New Soccer Program!

In January, we started a new program with our four soccer teams in order to help them build skills and adopt behaviors that will be useful throughout their lives. Our coaches told us of a concern that many boys that play soccer in the slum become distracted from school or put all of their hopes into becoming major league soccer players. As a result, they become disappointed as adults when they find they should have focused more on academics or discover that they won't be able to play soccer for a living. Many of these boys may turn to drugs or crime.

As part of the new program, coaches award a certain amount "points" to their players during each practice. Points are awarded for performance in six different areas:

1. Attendance
2. Cleanliness
3. Timekeeping
4. Attitude/Discipline
5. Soccer Skills, Effort and Improvement
6. Academic Performance in school

At the end of each school term, coaches will total the points for all of the players. The three players with the highest point totals will receive funds toward educational costs (school supplies, school fees, uniforms, etc). Older boys that are no longer in school may receive funds for business start-up or training in a specific area such as driving or computers.


Joel Otieno, age 13, Points Leader for the Under 14 team

During the term, the boys with the highest point totals are eligible for special privileges. This coming weekend, the 22 players on our Under-17 and Under-14 teams that have earned the highest amount of points will be participating in a two-day tournament. They will be traveling out of Kibera to play against other teams from throughout Nairobi and receive brand new shoes to play in.

Our coaches have reported that attendance and the efforts of the boys have improved and we hope that the new program will motivate them to always do their best in soccer, in school and in life.

Tunza Counselors February Report

The Tunza counselors continue to adjust their program to cater to the specific needs of the kids at Tunza and they are making a lot of progress.

Click HERE to read about their work in February.

Counselors January Report

Click HERE to read the report written by the counselors we have hired to work at Tunza Children's Center about their work during the month of January.

Counselors December Report

This month's report is pretty long and heavy, with a lot of major issues. A lot of the issues revolve around the older kids finishing school and transitioning into adulthood. We are very glad that the counselors are there to work with the kids during this time.

We are working with the counselors to set up a 2 or 3 day camp for the older kids in Feburary. It will be held somewhere away from the home and will give them time to sort out the issues that they are facing and will continue to face as they become older as well as a chance to receive advice and guidance.

Although a lot of the issues mentioned may be out of our control, we will really try and see what we can do to help the kids. Having the counselors to talk to them every week is already a big help so thank you to our donors for funding their services!

Click HERE to read their report.

Counselors are paid about $30 each ($60 total) per weekly session. If you would like to help us fund counseling for the Tunza kids through a one-time or monthly donation, go HERE.

HOME (Help Orphans with Milk and Eggs)

HOME is a project started by a volunteer named Kelsey to provide the kids at Tunza in Ngong with chickens and a cow. In the last few weeks, HOME provided Tunza with a cow, which will provide milk, and 100 chickens, to lay eggs that can be sold to earn income and eaten by the kids. Three farm buildings were also built.


To read more about this exciting project, check out the HOME blog here: http://kenyakelseykenya.blogspot.com/

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!

Merry Christmas from Uweza!

Quick update on our Christmas Dinner Sponsorship: thanks to you, 19 families in Kibera received the makings of a special Christmas dinner (rice, chapati, meat, cooking oil, sugar and cookies) today. More details (and pictures) coming soon.

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday!

Counselors November Report

Click HERE to read the report from the Tunza Children's Center counselors about their work with the kids in November.

Sponsor Christmas dinner for a family in Kibera!

Everyone in Kibera is getting geared up for Christmas right now - this mostly means trying to find their best outfit to wear to church for the day. Most families living in the slum cannot afford to buy presents for each other or even a nice meal. Dinner on Christmas day will consist of the common staple foods, ugali (maize flour that is boiled into a doughy porridge) and sukuma wiki (kale).

We want to try and set up as many families in our HIV outreach as possible with a nice Christmas dinner this year. This will consist of meat or chicken, rice, vegetables, cake and tea. All of this can be purchased for a mere $15!!

Families in Kibera are living in some of the worst conditions imaginable and many can go a whole day without eating. It would mean so much to them to have a special meal on Christmas. If you would like to sponsor a family this Christmas, please go HERE and make a donation, designating it for Christmas Dinner sponsorship.

After Christmas, we will e-mail you a picture of the family you helped.

Spread the word to anyone that might be interested in helping a family in need this Christmas!

Brian goes home!

Today, after two long months in the hospital, Brian finally returned home. The final bill amounted to 62,510 shillings (about $850) and thanks to the help of our generous donors, we were able to pay it in full!

During his time at the hospital, he received three blood transfusions and a skin graft on his leg. A series of tests was done to determine the cause of his frequent health problems (all which came back normal). They told us that he was just really malnourished (and probably anemic) and that if he is just given a balanced diet, he will be okay.

Just as a reminder, here is Brian a few days after he was admitted....



And here he is now!



He now has full use of his leg (prior to being admitted to the hospital, he could not even move it and had to be carried around).



He will continue to return to the hospital three times a week for a checkup until the leg is completely healed. We received so much help and concern for Brian and we are so grateful - you really changed his life and I know he won't soon forget it!

Addendum: I just received a text from Brian's mom that she would like to give me "a vote of thanks for what you have done to Brian because I am sure that minus you maybe he could have died so I pray to God to lead your future." I just wanted to extend that vote of thanks to all of you as well!