Uweza and Barclay’s Fun Day

by Thomas Bwire

Saturday 14th gave the Uweza soccer family the chance to gather together at the Toi primary school. Upon our arrival at midday, we found the coaches marking the soccer pitch in readiness for the final event slotted to take place in the afternoon.

The weather looked sunny, though we anticipated that the rains would surprise us in the afternoon as the dark clouds above the skies said it all. Time flew so fast that in no time the empty soccer pitch got filled up with kids from the soccer program. Part of the pitch was a white mounted tent and seats nicely arranged for the visitors whom we all anticipated anxiously.

Once everyone was assembled, the team coaches arranged their teams according to house colors so as to participate in the days activities meant to let all participants relax and have fun. The visitors did arrive on time and were warmly welcomed by Charles Kaindi, team manager of the soccer program and his assistant David Otieno.

Shortly after everyone got settled, each house team was asked to send two participants for the first sport of sack racing. The sport required participants to run towards the empty sacks and wear them as they jump back to the start line. Once all the participants were ready,”prrrrr” goes the whistle from Under-12 coach Joash Ngaira and indication for the first lot to run fast as lightening and pick their sacks and jump back. “Yes yes yes,” the crowd went wild as they cheered their favorite participants. Shirley Ann Den Houter of Barclays also gave her best she could during the sack race while art instructor Joseph Wanderi was tasked to record all teams’ scores that were to be reported at the end of all the activities.

 Next activity into the program was everyone’s favorite, the dancing competition, here the DJ had took charge by giving music of choice to the dancers selected to represent their houses. Upon receiving their cue to start the dance, all showcased what they are made of as all kind of dancing styles were showcased. This took a while and one of the Barclays staff George Wandera was the judge and was tasked to eject those not up to the audience standards. Some of the Barclays staff too did their jig alongside the kids. After several rounds we all had a winner who beat everyone. “And the winner is Mohamed Kilonzo” announced Team Manager Charles amid shouts of joy as “Moha” famously known by his peers carried him shoulder high praising him.

Last activity on the day’s program was the seven aside mini tournament that took 10 minutes of fulltime game and each team had 7 players. Time flew so fast as the games were interesting to watch. The teams had a mixture of players both male and female and not forgetting some of the Barclays staff present. The teams showed their prowess and they had to end at the penalty stage where the goals scored made the difference at the end of the day.



The grand time came when the Uweza Soccer Academy received generous donation of soccer balls, cones, a new pump, and first aid equipment for the soccer team to help them in their league and performance.

The task ahead is for our soccer teams to show what they are made of in their coming matches.

What are children in Kibera grateful for?

Yesterday at their meeting, Thomas explained to the members of the Uweza Journal Club that Uweza supporters in the United States would be celebrating Thanksgiving, a day to reflect and give thanks. We asked them to think about and write down what they are thankful for.  Given the tough circumstances these children are living in, it's incredibly moving to see that most of them are thankful to be alive.  We are humbled by their response and reminded not to take anything for granted.

We are incredibly grateful to all of our supporters worldwide for supporting programs that are truly changing lives.  It is because of you that we are able to do everything that we do.  If you are celebrating today, Happy Thanksgiving!

milk & honey shoes for Uweza

Kate Mara has created a shoe for milk & honey and ALL of the proceeds from the sales of the shoes will go Uweza.  We are so excited and grateful to Kate for selecting us as her charity recipient and hope you will check out (and buy) her beautifully designed shoes!

Check out the shoes on milk & honey's website : http://www.milkandhoneyshoes.com/signature-collection/kate-uweza.html. 

Partnership with Kora

Uweza recently teamed up with Kora Designs, a jewelry company that "merges the worlds of beautiful jewelry and sustainable business development in the belief that both can and will benefit. Our handmade pieces feature recycled materials found and used by local artisans in African developing communities." Kora means "work" in Kinyarwanda, Rwanda's native language. One of Kora's artisans is based in Kibera and uses bone and horn collected from local butcheries to create jewelry.

This year, Kora has created the Uweza necklace, which features dyed recycled cow bone with aluminum wrapping and was designed specifically for us! 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the necklace will go directly toward supporting the Uweza Community Center.

The necklace comes in two different colors, and can be purchased on Kora's website. Be sure to browse through the rest of their beautiful pieces as well!

2010 Thank You Video!

At the end of every year, we create a summary video to thank our supporters and give a better idea of how funds were spent over the course of the year.

Watch the new 2010 video here and thank you so much for your continued support!!



(2009 video)
(2008 video)

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.

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.

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.

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!

Appreciation

We say it over and over again but it can't be said enough. We're so grateful to everyone that has donated, fund raised, spread the word, shared a link, blogged, tweeted, and e-mailed so that we can keep providing assistance to the people of Kibera.

We wanted to take the time to thank and recognize some organizations that have supported us in the past year.

So a big thank you to...

Vincentown United Methodist Church

Magnolia Road United Methodist Church

Tabernacle United Methodist Church

The Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation

Viv&Ingrid

Faces of Kibera

Check out their websites and stay tuned for more posts about our amazing supporters. And while you're at it, send us an e-mail if you'd like to find out about more ways to get involved!

Thanks for reading!

Thank you!

We have once again created a video to show you some of the ways funds were used this year and to thank you for your support.

Hope you enjoy it!

Thank You!

We put together a video to try and show you some of the things that we have accomplished so far this year and to give you a better sense of how donations are used. We are so grateful for your support and hope we've represented you well through our work in Kenya!

Jen