequences of not telling them, or disclosing their status in an insensitive way? Human Rights Watch has conducted research in Kenya about the importance of disclosing age-appropriate information to children about their HIV status. Their observations and recommendations can be found here.

A few days ago, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for the arrest of homosexuals, raising alarm among many, including HIV/AIDS activists. Will Raila’s remarks drive the Kenyan gay community even further underground, and thus jeopardize crucial efforts to prevent HIV transmission among homosexuals? Read more here.

Since 1989, Professor Elizabeth Ngugi has conducted outreach to young female sex workers in the slums of Nairobi. Thanks to her efforts, more than six hundred sex workers have received the assistance and training needed to launch new careers and lead healthier lives. Watch a profile of Professor Ngugi, in an installment of IRIN’s “Heroes of HIV” series.

HIV-positive youth in the Mathare slum of Nairobi have written and produced their own newsletter, which aims to “inform, share their life experiences, create awareness, and help reduce stigma related to HIV/AIDS.” Read “Eneza Ujumbe: The Voices of Mathare Youth” here.

Urban Sprawl, M-Pesa, A Life-Saving Vaccine, and More!

I apologize for the delay in this latest blog. So much is always happening in Kenya and beyond, so here’s a list of interesting links.

Earlier this week UN-Habitat released its report "State of African Cities 2010," and once again sounded the alarm regarding the rapid growth of the continent’s urban areas. In particular, the population of Nairobi is projected to grow nearly 50 percent over the coming decade. Will the newly urbanized Africa be comprised of "oceans of poverty [and] islands of wealth," as the UN warns?

"Hidden Cities – Unmasking and Overcoming Health Inequities in Urban Settings," another newly released report by UN-Habitat and WHO, outlines the "feminization" of poverty in cities and urban areas. For example, women living in cities are nearly twice as likely to contract HIV than rural women are, and women in densely populated areas have a 1.5 times higher rate of HIV than men. Read the report here, and take their mini-quiz about Urbanization and Health—I know that I learned a lot!

While I’ve previously paid tribute to Kenyan matatus, there is no doubt that they are often poorly driven and maintained. Road accidents in Africa and the developing world as a whole are at unacceptably high levels, but inconsistent efforts and lack of prioritization by national governments have hampered efforts to reduce the death toll. A BBC reporter visited some of the most dangerous roads in Kenya to learn more in this radio documentary.

Also earlier this week, the world was stunned by Pope Benedict’s statement that the use of condoms is acceptable in certain circumstances. Africa is home to more than 150 million Catholics, and is also the center of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Read more about reactions on the continent to the Pope’s momentous declaration here.

In a previous blog, I linked to a photo gallery of daily life in Dadaab, northern Kenya, in the world’s largest refugee camp. While the refugee camp has become a familiar concept to many Westerners, more than half of the world’s refugees currently live in urban areas, such as Nairobi. This blog post by the Women’s Refugee Commission spotlights the ingenuity needed by female refugees in the Nairobi slums to make ends meet, in the face of possible exploitation, abuse, and arrest.

Since 2007, Kenya has been a global leader in mobile phone-based banking. Why is “M-Pesa” such a resounding success in Kenya, and why is the so-called developed world so slow to catch on? Read more and watch a short video here:



A vaccine for meningitis, which kills thousands every year in Africa, will be offered in several countries, including Kenya, starting on Dec. 6. Learn more about why people are lining up for this life-saving jab here.

Welcome to Lagos

This documentary by the BBC looks at slum life in Lagos, Nigera. The documentary "celebrates the resilience, resourcefulness and energy of Lagos's 16 million inhabitants, and shows how successfully many of its slum dwellers are adapting to the realities of the world's increasingly extreme urban future." It's a nice departure from the bleak picture painted by most documentaries about life in slums.

Parts 1 and 2 below (there are 6 parts total):

Sponsorship Program Parents Meeting

Two weekends ago, Moi, our Sponsorship Coordinator, organized a meeting with all of the parents and children in the program. The theme of the meeting was the role of parents in their child's lives, as Moi felt that many parents in the program were not fulfilling their parental responsibilities. The meeting also provided a forum for the parents to raise any issues or concerns about the program.

