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!