My Story: Dorcas Kirwai

My Story" gives beneficiaries of Uweza programs the opportunity to tell their own story about their experience with Uweza.  Today's story is written by Dorcas Kirwai, who just finished Class 6 at St. Anne's Primary School, which is a boarding school.  Dorcas ranks at the top of her class during exams and is targeting a national high school to fulfill her dreams of being a lawyer and a journalist.  During breaks from school, she is a member of the Uweza Journalism Club and frequently writes stories about other Uweza projects for this blog. 

My name is Dorcas Kirwai.  I am thirteen years old, learning in Saint Anne's Primary School and going to class seven next year. I live with a mother who came to my rescue when my mother died while I was still young.  I, Kirwai Dorcas, would like to inherit the title "journalist," follwing the footsteps of my role model Julie Gichuru (Kenyan journalist working for Citizen TV).  I would also like to work with the children's department as a lawyer.  As Ben Carson illustrates to us, to 'THINK BIG,' I believe 'YES I CAN.'

I joined the Uweza Journalism Club in November 201.  Since I joined, I have experienced different and good things.  The most exciting time is when I wrote stories after every visit.  Our teacher, Thomas, has taught us how to take different kinds of photos.  During the August school holidays, we as a journalism club, has the opportunity to visit two media houses, which gave us an insight of how they are run. The stations were Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, a state owned media house, and Citizen Televsion, a privately owned media house.

Dorcas, left, with fellow Journalism Club member Aisha

The trips gave us great priviledge to meet some of the news anchors, who shared their experiences and what it takes to be a journalist.  This gave me good motivation, knowing that I am on the right track with my career path.

Mostly, when I go back to boarding school, I usually share with the other members of our school what we learned during the holidays.  I am very proud of myself, my journalism teacher, and the Uweza Foundation for their thoughts to empower young people with rightful skills as we look ahead to the future.

Be Inspired Before You Expire

Story by Dorcas Kirwai
Photos by Rebecca Musanga

The afternoon of last week journalism session was one of its kind.  Despite the cloudy and windy weather, we all settled down ready to be informed with the two journalists from a local community radio station based in Kibera, Pamoja FM, Felix  Asoha and Kamadi Amata. The session started with formal introductions so as each one of us could get well acquainted.

As routine now, we had our newspaper review session, which gives all participants an avenue to read through the day’s dailies, after which everyone shares one news story they read.  We also share news happenings from the past week so as each one of us could get up to speed with current news affairs, both locally to nationally, and even international news.





The day gave each one of us an opportunity to preview one of the toughest interviews we have had never ever thought about. The interview had Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and Nation Media News Manager Linus Kaikai.


The video was to give us more insights of different interview techniques to use, should any one of us get into such a situation.  Then it would be easier to use learned skills to take charge and overcome
The interview was not that easy for Linus Kakai, the interviewee seemed to have taken charge and kept on challenging the interviewer with questions rather than answers. This kept us thinking if any of us were in that hot spot, how would we have handled interview?

Felix  Asoha and Kamadi Amata of Pamoja FM

All of us present were asked to give our feedback about the interview. Mr. Felix could not hesitate to teach us on how to prepare oneself before any interview. He featured on information, stating that, we should always be informed especially when going for an interview to avoid questions of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ and to do thorough research before any interview.

We all had the opportunity of getting informed at least from people already working from a media house what it takes to prepare beforehand for an interview be it with celebrities, locals and even dignitaries. From the video piece we all watched, I think we are better off and would be looking forward to put into practice a few of new learnt ideas on interviewing skills.

Our day ended with a simple but a challenging game and the nutritious cup of porridge.

Uweza Kibra League Awards

by Sharon Akinyi

On Sunday 25th November, we went to the field as part of our Journalism Club activities.  We went to watch the Uweza Kibra League awards ceremony, which was held at Toi Primary School.  Many children attended the function in order to cheer for their team and accept their awards for the 2012 season.  The league is held annually and includes teams from throughout Kibera.