Lunch was provided and there were a series of speakers including Becky, our Girls Counselor, a teacher from Ayany Primary School, which some of our students attend, and Moi. Each of the speakers stressed the importance of being actively involved in the lives of their children every day. This can be a challenge for parents who are struggling with their health, working long hours, and dealing with economic hardship. Becky discussed the effects on the psychological and emotional well-being of children when parents are too busy to spend time with them. The teacher spoke about the need for parents to attend school and meet with teachers so that they are aware of how they can supplement their child's education at home. Moi spoke about his job as Sponsorship Coordinator and how much time he spends catering to the needs of the children but that ultimately, he is not the parent of every child in the program and they all need to play their part as well.

The parents were all really receptive to the speakers and had a lot to contribute about what they hoped to achieve as parents and as participants in the program. Many of them expressed gratitude to the program for the support. One of the mothers who received a business loan spoke about the progress that her business has made and how she is moving toward being able to provide for her children without outside help. One of the fathers, who works long hours and is often not home, agreed that he felt it was not fair for the parents to accept help from the program and not hold up their end of their responsibility to their children.

The parents and speakers were all really pleased with the outcome of the meeting and we hope to have them on a regular basis from now on.

Counselors October Report

Click here to read the Uweza counselors report about their work during October.

Suffering Blamelessly: Focus on Climate Change in Africa

There is a lot of press about climate change, but perhaps not enough focusing on its most awful irony: people who have the smallest “carbon footprint” and thus have done the least to cause global warming—poor Africans—will likely be the most affected. The impact of climate change is already being felt in Africa, from ever-worsening public health to increasing armed conflicts between groups fighting over scarce resources. In this blog, I’ve put together some links about how climate change is worsening the already dire situation of Africa’s poorest, including many in rural and urban Kenya.

A good overview of climate change in the developing world can be found at the UN Habitat website. As UN Habitat reminds us, millions of urban poor in the developing world “live in potential death traps: huge, densely populated slums located on fault lines or in flood-prone areas.” Climate change renders these people even more vulnerable to disaster. And as climate change makes rural life more and more untenable, those slums are likely to swell even further with migrants from the countryside.

The rise in the world’s temperatures is also driving an increase in the spread of malaria, both in the slums (including Kibera) and in rural areas where mosquitoes were previously not a problem. The highlands around Mount Kenya are traditionally known for their cool temperatures and correspondingly low rates of malaria. But with global warming on the rise, malaria has become a major public health issue there. Watch this video to learn more.

The Mau Forest is Kenya’s most important water catchment area. Its degradation by irregular settlements, logging and charcoal burning, and increased agriculture is likely to cause an unprecedented water crisis and render the environment unable to absorb climate change. The exploitation of the Mau Forest has become a hot-button political issue in Kenya, with controversial evictions of “illegal” settlers. Read more about the importance and complexities of the Mau Forest here.

The north of Kenya is populated by semi-nomadic tribes who depend on Lake Turkana for survival. As a result of climate change, the lake has receded and droughts have become more regular. This scarcity of resources has pitted tribe against tribe in armed conflicts along the Kenya/Ethiopia border. Watch this video to learn about how climate change is driving war and displacement in northern Kenya.

And what is being done to help the poor “adapt” to the reality of a world 4 degrees warmer? The richest countries’ lack of commitment to helping the most vulnerable is a sadly familiar story, as described here. Civil society groups, such as the NGO Practical Action, are hoping to stimulate engagement in the developed world and promote inclusion of vulnerable groups in strategy formation for climate change adaptation. Read their briefing paper here.

Five New Girls Added to the Uweza Sponsorship Program

Vivian (pictured here) and four other girls from Kibera have been accepted into our Sponsorship Program and are in need of sponsors to support their education and health care for their families. Sponsorships require a payment of $75 for start-up costs including two sets of uniforms, school supplies, and school enrollment fees. After this initial fee, sponsorships are $20/month.

