How to help needy slums children in Kenya

The Five with Drive Fanikisha Foundation
Soweto Slums, Kayole Estate, Nairobi Kenya, East Africa
P.O. BOX 5432-0056, Email: 5wdfanikisha@gmail.com, tel. +254722451987
...........................................................................................

Members meeting held on 4th December at Shilo Community Center Prep. School at 10am.

Members Present: ............Institution:

1. Francis Kinyua................Shilo Community Center Prep. School
2. Steve Wanjie..................Wisdom Nest Community Education Programme
3. Millicent Oriyo..............MerryLand Community Center
4. Salome Muturi.................Waylight Education Center
5. Everline Nabwire..............Emmanuel Children & Care Support
6. Maureen Ombima................St. James Academy Soweto

Absent with apologies:

7. Benjamin Maina.............Country Rep. - FWD Fanikisha Foundation
8. Grace......................Highlight
9. Elijah Ngugi...............Jan-Kean Learners Center

Agenda:

1. Confirmation of last meeting minutes
2. IM-instruction materials
3. Emmanuel Children & Care Support plot purchase
4. Micro Finance
5. Library
6. Feeding program
7. Any other business

Pastor Francis said the opening prayer.

Minute 1 Confirmation of last meeting minutes

The secretary read the minutes of the last members meeting held on 23rd October at Jan-Kean Loaners Center. The minutes were confirmed.

Minute 2 Learning materials

Madam Millicent Oriyo proposed that learning materials be given priority because there is an acute shortage of textbooks and other essential learning in all schools. She was seconded by Mr. Wanjie who observed that lack of Instruction Materials was adversely affecting the academic performance of students. In a show of hands all members present passed the proposal without an opposing vote.





Minute 3 Emmanuel Children & Care Support plot purchase

Pastor Kinyua proposed that we compare all available plots as a group to enable Madam Everline of Emmanuel Children & Care Support gets a good plot at a reasonable price. Pastor Kinyua was seconded by Madam Salome who added that the group should be careful in order to avoid buying a troublesome plot. Salome continued to say that proper search should be carried out to ensure that the plot is genuine and all the papers are original documents. Mr. Wanjie added that the plot buying process go through a lawyer to make sure that everything is done within the law. Madam Millicent observed that most plot owners are asking between Kshs 400,000 to Kshs 500,000 for their plots on sale. The proposal was passed by 5 votes for and one vote against.

Minute 4 Micro Finance

Pastor Kinyua informed the meeting that Mr. Francis Maina is proposing that a micro finance be started so that parents can have access to small loans for income generation. This according to Mr. Maina would enable parents pay school fees for their children and at the same time support their families financially.

Mr. Wanjie observed that the idea of starting a micro finance is a great one and therefore should be extended to cover all community members to help fight poverty in Soweto slums and its environs. He added that the first priority should be given to school parents.

Madam Salome proposed that social security be used as the loan guarantee systems (security) to enable slum borrowers take credit because they have no other form of credit security that they can use to borrow money from the micro finance. She added that borrowers be organized in groups of 5 people well known to each other. A loan taker will be guaranteed by other group members so if one defaults on loan repayment the group as a whole is responsible for the defaulter and thus will pay the unpaid loan balance.

Salome continued to say that there be a small interest of 8% charged on each loan to enable slum dwellers access and repay loans. At the same time this interest will ensure that the loan fund grows.

Millicent said that borrowers save for at least 3 months before accessing credit and that the loan is 3 times one’s savings. The groups of 5 signs to allow one of its members take a loan. Everline Nabwire’s contribution was that every borrower should sign an affidavit before a commissioner of oaths before they can be allowed to take a loan. She said that regular weekly savings be made compulsory for anyone in need of credit facility from the Micro Finance. Everline observed that a micro finance can really help fight Soweto slums poverty.




Maureen Ombima in her contribution said that the schools be allowed to borrow from the Micro Finance and be given a loan repayment grace period of 4 months at interest rate of 5%. Maureen added that member schools be given up to 6 years to repay the loan because the intention of the schools, the Micro Finance and 5WD is first and foremost to help poor slum children get education and not to make profits.

A school can borrow funds to start a project to help sustain and contribute to the school’s income-sustainability is important, said Maureen. All members present felt that the Micro Finance is an important tool for fighting community poverty and thus the motion was passed without an opposing vote.

Minute 5 Community Library

Mr. Wanjie proposed that a library project be started to serve students in member schools such as Shilo, Meryland, Emmanuel and Wisdom Nest and all community children in Bahati zone of Soweto slums. He added that it’s important to serve all the children in this zone regardless of which school they attend. Members agreed that a community library would do a lot of good to all the children in Soweto slums. Thus the meeting agreed that the library be built at Shilo Community Center Prep. School and Pastor Kinyua agreed to offer his center to host the Library project.



Minute 6 Feeding Program

Millicent Oriyo proposed that every school start and maintain a feeding program to help children stay in school. She observed that a significant number of children miss school because of hunger. She was seconded by Everline who said that a hungry child can’t pay attention in class. She noted that many children in Soweto slums go without food thus making learning so difficult for them.

Minute 7 Any Other Business

There being no other business the meeting was closed by a word of prayer from Millicent. The meeting ended at 1.15pm.

Signed:

Secretary……………………………………………………………Date…………………

Chairman……………………………………………………………Date…………………

Would you want to help needy slum children in these schools?
Please visit here for more information on how you can help.

Helping Needy Slum Children go to School_ Real Meeting Minutes

The Five With Drive Fanikisha Foundation
Soweto Slums, Kayole Estate, Nairobi Kenya, East Africa


Members meeting held on 23rd October 2010 at Jan-Kean Learners School at 9am.