I first interviewed a coach known as Abel, who coaches Marren FC.  He told me that the team deals with players 8 years old to 15 years old.  The club has approximately 50 players. Abel told me that they had played thirty games as a part of the Uweza Kibra League and finished the season with 80 points.

Journalism Club members interviewing League Coordinator Joash Ngaira

Joash Ngaira, the league coordinator and Uweza coach for Under-12, was hoping for his team to win.  Before they played their match, I asked him what he hoped for.  He answered, "as a coach, I only expect the best and that's winning."

Uweza Under-8 played a match with Brothers Under-8 and won the match 1-0.  Henry Waweru, a young and ambitious player, scored the goal for Uweza.  Their coach Said was happy because they did not draw.  He said that Henry Waweru was one of his best players on the Under-8 team. "He has determination even though he is small.  He knows where he wants to reach and to him, not even the sky is the limit.," he told me.  The Uweza Under-8 team usually trains on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.  They are almost 25 in number. 

Uweza Under-8 vs. Brothers Under-8

The opponents of Uweza were not sad.  I interviewed the Brothers FC coach, Edu, who thought the game was cool but "the minutes were very few."  I asked him who his best player was he and he told me they were two, named Diblo and Imoli.  In the next match, coach Abel's team Marren FC came head to head with coach Joash's team Uweza Under-12. Even though they played and fought tooth and nail for a victory, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

After the match, we went to the awards ceremony.  Coach Joash encouraged all of the players to keep putting more effort into everything they do and in improving their talents in football.  The guest of honor, known as "Solo," who is a former international soccer player, told the players to set goals and play well in order to view themselves like their role models.

Uweza Team Manager Charles Kaindi addresses the players and coaches

"Solo" also told them that they had to be disciplined. "You could be doing well in everything but without discipline, you won't go anywhere."  Many prizes and awards were given to different teams. The first prize for Best Defender went to Quinter Anyango of the Uweza Queens (girls team).  Top Scorer of the Uweza Kibra League was Rashid Abdul of Marren FC, with 21 goals.   The prize for the Most Disciplined went to Juma Suleiman of Marren FC.

Slum Soka team captain accepts certificate on behalf of his team

The winning teams for Under-8 and overall categories received certificates, medals and a trophy.  Truly, all that starts well ends well.  The league for the year was over and was closed by Managing Director Jen Sapitro.  She thanked each and every one for coming and participating.  

Marren FC players with their first place trophy

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Sharon Akinyi is 14 years old and a member of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Embracing technology

by Thomas Bwire

Everyone’s hope in the current life is to become computer literate, as the global world keeps moving on the fast lane on matters to do with technological advancement. This was evident among young members of the Uweza Journalism Club as each one sat in front of a laptop computer last Sunday at Lit World computer laboratory in Kibera slums.

With eight laptop computers in front of them, all seemed eager and ready to learn as much as they could. Being their first formal computer class, I did some introductions of computer basics. Some of the sentiments from the members were that life has become better and one can easily communicate through the computer with friend globally, unlike in the years back when letters were the order of the day.

“Not so bad” I thought to myself how information is power with the sentiments coming from young members of the journalism club.

According to statistics from Lit World, a non-profit organization in the United States  (http://litworld.org/about/ ), globally at least 793 million people remain illiterate. Two-thirds of them are women. All over the world, children are hungry for learning and for the power it brings. Research shows that children learn to read and write best by writing and telling the stories of their own experiences. Yet it is rare to find safe spaces where children feel fully comfortable to do so.

Our partnership with Lit World is a great step in empowering the community through our youngsters that one day, they will be computer gurus and able to drive the economy of our country to greater height. The partnership allows members of the Journalism Club to freely use their computer lab every Sunday between 11am to 12.30pm. 

To sum it up, literacy is the foundation for emotional and physical well-being, intellectual growth, and economic security. The right to read and write is a fundamental human right and belongs to all people.

Are you informed?

Story and photos by Rebecca Musanga

In this current generation, if you're not in the game of knowing what is happening around you then you must be missing something and to be specific, life as a journalist. On one fine Sunday afternoon 24th September, Uweza Journalism Club members were discussing the qualities of a good journalist.