Visit our website: http://uweza.org/sponsorship/ to learn more about the girls and about our Sponsorship Program.

Kenya and Kibera Current Issues Series--All Video Special!

There is no shortage of videos online about life in Nairobi and Kibera, but many of them have a simplistic, fatalistic tone. As I’ve written before, I hate this reductive take on Africa; I support Uweza because it recognizes and promotes ability and opportunity. This week, I’ve collected informational (and fun) videos about projects in Nairobi which build the local economy, media, and artistic scene.

Voice of Kibera is an online interactive forum which encourages sharing of information. Residents send in text messages with information about happenings in their neighborhood, and the Voice of Kibera web team adds the new information to a handy online map.

Beyond the dissemination of information, Voice of Kibera hopes that it will be a tool and vehicle for greater respect and understanding among the tribes and groups in Kibera. You can watch an interview with a staff member below and learn more here.



Few visitors to Kenya leave without being impressed by the ubiquitous matatus (minibuses). Crowded, noisy, driven at hair-raising speeds—matatus aren’t just a mode of transport, they’re a veritable cultural experience! And with their vibrant colors and topical themes, they’re also a local form of artistic expression. The New York Times recently posted a brief article with two videos about matatus. See one of the videos below and read the full article here.


Other Kenyans are employing a different mode of creative expression—performance art—to enrich themselves both artistically and financially. The Sarakasi Trust trains at-risk youths from the Nairoibi slums in dance and acrobatics, helping to instill greater self-worth and providing a tangible skill to improve their livelihoods. Hear the dancers’ stories and watch their awe-inspiring moves here.

And more innovative artists: Jewelry makers in Kibera are benefitting their wallets—and the local environment—by using bones discarded by local butchers in their designs. Learn more in this news clip.

Lastly, these adorable and talented children are concerned about sustainable use of the massive amounts of garbage in the slums—so concerned that they’ve written and performed a rap song to tell us that “Trash is cash!” Watch their music video here.

New Under 8 Soccer Team

A few weeks ago, we started an Under 8 soccer team from a few of our most soccer players. These boys have been playing with the Uweza team, showing up to every practice and match since 2007 when our program was just one coach, a few balls, and a few cones. They have been playing on the Under 10 team but because they were so young, they didn't have the chance to really play and participate.

We noticed their dedication and decided to create a new team especially for them, with their own coach and gear. More boys started coming and the Under 8 team is now up to 10-15 players. Hopefully, we can recruit as many as 30 players and we can start enrolling them in tournaments, giving them soccer shoes and shorts, and getting them a lot more playing time and attention.

They have been having so much fun at practice and have smiles on their faces the entire time.






More photos of the team have been posted on the website: http://uweza.org/framephoto.html.

More Technology, African Human Rights Day, and A Music Video

Hello to all Uweza supporters—I hope you have enjoyed my blogs so far! I have so much fun researching and writing them.

To continue on last week’s technology theme: I can’t believe that I forgot to include the endlessly interesting website AfriGadget, which spotlights technological innovation throughout Africa. AfriGadget recently profiled Gabriel Nderitu, who is building an airplane from scratch in the backyard of his Nairobi home. Learn more about “solving everyday problems with African ingenuity” here.

A blog in the New York Times highlights the vital role of motorcycles in delivering health care services in Africa, where poor or non-existent roads make the piki piki the most viable mode of transport to rural villages. If maintained properly, the motorcycle can be a powerful vehicle (both literally and figuratively!) in the provision of health care. As the article asks, “Where else can you find a low-tech investment in health care that increases patient coverage by nearly 600 percent?” Read more here.

At Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi, 2,000 tons of trash are dumped every day, and Josephat, a child from a nearby slum, rifles through the garbage to find materials like plastic and metal to sell. Watch this video of Josephat to learn about his daily life at the dumpsite and hear his dreams for the future.

October 21st (yesterday) was African Human Rights Day, which reminds me that Kenya is home to Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee settlement. The humanitarian crisis in Dadaab continues to escalate, with more refugees flooding in every day. Check out this photo slideshow on life in Dadaab.