Members Present:
1. Elijah Ngugi...................Jan-Kean Learners Center
2. Steve Wanjie...................Wisdom Nest Primary School
3. Francis Kinyua.................Shilo Community Center Prep. School
4. Millicent Oriyo...............MerryLand Community Center
5. Salome Muturi..................Waylight Education Center
6. Everline Nabwire...............Emmanuel Children & Care Support
7. Maureen Ombima................St. James Academy Soweto

Absent With Apologies:
Benjamin Maina.............Country Representative- FWD Fanikisha Foundation

Agenda:

1. Election of interim group officials
2. Why we started non-formal learning centers
3. The common needs prioritization
4. Any other business

The meeting was opened with a word of prayer from Pastor Kinyua.

Minute 1 - Election of interim group officials

MR Ngugi proposed that members hold elections to put an interim office in place for better coordination of group functions. He proposed that Pastor Kinyua be the chairman and was seconded by Everline. Pastor Kinyua was elected by 5 votes against 2. Therefore, Pastor Francis Kinyua was elected interim Chairman.

Maureen proposed Steve be elected the Secretary and was seconded by Salome. Steve garnered 4 votes against seven casted. Therefore Steve Wanjie is the interim secretary.

Steve proposed Millicent for the post of treasurer and he was seconded by Pastor Kinyua and by a show of hands all members voted for her. She garnered seven votes. Therefore Millicent Oriyo was elected interim treasurer.

Elijah Ngugi was elected to the position of Project Coordinator after he was proposed by Everline and seconded by Maureen.

No assistants were elected because members felt that the current offices will serve the group well for the time being.

Minute 2 - Why we started non-formal learning centers

a) The majority of members observed that children in their neighborhood were not going to school. There are many reasons but the main one is that slum children are not getting vacancies in public schools because they can’t compete for the limited places with children from well up families.

b) Most members agreed that their centers were started in order to give poor slum children an opportunity to go to school. So many slum children were and are not going to school and the urge to find a solution is big.


c) Members observed and saw children being lost to drug abuse, crime, alcoholism and to HIV/AIDS. To solve this problem the thought of starting a school to help mould children’s character at their young age was reinforced.

d) Everybody at the meeting started his/her center because of their love for children. Therefore, all members agreed that they wanted to start a center whereby every slum child could come regardless of whether they had school uniform or not. A center where a slum child could find a friendly environment just like what he/she is used too.


e) Some members saw children suffering from hunger and decided to do something about it. They started as care and support centers to feed neighborhood children. Because these children were not going to school, they were forced to start teaching and that’s how some centers came about.

Members agreed that the common thread that drives all of us to start non-formal schools is our love for children and the urge to want to assist them get an education despite the difficulties and challenges we face trying to it.

Minute 3 - Needs prioritization

After much debate members came up with a priority needs list;

a) The biggest problem that keeps slum children out of school is hunger. Even those in school can’t concentrate in class work if they are hungry. All members voted to have feeding program as need number one.

b) When a child is fed now teaching them becomes easy according to Salome. Therefore Salome proposed that instructional materials be posted as our priority number 2. This was passed without opposition. Lack of textbooks and other learning materials is the largest impediment to quality education delivery in our schools. This is inclusive of classroom furniture.

c) The next huge challenge is the provision for teacher salaries. Schools can not afford to pay the minimum teacher salaries as required by labor laws. Parents are not able to pay school levies thus our centers are always short of adequate funds. The teaching staffs we have work on voluntary basis and 95% are untrained teachers.

d) The centers operate from rented premises unsuitable for school use and thus the classrooms we have are not proper classroom space because they are too small. The solution to this problem is to buy school plot and build proper classrooms. Due to lack of land most of the centers have no sanitation facilitates and that is terrible.

Priority List summary:

a) Feeding Program
b) Instructional Materials
c) Teacher Salaries
d) Proper Classrooms and Sanitation
e) Teacher training


Officials:

Country Representative.................Benjamin Maina
Chairman...............................Pastor Francis Kinyua
Secretary..............................Steve Wanjie
Treasurer..............................Millicent Oriyo
Project Coordinator....................Elijah Ngugi

Minute 4 - Any other business

There being no other business the meeting was closed with a word of prayer by Millicent at 1pm.

Would you want to help these schools?
Please visit Five with Drive Foundation Canada

Thanks for your visit.
Steve Wanjie-Founder,
Wisdom Nest Primary School.

Why you should become a Child Education Sponsor

Community Education Lesson: Why you should sponsor a poor child’s education.

Did you know that it is possible to make a difference to individual lives through child education sponsorship?

There are children who are desperate to go to school but unable to pay the tuition fees.

Urban slums children are in this category of very poor individuals desperate to go to school but due to dehumanizing poverty they have no chance of ever seeing the inside of a class room.

A child who has never had a hot meal, new clothes, a pair of shoes or toys to play with knows that education can get them out of their poverty predicament but lack of money won’t allow it because the parent or guardian are paupers.

Make a Difference as a Child Education Sponsor:

Education provides a poor urban slums child’s best hope for the life of promise she has been denied by poverty to date.

Your support for a child’s school fees will transform not just the child’s’ life, but the life’s and hopes of a whole family.

Child sponsorship not only provides an education, it also provides some of the joys of childhood to children who due to poverty couldn’t have normal child up bringing.

You can make a lasting difference today by sponsoring a needy child.

Child sponsorship allows you to sponsor a child (in a poverty situation) until the child becomes self sufficient.

What does child sponsorship mean?

This means contributing finances to support the education, health, food, clothing, shelter and security of a child you have chosen to sponsor.

Child education sponsoring gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you made a great difference in someone who need help and you were there to offer it.


Why you should become a Child Education Sponsor was the topic today.


SLUM VILLAGE: A COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN PERSPECTIVE..

Thanks for your visit.

Steve.