We were divided into four groups and each group had to choose a group leader and a presenter under the supervision of our journalism teacher Mr. Thomas Bwire. Everyone was keen to understand the topic of what it takes to be a good journalist. Some of the major points brought up by the presenters were: A journalist should be hardworking, highly educated, fluent in both Kiswahili and English, self disciplined at heart, accurate, very first with news, trusted, easy to understand, straight, alert and also realistic.

One of the groups shares what they think makes a good journalist

To add on what we learned, we were also given tips of a becoming a good journalist which included:·   

• Be right by building trust with your readers, listeners or viewerss
• Be first and timely in the news to be delivered.
• Stick to what you know and not to be biased
• Keep it simple hence avoid using fancy sentences that are unnecessary.
• Play it straight to maintain your standard.
• Know your market i.e. their age, occupation, residence and target audience.
• Be aware of your competitors.
• Keep in touch.
• Be realistic
• Be disciplined.

Club member Dorcas Kirwai shares her findings with the group

Everyone had a chance to share what we had learned over the past week and as we went home, we had at least two hints in mind hoping to become the best journalist ever. The presenters from each group were also awarded for their good presentation skills as a way of motivation to become better presenters in years to come ahead.

The day’s lesson helped me have a reflection on some of the aspects in becoming a journalist and what it takes to be to edge out the competition when that time comes.

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Rebecca Musanga is a member of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Sponsorship Family Day

Story by: Jennipher Awour
Photos by: Phenny Nyamachama

The Uweza community center was filled to the brim last Sunday with parents of the sponsored children sitting sharing a platform. The center's open area created ample space for this special gathering.  This was a forum aimed at comparing notes on different issues between the parents and their children in the sponsorship program.

Uweza sponsorship students and parents at the community center

Most of the parents appreciated having been integrated into the Uweza family, through their sponsored children especially with a focus on uplifting their education standards. The sponsorship program offers children coming from needy families an opportunity to have access to quality education among primary and high school going children.

One of the first up to speak was the chairman of the sponsorship committee, Mr. Tom Odumo.  The committee is responsible for reviewing and approving applications to the program as well as addressing disciplinary issues among sponsored students.  According to Mr. Tom, one of the aims of the meeting was to encouraging parents to follow up on their children’s welfare when in school, by checking on their school work and also at the end of the school term, by checking their children's report forms.  

Mr. Tom Odumo, elected Chairman of the Sponsorship Committe

As the presentation was on-going, the concentration from the people present was written all over their faces, as they looked focused while following the presentation from Tom Odumo.  Mr. Tom also emphasized on the need for the girl child to be in a closer relationship with their parents, so as their issues are rightfully addressed, and also for them to avoid getting into early pregnancies  that easily pulls them out of education while the boy child remains in school.

On his part, sponsorship coordinator, Mathew Muema, advised the children present not to engage into drugs which will easily mess their life plans. Mathew also did reminded parents to play their part on seeking medical attention for sick children since their health matters most.

One of the sponsored student's fathers, left, and Sponsorship Coordinator, right, speak to the parents

While the country director Mr. William Moi used the opportunity to share information of other programs that children can be engaged in, like free tutorial classes offered by qualified tutors and after school programs such as art club, journalism club, and dance club.

County Director William Moi

 His parting shot was word of encouragement to the children to work hard in their studies and that Uweza would be happy to see them succeed in life later on, “Your strong foundation in education now is what matters to us, since it will pay later in life, with the support of Uweza and your parents."

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Jenipher Awuor and Phenny Nyamachama are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Rewarding Excellence

Story by Nicholas Gisemba.
Photos by Dorcas Kirwai and Rebecca Musanga


Saturday 1st Sep 2012 at was a day to remember as the boys and girls at Toi Primary School all looked in a jovial mood. Perhaps this was a result of the good work they had put into their soccer program. The day presented an opportunity to showcase the talent the players from the Kibera community have offered in different disciplines, such as best goalkeeper and best timeliness.