On the lighter side: have you ever encountered people who think that Africa is a country? That it is home to one culture, one people, one language, etc.? If so, show them this very cool map, which conveys the massive size and diversity of the African continent.

And to end on a happy note: this catchy song and music video (by Marlaw, a Tanzanian singer) addresses a very Kenyan problem: traffic jams! The video is filmed partly in Nairobi and features the matatus, taxis, and cars that fill up the city streets all day, every day. Enjoy the song here:

Kibera Agenda Web Launch and One Year Anniversary Celebration

Uweza often works closely with other local organizations in the community, and with this post we wanted to highlight one of our partners, Kibera Agenda. Kibera Agenda is a savings and loan group that is comprised of residents of Kibera who have organized to save and provide small-scale business loans to other Kibera residents. Uweza partners with the organization to provide loans for some of our sponsored childrens' parents. Often times, Uweza is able to provide for the educational needs of a child, but they still struggle with their family situation at home. Kibera Agenda has assisted to provide loans to some of these mothers of our sponsored children, so they may excel in business and provide for their children.

Recently, Kibera Agenda had a launch party celebrating one year of working in the community of Kibera. The group invited all of its current business loan participants to join in the celebration at a Scouts Camp located next to Kibera. During the celebrations, the participants of Kibera Agenda were given opportunities to receive free loan repayments through various games during the day. We are proud that two of our students' mothers, Mama Mulinge and Mama Norman, received a free loan repayment for scoring goals during the woman's soccer match!

Kibera Agenda will soon have a website to show their work at www.kiberaagenda.com. We are continually thankful for their partnership and support of our sponsorship program.

Members of Kibera Agenda at the launching of their first anniversary working in the community of Kibera



Goal-scorers in the women's soccer competition, including Mama Mulinge and Mama Norman in the center, who received a free loan repayment amounting to 10% of their current loan balance.

New scarves!

A new batch of Kenyan scarves has been added to the Uweza Shop just in time for fall and the holidays! They are $10 each and we have eight different colors.

The scarves have sold out pretty quickly in the past and limited quantities are available so snatch them up while you can!
http://uweza.org/shop.html

Uweza 2009 Financial Report

We strive to be transparent to donors and to keep donors as involved as possible in what is going on with our work in Kenya.

We have just published our financial report for 2009. It provides a description of our program accomplishments and a breakdown of how donated funds were spent. Check it out HERE.

In 2009, we focused our efforts primarily on our health outreach, sponsorship and orphanage programs. 2010 has seen a shift in our programmatic priorities and a change in a few of our projects. We expect to continue changing as an organization as we learn how we are best able to make an impact and reach those in need in Kibera. Our work is often reflective of the performance and priorities of our Kenyan colleagues and feedback from program recipients. We consider their involvement crucial to our success, as they best know their community.

We are currently working on a similar report for the first half of 2010 so expect that soon.

As always, thank you for your support!

iCow, Flip Flops and Other Kenyan Innovations

Visitors to Kenya—or indeed, to anywhere in Africa—are often impressed by the people’s energy, entrepreneurship, and ingenuity; the most intractable problems are tackled with a creativity and humor that I am continually humbled by. I’ll try to include examples of this in the blog as much as possible.

One of my favorite stories this week is about the winner of the “Apps 4 Africa” competition. Kenyan Charles Kithika emerged victorious with his “iCow” application, which helps farmers maximize the breeding potential of their cows by tracking the animals’ fertility cycles. The program is voice-activated, so anyone with a basic mobile phone (and that’s everyone in Africa these days) can use it. What a brilliant and simple use of mobile technology to improve people’s lives.

Could high speed broadband internet transform the Kenyan economy? With the long-awaited installation of broadband connections earlier this year, East Africa is finally wired and ready for business. Kenya is currently attempting to stake its claim in the vast market for international business outsourcing. Read more here.

