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.