Girls team players

The guests of honor were area Langata District Officer Mr. Joel Mwangala, Kibera Chief Mr. Nassir Mohammed, Sarang`ombe area Chief John Mutai, two Kenyan Premier League players and the parents.  In attendance was also the Chief Executive Officer of Children of Kibera Foundation, Kenneth Okoth.

 An exhibition match between the players and their coaches drew much attention as the spectators were also treated to skillful play presented by the players.

C oaches vs. senior team exhibition match

The day also presented an opportunity to enjoy a dance performance from the Uweza dancing group who showcased their dancing skills to the parents and visitors present. Our team from the journalism club was also in motion by capturing all the moments as they unfolded.

The first performance of the newly formed Uweza Dance Club

The climax of the day was came when the winners in different categories of excellence started receiving their certificates, books and pens. The main focus of the day was to instill the spirit of hard work in all areas among the soccer players.

MacDonald Ochieng, with his mother and younger sister, accepts the certificate for Best Goalkeeper from AFC Leopards player Shaban Raul

In his addressing speech, area Langata DO Joel Mwangala, appreciated the work done by Uweza in nurturing talents among the Kibera community besides the focus given to education. He also gave the example of countries like Brazil which had excelled in sports by investing in their youth. On his part the CEO of Children of Kibera Kenneth Okoth put up an a encouraging spirit to both the parents to support their kids in education and not look down upon themselves as coming from poor families but work hard to excel in life.

Distroct Officer for Langata Joel Mwangala's closing remarks

The award ceremony also offers parents an opportunity to meet the coaches of various categories and get involved in progress of their children. The ceremony is held each term in accordance to the school curriculum.

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Nicholas Gisemba, Rebecca Musanga, and Dorcas Kirwai are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.

The Digital Day

by Rebecca Musanga and Sharon Akinyi

No tree grows from the air to the ground, it all starts from the ground firmly anchored with roots for support. To prove this statement right, we as the Uweza Journalism members visited Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) on 30th August 2012 to get a better understanding of one of the oldest media houses in Kenya.

In the bus on the way to KBC studios

Before changing their name to KBC it was previously known as (VOK) Voice Of Kenya. VOK was the first broadcasting station in Kenya under the state. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed and taken through the different departments and stations. First we went to the radio station called KBC Radio Taifa where we met Asha Juma who is a radio presenter doing what she does best as she explained to us more about being a presenter. She had three computers in front of her desk.  “One is for research, another for airing the station’s commercials and the last one for backing up information just in case we have failures with our system,” noted Asha Juma.She uses a fader machine to either go on or off air.

Club members with Teacher Thomas (left) inside Radio Taifa

Next was the control apparatus room where we met Engineer Philip Chamdani who helps with operating the machines that transmit signals to other parts of the country. Signals from the studio go through a transmitter to receiver through a machine called audio monitor. He showed us how to connect to their other local radio stations e.g. Kitwek, Mayenga and the English and Kiswahili services. He used VU meters to measure signal transmission.

We visited the KBC TV station, one of the largest studios I have ever seen in Kenya. It was decorated with huge lights and news cameras. We were shocked to know that some local TV programs e.g. Vioja Mahakamani were normally shot in that same studio. It is only a matter of set design and all goes well.

Club member learning how to record voice overs

Lastly we visited the control room, where all signals from the studio are channeled to be broadcasted worldwide. In the CR, the audio and video are dealt with separately but their signals sent simultaneously. Needless to say, we all had sharpened our brains on how medias operate and were encouraged to come back as CEOs of that company. After the knowledge room, we all went to a prestigious hotel where we treated our stomachs and lastly went back to the center. How else could we have described that day?

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Rebecca Musanga and Sharon Akinyi are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Dancing Magic

Story by Jenipher Awour

Photos by Sharon Akinyi

It’s  a Monday afternoon on the 20th of August  and I am at the Gifted Hands school compound in Kibera.  Here one can hear the sounds of drum beats coming from one of the classrooms.  This is the place where all the action is taking place this afternoon as kids participating in Uweza's new Dancing Club are practice their skills.