Considerably lower tech, but no less exciting and inventive, is the artistry of women in northern Kenya, who collect hundreds of discarded flip flops and use them to create beautiful toys and ornaments. This charming video tells the story of the women (and the flip flops) while capturing some of the rhythm and flavor of coastal Kenyan life. Watch it here:


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced a $50 million initiative to promote “clean” stoves in Africa. Most African women cook over open-flamed, wood-burning stoves, causing rampant health problems and speeding deforestation and climate change. Read about Why Clean Stoves Will Help African Women, and learn more about the challenge of changing Kenyans’ attitudes towards cleaner energy sources.

Counselors September Report

Click HERE to read the Uweza counselors September report.

Kenya and Kibera Current Issues Series - Week 2!

This week I’ve put together a mixed bag of links--so much coverage of Kenya and Africa is negative, so I try to collect links which reflect not only the struggles but also the achievements and limitless energy of the people. I hope that you enjoy the links, and I look forward to any feedbacks and suggestions.

• Kenya has shown improvements in health care and gender equality, but continues to suffer from large-scale corruption, poor infrastructure, and a failing education system, according to the 2010 Ibrahim Index of African Governance country rankings, which were released earlier this week. Learn more about Kenya’s performance in the Ibrahim Index and read an op-ed from Mo Ibrahim himself, a Sudanese telecommunications mogul on a mission to improve governance in Africa.

• Uweza isn’t the only organization to recognize the importance of sports and recreation as a tool for development. On the sidelines of the 19th Commonwealth Games, currently underway in Delhi, India, various officials are meeting to discuss the role of sports in achieving key development goals. Learn more about “Why Sport for Development Matters.”

• According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, most children in Kenya who have illnesses like HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot access pain medicine. Watch this short video about Jethro, a five-year-old from Kibera who was HIV-positive but did not receive the pain medicine he desperately needed before his death.

• The lack of adequate water and sanitation systems in the slums of Nairobi contributes to the spread of diseases like malaria, typhoid, and cholera. Read more about the connection between public health and sanitation here.

• Could the next winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature be a Kenyan? Novelist and activist Ngugu wa Thi’ongo is currently bookmakers’ favorite to be the next Nobel Laureate in literature. This thoughtful article talks about Wa Thi’ongo’s accomplishments and how literature can be a powerful catalyst for development.

Uweza Shop Look-a-likes

Two times in the past month, I have spotted items in the store that are very similar to jewelry that we are selling through our Uweza shop. But of course each of our pieces is handmade by woman from Kibera, one-of-a-kind and much more reasonably priced!

Store brand

Much better Uweza shop version!

Store brand

Uweza shop version!

Please visit the Uweza shop: http://uweza.org/shop.html to purchase jewelry made by HIV positive women. 100% of proceeds will go toward direct assistance and program development to sustainably support these women.

New weekly blog feature: Kenya and Kibera Current Issues Series

This week is the first in a new blog series that will be guest written by Amy Auguston. Amy first volunteered in Kenya in 2007. That year, she organized and financed weekly soccer lessons for the boys at Tunza Children's Center in Kibera and this project was later incorporated into Uweza to become our soccer league. She has also sponsored a student through our sponsorship program. She recently finished an 18-month stint managing a development project in Dodoma, Tanzania. She has an MSc in Development Studies and has worked on Africa-related issues with organizations including Human Rights Watch, EngenderHealth, the African Human Rights Consortium, and The Rory Peck Trust.

Below is her first blog post and she will continue to write a weekly post to keep us educated and informed about current issues affecting Kibera and Kenya.
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First introduced in 2000, the UN Millennium Development Goals (or MDGs) outline a comprehensive and ambitious vision for social and economic development in the world’s poorest regions. The MDGs provide obtainable guidelines to reduce worldwide poverty by 2015. Last week in New York, leaders from around the globe gathered at the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals to evaluate and discuss the progress made so far as well as what needs to be accomplished in the next five years.