Preparing to dance

Uweza tutors Teacher Harriet and Teacher Apondi were here too. I did get to meet them and inquire their reason of being present, yet their tutorial program had taken some rest for this school holiday. “You see most of the kids were inspired when they heard we have dancing program slotted for this August holiday, and the majority will report earlier than even the expected time,” says Teacher Apondi.

The traditional dancing sessions are aimed to give kids with talents an opportunity to gain confidence. "You never know, perhaps we might end up with good dancers who can perform at bigger events," added Teacher Harriet.

Teacher Harriet plays the drums

In a short while I was also able to meet Fabian Owino and Anthony Juma, members of a local music group called Nairobi Drums, whom have been given the opportunity by Uweza to train dancing skills to youth from Kibera. According to Fabian Owino, their interactions with the kids  have helped them identify skills in some of them. “Already we have seen some of the kids who are fast learners while some are still learning gradually by watching others. That is normal and am sure with time they will get to be on the same level,” noted Fabian.

Students receive instructions from dancing teacher Fabian

Mr. William Moi, Uweza Country Director, told me that the aim of this program was to give kids some break from the normal school routine that is always packed with school homework and remedial classes. Jen Sapitro, Managing Director, was also present and added her sentiments that she had passed by to come and see how the sessions were going. "We have paid to rent the premises of the school since they have ample space that can accommodate all kids interested in dancing."

To conclude, I also got sentiments of some of the kids who had showed up today. Monica says she wants to nurture her talent in dancing while Quinter on the other hand notes that besides school work coming to the dancing group will refresh her mindsand also offer an opportunity to get to relax.

View a short video clip of the Dancing Club practicing for an upcoming peformance at Uweza Soccer Academy's Prizegiving ceremony here:

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The authors of this story, Jennifer and Sharon, are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Do you know your media?

by Rebecca Musanga and Dorcas Kirwai

Have you ever asked yourself how the news and different programs we see on TV or listen to on radio are produced? Well, people say that curiosity killed the cat but we as the Uweza Journalism Club members add to it by saying that satisfaction brought it back. On Friday 17th August 2012, we got a chance to visit Citizen TV and radio station that is under Royal Media Services. Accompanying us was Sponsorship Coordinator Mathew Muema.

Club members Lydiah and Fauzia

Unexpected drizzles kicked off the day but that did not stop our mission at all. On arrival, we were directed to a restaurant to wait for our ‘tour guide’. Everyone was a bit nervous as some shivered in the cold but nevertheless, she finally came.

Club members Nicholas and Jenipher

Before we were allowed in, we had to clean our shoes since it was muddy and hand over our cameras since we were not allowed to have them. Our tour guide, who introduced herself as Eunice, took us through the different stations as we asked her many questions.

Royal Media Services has one TV station and a total of 14 radio stations including: Bahari FM, Ramogi FM, Radio Citizen and the latest one being Radio Maa. These radio stations broadcast in different languages to reach out to as many people in Kenya.  We got a chance to meet Davis Mwambili also famously known as Mwala and Jackie famously known as Wilbroda who were also radio presenters and actors too.

Group photo

70% of citizen programs are locally produced in Kenya while the other 30% are from other countries. In the news studio, we were shown different machines used in broadcasting news e.g. the galary vision which deals with pictures to bring videos on air, master play button, a device formatted by graphics, (VTR) Video Transmission Recorder that captures motion pictures using tapes, Vision mixer which selects pictures responding to stories the news anchor reads. Indeed knowledge is power.

Lydiah, Everlyne, and Sharon enjoying their lunch

After the tour, we went to a restaurant in town where we quenched our hunger and thirst, took photos and journeyed back to Uweza Foundation Centre. If it was not a fabulous day, what else can we call it? Thanks to our journalism tutor Thomas for facilitating our media visit as a journalism club that has given us a different perspective into media operations.

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 The authors of this story, Rebecca and Dorcas, are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.

Learning Power

by Rebecca Musanga, Phenny Nyanchama,  Jenipher Awuor, Aisha Mohamed and Ruth Ijaika

As the Bible phrases,”My people perish because they lack knowledge.” It was a knowledgeable day at Uweza Foundation Center at 4.00pm where the senior Uweza journalism club members were learning more about WordPress.com and how one can start a free blog page to post information relevant to  people they are targeting. This exercise was conducted by Mr. Thomas Bwire, our journalism trainer.

As we start our August holiday break from our normal school routine, we could not wait to join our other journalism members and get to catch up with them on how they have been doing. For some of us who have been in boarding schools, it is another opportunity to learn new skills for the journalism career in our later years.

Back to our lesson of the day, Mr. Thomas took us through the initial steps  of setting up a blog page using WordPress.com for free. The site allows one to post stories of one’s choice that can be read globally. We learned some insights on how we can write a new blog, how to preview, publish, link a story to any given blog and even edit our own blog stories.


Mr. Thomas also visited some other blogs to help us understand the different formats of how we can post our blog stories and also insert any accompanied pictures. As we were busy trying to come up with different ideas, our junior members were sharing the latest stories they encountered or witnessed during the week. As they were still discussing, Mr. Thomas came in to assist them so that they may finalize on our upcoming media  first ever visit  this coming week to Royal Media Services, one of the local broadcasting media houses with Television and Radio.

After the learning session, we went through the previous blogs that were posted by some of our members and got more ideas on how to write interesting stories.  We all look forward to start writing our own blogs and in the coming weeks.

After a long afternoon, we were treated to a cup of porridge, known as uji in Swahili, as we assembled together so as to share more about the visit and also the next meeting.

This is our first ever blog piece written by five people and we are happy that you read it and got to know the kind of skills we are gaining gradually.

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Rebecca, Phenny,  Jenipher, Aisha and Ruth are members of the Uweza Journalism Club.  They will be starting their own blog in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

Press conference in Kibera

by Thomas Bwire

The weather is cool today and in the outdoor courtyard of the Uweza center, journalism club members are having their session.  Seated on the brown benches and listening attentively are some of the members as they watch representatives of their groups engaging in a press conference exercise.

Today's session includes 32 participants. As part of their learning experience, the session is aimed at enhancing their skills as journalists in the near future and providing an example of what they can undergo should they find themselves in a media press conference.

Journalism Instructor Thomas gives instructions to a team of reporters

First they got to know what a press conference is: press conference is a media event in which news makers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions depending on the topic at hand.

Our press conference was held by club members acting as researchers.  Club members were divided into groups acting as journalists and each group chose representatives tasked with asking questions. The exercise required maximum participation for each group to earn points. The researchers played the role of explaining in detail their research findings on a controversial topic at hand touching on the social aspect of life. This topic was: “Annoying habits that women dislike in men.”

The press conference set up

Prior to the exercise, everyone had an opportunity to read through newspaper cuttings on the topic and get an idea of what the press conference was all about. Once this was accomplished in 20 minutes, each reporter armed questions challenged the researchers to explain their point of view.  The exercise turned out to be like a real media event as some of the reporters proved their interview skills as they kept questions coming on board.

A team of reporters follows through the presentations

Strong points emerging from the press conference were some of the major reasons women don’t like in men like heavy drinking and abandoning children, among many other issues. It was truly an eye opener as all the students had a hands on experience at the end of the session on what it takes to prepare for a press conference, should they find themselves in such a situation.

Do you know where to get news?

by Thomas Bwire

Having to learn about journalism in a classroom set up might be boring, as it involves a teacher standing in front of a class and lecturing the students. This time, I wanted it to be the other way around, having my students become the teachers themselves.

Well to start off the day’s session was our weekly editorial session, which lets everyone read one news story from the national newspapers then later on share it with team members.  This didn’t take long and everyone had an opportunity to share their stories which helps in getting to know a new story from the other sources. Upon finishing the first task, I divided the participants into groups and asked them to brainstorm a list of the sources of news.

"What should we write?"

Working in groups of was very interesting as the groups were comprised of people students had never before interacted with on a day to day basis, which gave the lesson a wider dimension of having to cope with new ideas and suggestions.  Once in their respective groups, the ongoing debate was also very interesting as each team put down to paper their ideas, some put stronger suggestions as others noted points written.