Below you’ll find some MDG-related coverage of issues facing Kenya and the rest of the developing world:

• Kenya’s top newspaper Daily Nation assembled a detailed round-up of Kenya’s progress—or lack thereof—towards achieving the MDGs. While Kenya has made significant strides towards some goals, there has been insufficient progress in other areas, including child mortality, maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

• “The lack of African voices at the MDG summit was both notable and troubling. Learn more about efforts by Africans to address African issues here .

• What happens if the MDGs aren’t reached in 2015? As one development expert asks, “If we miss the goals, who is going to punish us?” Read more about accountability for the MDGs here.

• Kenya’s own Wangari Maathai, who is the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, published an impassioned editorial about the importance of involving women and girls in issues of environmental sustainability (MDG #7).

• MDG # 5 aims to reduce maternal mortality and to improve maternal health in general. Obstetric fistula is one of the common—and most devastating—childbirth injures in Africa. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch spotlights the plight of Kenyan women with fistula and the failure of the Kenya’s health system to prevent and repair this condition.

• A recent World Health Organization study reminds us that the fight against HIV/AIDS (or MDG #6) is far from over. The target for universal access to ARV treatment in the world’s poorest countries has still not been reached.

East Africa Cup Tournament Results

Last month, three of our teams participated in a three-day tournament with teams from throughout East Africa.

Each team played in 4 matches. The Under-12 team won one match and lost three. The Under-14 team also one one match and lost three. The Under-18 team won one match, drew one match, and lost two.

Although they were not victorious, the boys did their best and all had a great time and it was a really good experience for them to interact with players from throughout Kenya and all of East Africa. When they weren't playing, most of the boys spent the whole day at the tournament watching other teams play. We provided all of the boys lunch every day as well.



A photo gallery of the tournament has been posted on our photo page: http://www.uweza.org/framephoto.html

We recently bought new sets of uniforms for the teams, including a set of pink uniforms for a new girls team so check back for more info and pictures soon!

Bar Mitzvah for Uweza

Recently, we were fortunate enough to be chosen as the recipient for a Bar Mitzvah Project coordinated by a young man named Nathan Lee and his family. Nathan celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in June and asked attendants, family and friends to donate to Uweza as part of the celebration.

Following the Bar Mitzvah, the family traveled to Africa for an eight week trip, starting in June. They visited and worked with members of the Samburu tribe, who reside in a rural area of Kenya north of Nairobi. They are working with members of the community to help gain education for their children.






It's really inspiring to see someone Nathan's age already giving back to those in need and we are honored and grateful to him and his family for letting us be a part of their efforts.

Counseling Retreat and August Report

On August 30, our counselors, Collins and Becky, organized a counseling retreat for the kids at Tunza Children's Center in City Park in Nairobi.

From their August report:

"We managed to take 56 kids plus one helper (Mike) and Mama Tunza to the Nairobi City Park. We got a 62 seater passenger bus for transport from Kibiko to the park and back conveniently. We also managed to pay for the park fees and we had enough snacks and drinks for the kids.

Moreover, we had a beautiful programme for the day. In the morning sessions up to lunch hour we divided the kids into two groups with the help of two other professional counsellors (Susan and Anne). The topics for the morning sessions were: Relationships (family relationships, requirements for healthy family relationships, boy/girl relationships, what values to embrace to pursue purity of life, creating relationship boundaries), Self Confidence (self esteem and believing in self and its advantages), Self Management and Self Control (controlling the minds, what to watch and time management).

In the afternoon, the programme included: Team building activities and sporting activities where the kids were exposed to competing games and awards given for the winner as well as the kid who participated in many games was awarded with a book. The games were meant to compliment the morning sessions topics. We also enhanced the essence of unity and brotherhood in the team building activities.

We culminated the day with in house rules on the way forward as we look forward for another moment like that. The kids were very happy and appreciated the sponsorship and made a request to have such events at least every holiday if possible. Thank you very much for your continued support we would not have made it without your support."

Read the entire August Counseling report here.

Pictures of the retreat have been posted in the photo gallery on our website: http://uweza.org/framephoto.html

"A Small Act"

"When Hilde Back sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but years later she does. Now a Harvard graduate and a Human Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, Chris Mburu decides to find the stranger that changed his life. Inspired by her generosity, he starts a scholarship program of his own and names it for his former benefactor.