"Let's put our most interesting points here"

 A test of time came during their presentations as the best team was going to be rewarded for the following: clear points, good handwriting and well presented facts. The activity spurred lively discussions and debates and ended with the most convincing group winning sweets. Students were encouraged to challenge each other and ask questions. I was amazed at how knowledgeable the students were as all stronger points came from them knowing where we can get news from.

Listening to presentations and thinking of counterpoints

 A secret vote for the best presentation had to be carried out to determine the winner of the day. The winner with the many votes happened to be represented by team members of Group 2 led by Jenipher Awour. “Yeeeees we did it!” shouted group 2 team members as they all got a sweet as a way of motivating them in their presentations.

Jenipher Awuor, leader of the winning group, presents their findings

With that, the day was over as we all went back home knowing that we can all get news from our community elders, government ministers, church leaders, special occasions such as weddings, managing directors, sports events,  and many more areas.

Kenya hosts a major summit on Citizen Media

by Thomas Bwire

Just imagine yourself in a pool of so many foreigners at one of the local hotels in Nairobi, I almost thought that I was out of the country.  But in fact I was right in Nairobi earlier this week attending an international summit on Citizen Media organized on by Global Voices. I was one of the lucky five grantees from East Africa who received a free travel and registration to attend this summit.

Nairobi, Kenya was a host to this special summit that is a biennial gathering, which brings together bloggers, activists and technologists from around the world for public discussions and workshops about the rise of online citizen media movements worldwide.  All new visitors were warmly welcomed and made to feel at home.

Thomas Otieno Bwire, Uweza Communications Officer, at the Global Voices Citizen Media Summit

A start to the program was Global Voices Southeast Asia Editor, Mong Palatino, who took us through various social media campaigns from the region, including the Thai floods. In his presentation he also did explain that both offline and online mix of activism could affect real mobilization and change. Tea break followed after a few other speakers had their presentation centered on the global rise for citizen media.

Let me take you through the Kenyan presentation which was done in split groups.  Here the panelists addressed how online tools and channels are not just for airing opinions affecting it's people but also act as a source of latest breaking news.

Panel of Kenyan bloggers

Lunch break was a good time to get to meet new people of whom we heard from their experiences from different countries one on one and why this summit was of great importance to them.  Afternoon sessions allowed audience members to suggest and lead discussion groups on a wide range of themes, such as 'How Facebook spies on you.'

Later on Bob Boorstin from Google, Max Schrems (Europe vs. Facebook) and Ramzi Jaber (onlinecensorship.org) joined GV's Ivan Sigal for the panel 'Giants of the Internet: What Role and Responsibility?'.  The audience was made aware that Facebook declined an invitation to attend, and a Yahoo! representative could not come at the last minute.

Presentation on the use of social media as a source of news

Bob Boorstin declared that the Internet is not borderless - that if you cross borders, laws change - and also shared his belief that technological monopolies don't last. Ramzi Jaber announced the launch of onlinecensorship.org, a website on which you can report if your account or content is censored.

Ory Okolloh, the original Global Voices Africa editor and a co-founder of Ushahidi who is Google's current Africa policy head, answered an audience question about whether African net users are aware of how to protect their online rights. She spoke about her concerns regarding local capacity and mentioned how she is working with local groups to raise issues. “I must say I am extremely excited, all the more so since I am hardly a year old as a Global Voicer yet being part of the online community as a Kenyan author has proved beneficial in so many ways. I am eager to meet the very many faces of fellow authors and editors of whom I have had opportunity to work with online” noted Okolloh.

The two day summit was really gave me a better understanding of the power of usage of social media and felt special among a pool of talented people I was able to meet through Global Voices community. The summit could not just pass by as I was also lucky to personally meet the Global Voices Director Eddie Avila.

Thomas Bwire, Global Voices Director Eddie Avila and a grantee from Uganda

 To wrap up the day, there were some dances from one of the Kenyan youth group as they show cased their dancing techniques as the audiences cheered them on.