Using a strong narrative, the film interweaves seemingly separate lives into a cohesive whole. With clarity and grace, A SMALL ACT, bears witness to the ripple effect a single action can create."

Trailer:



A Small Act can be viewed now on HBO on Demand and there are screenings throughout the US starting on October 14. It will be available on DVD in the fall. To learn more, visit the website: http://www.asmallact.com/index.php.

Ligi Ndogo East Africa Cup Soccer Tournament

Today, our soccer teams will be participating in a tournament with 60 other teams from throughout East Africa, including Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. Uweza has three teams participating in the tournament, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-20. The teams will be playing in multiple matches per day until the tournament ends on Sunday.

Both the players and coaches have been training overtime for the past few week in order to prepare for the tournament. They have had practice every day, sometimes twice a day and are really excited about getting the opportunity to participate in such a big event. Our coaches plan to use bicycles so they can quickly rotate between matches, which will be occurring simultaneously throughout Kibera and surrounding areas.

This week, we purchased new balls, first aid supplies, and 20 new pairs of shoes for our Under 12 team.



We wish them the best of luck in their matches today and will post again soon with the results!

Interviewing our Soccer Players

In May, we interviewed some of the players in our soccer program about why they like playing on the Uweza teams. Their responses surprised us and speak to the impact the program is having on their lives.

10 Ways You Can Help Uweza on World Humanitarian Day

Today is World Humanitarian Day and you may find yourself wondering how you can be a good humanitarian and make a difference today. Well look no further than the Uweza blog!

Here are some suggestions of things you can do to celebrate:

1. Donate! Just $10 can pay one of our soccer coaches for a three training sessions or send a child to school for two months. A little bit goes a long way in Kenya. Seriously.
2. "Like" our Facebook page, suggest it to your friends, and even share this blog post if you are feeling particularly ambitious.
3. Visit the Uweza shop and purchase some Kenyan-made jewelry for yourself, your mom, your friend, your sister, and your grandma.
4. Follow us on Twitter.
5. Watch some (or all) of the videos on our video page to learn more about Uweza and where we work.
6. Gather soccer supplies. We are always in need of shoes, practice jerseys, and socks. Email us at info@uweza.org for more information.
7. Join our mailing list.
8. Hold an Uweza fundraiser. Email us for more details.
9. Employer donation matching. If you are a frequent donor (or a one-time donor. or a prospective donor!), check to see if your employer will match your donation to Uweza.
10. Follow this blog! Click "Follow" on the sidebar to the right.

July Counseling Report

Click HERE to read the most recent report from our counselors.

Sponsorship Program Business Start-Ups

Our new Sponsorship Program Coordinator, William Moi Otieno or "Moi" has been managing the Sponsorship Program since March of this year. He has really helped improve the program and is constantly making suggestions for improving its productivity and sustainability. Being a father of six children and long-time resident of Kibera himself, Moi is able to relate to the parents in our program and figure out solutions that will best suit their needs.

He also is the Program Director of a savings and loans group in Kibera. The group meets every week and each member is responsible for contributing to the savings of the group. After saving for five weeks, members are eligible for a small loan, that they pay back interest free. Repayment of the first loan makes a member eligible for a second and then third loan. Emergency loans are available for group members that find themselves in particularly rough spots in their life.

In May, after interacting with the parents in the program, he suggested to us that four of the mothers of our students join the savings and loan group so that they could start sustainable businesses and be able to better support themselves and their families. We provided half of the funds for the initial five weeks of savings (the mothers were responsible for matching the amounts) as well as the initial loan, which will be paid back to the group. Three of the mothers have started new businesses - selling household goods, selling shoes, and selling doughnuts. The fourth has added the loan funding to an already existing small restaurant that she runs in a market.

Getrude has started a business selling Mandazi (or doughnuts)

Theresa has started a business selling Mali Mali (assorted household items)

Gilbert and Kelly's Wedding

Last weekend, on July 31, 2010 our friends Gilbert and Kelly were married in California.

Gilbert is a Kenyan and has volunteered with Uweza to develop an HIV Peer Education program (read his blog post here). Gilbert and Kelly met in 2008 while Kelly was in Kenya doing volunteer work. Since then, they have maintained a long-distance relationship and have both been dedicated to giving back to those in need in Kenya. In June of this year, Gilbert traveled to the United States to prepare for their wedding and new life together.

Not only have Gilbert and Kelly held seminars on HIV and provided meals and learning laptops to school children on their own, the couple generously created an Uweza Registry, encouraging wedding guests to donate to Uweza in lieu of receiving gifts. We hope to contribute the funds raised through their wedding toward building a brand new community center in Kibera.

We are so grateful for their support and wish them a lifetime of happiness!

Congratulations Collins!

Today Collins, who works with us as a Youth Counselor, is graduating from Pan African Christian University with a B.A. in Theology and Counseling. Congrats Collins!

Kenya Referendum Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Kenyans will be voting to accept or reject a new constitution. The new constitution is thought to be important in that it limits the power of national politicians and gives more power to local leaders. It creates a commission to manage public land and recognizes Muslim Courts. It also gives Kenyans a bill of rights and creates a senate. The constitution is being backed by both Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, who ran against in each other in the 2007 presidential election that turned into violence and chaos.

There has been some violence and tension in the months before the election and although the majority of Kenyans are in support of the new constitution, there is opposition, mostly from religious leaders, due to the recognition of Muslim courts and a section about abortion.

If you are interested in learning more about the vote and the new constitution, you can check out these links:

"Kenya Stakes Its Reinvention on a Referendum" (New York Times article)

"Kenya holds its breath on eve of vote on new constitution" (Washington Post article)

"Kenya prepares for referendum" (Al Jazeera video)

A smoothly run vote, transparent ballot counting, and peace following the announcement of the results would be a big step for Kenya. Our employees and friends in the country believe that things will run smoothly tomorrow and we're hoping that no matter the results, everything goes well and everyone remains safe.

June Counseling Report and New Counseling Initiative Web Page

Firstly, click HERE to read the June 2010 Report from our Counselors.

Secondly, we have created a web page for the Counseling Initiative (which includes all of the Counselors Reports since July 2009) so check it out! It can be viewed at: http://www.uweza.org/counseling.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Mercy is number one!

Mercy Nelima, one of our sponsored students has been attending a boarding school called Musa Gitau since January. Musa Gitau is well known as one of the best primary schools in Nairobi and entry is very competitive. The school always ranks very highly on national exams and graduating students often receive scholarship and placement to national high schools, which is every primary school student's ultimate objective.

When students receive their mid-term and final exam results, they are told their exam score as well as their "position" in the class. As of the most recent mid-term exams, Mercy is now position one in her class! This is a tremendous feat considering Mercy's story and the competitive nature of the school. We are so proud of her and grateful to her sponsors for giving her the chance to shine.

"Good Fortune" documentary on PBS

This documentary provides some interesting insight on the unintended effects of foreign aid/development in both Kibera and rural Kenya. In Kibera, it focuses on the recent slum upgrading efforts. It is available free on the PBS website from now until October 12 so check it out while you can!

PBS Synopsis of the film:
"Good Fortune is a provocative exploration of how massive international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. In Kenya’s rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multimillion-dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest shantytown are being demolished as part of a U.N. slum-upgrading project. The gripping stories of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development present a unique opportunity see foreign aid through eyes of the people it is intended to help."

Watch here: http://www.pbs.org/pov/goodfortune/photo_gallery_watch.php

More prize giving!

Last weekend, the winners of the first round of our Points Program were officially given their prizes. Prizes included new school uniforms, backpacks, school shoes, pens and pencils, textbooks, exercise books, soccer gear and clothing items.

The winners were thrilled to receive their prizes. The next round starts in August.

Thanks to our coaches for pictures of the ceremony and fancy wrapping of the prizes!