Friends of Ngong Road

We empower Nairobi children living in poverty to transform their lives through education and support, leading to employment.

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Annual Appeal

Help us reach our fundraising goal for the year!

This year, we have received our biggest matching gift ever from the Ted and Kathy Truscott Foundation – $100,000! Our goal is to meet the match. This will provide funding for our students in 2023 who will be going back to their regular school schedule after a hectic 3 years due to the COVID pandemic. Our students will finally be going back to camp, engaging in more programs, and needing more support than ever before. 

We have surpassed 90% of our goal so far. THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed! We have $9,000 left to go before December 31st. Every dollar counts. Will you be part of providing Wepowerment to our students next year? 

DONATE HERE

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An Incredible Trip

My first trip to Nairobi was an exceptional experience in community and capacity building. For two weeks, I delved into staff tasks, engaged with students, and met board members to comprehend their roles.

My biggest takeaway is the sense of community that welcomes the students and their families when they join the NRCF (Ngong Road Children’s Foundation) community. They are embraced with joy and high expectations.

The new Elimu Hub student center is busy! Lucy Iguri (in blue) and Victor Wambua have made creative and professional contributions to the library collection, including tagging the books per a system emulated from another library, and developing a Google Form for book tracking and checkout. Lucy developed guidelines to address how to curate and manage the collection.

Students eagerly surround books on Lucy’s desk, urging her to catalog for a prompt reading adventure as pictured. Excitement fills the air!

Between one-to-one meetings, Saturday programs, lunches, and weekend activities, I was able to get to know the individual NRCF and KLL (Karibu Loo) staff members and have the privilege of hearing their stories. The most impressionable stories were those with the staff who are also program alumni. 

Here are two NRCF alumni entrepreneurs: Patrick and Leonard! 

Delivering loos with John and Martin, both NRCF beneficiaries.

Meeting former board member Edna with Callen and family. Visiting Kelvin’s son Taj.

At Saturday Program, the intertwined network includes Case Managers, students, and allies like the Saturday Program cook and nurse, revealing deep interdependence. The children radiate delight at having games, activities, and books that they would not otherwise be able to access. The students in the red shirts are the choir.

Shanice is a newly sponsored student. She took a book home from Saturday program. When she came with her mother to pick up her uniform, Alice said she read it to her sister all evening. Here she is coming back for more! Future librarian?!

I became solidly convinced of why I felt compelled to join this organization through my immersion in the NRCF community.

We ensure college access for economically disadvantaged kids, granting them equal opportunities and changing their belief in educational attainment. Their beaming faces project a sense of security in a circle of supportive peers, mentors, and caregivers among whom they grow up.

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Sam receives the highest KCSE test score!

This spring, the high school seniors in Kenya took their KCSE exams (similar to the SAT or ACT in the US). It is a series of exams that is extremely rigorous and takes days and days to complete. This year, Sam received the highest score of any student in our program – ever! He scored a solid A. 

We are so excited and proud of his accomplishment. This score means he will likely be recruited by the Kenyan government to attend a prestigious university for his post-secondary studies. We hope this achievement will show the younger students in our program that it is possible to reach their goals and transform their lives through education. Congratulations, Sam on passing your KCSE! 

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Welcome Carole, our new Executive Director!

Carole Partikokos has joined Friends of Ngong Road as Executive Director, a new position for us. She has a great passion for our mission and is quickly immersing herself in the organization, both in the U.S. and in Kenya. 

After spending the past 15 years in roles of increasing responsibility at Books for Africa, Carole was most recently the Director of Philanthropy there. During her 20 years of professional experience, she has stewarded resources for the advancement of education and social support for African children. Carole’s passion for African children began during her college years when she studied and volunteered in Senegal. She is energized by Friends of Ngong Road’s strategic plan to double our impact in Kenya in the next five years.

Carole is excited about driving our plan to double the number of students served. This includes driving awareness of our program, building our donor base, expanding the number of sponsors,  developing a grants program to build capacity, and leveraging connections in Nairobi to expand internship and employment opportunities.

“I see the dedication of the staff, volunteers, and Kenya team, and look forward to rallying my network to deliver on the mission. I believe that there are enough resources to go around in the world, and by redistributing wealth, expertise, and high expectations, all children have an opportunity to prosper. The dynamic Friends of Ngong Road network delivers on this. I look forward to meeting many of you in the months to come.”

We are planning an informal gathering for people to meet Carole in person.  More details to follow.  

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Parents/Guardian Involvement

Parents/guardians play an important role in the transformation of a student. It is our policy that each student has a supportive parent/guardian during the child’s enrollment in the organization.

During the student selection period, the parent/guardian must fulfill several requirements. In general, they have to ensure that they provide basic needs for the children. They sign a contract agreeing to play their part in the child’s life and to support the organization in any way possible for the child’s success. The parent/guardian refreshes the contract at each level of the student’s education.

Every week, the organization holds a Saturday Program where we meet with the students and engage them in group activities. The parents/guardians must ensure that the students attend and participate. The parents/guardians also provide the organization with periodic assessment information to assess the child’s progress both at home and at school. This is a way of providing feedback to the organization on how to best support the student.

“We host an Annual General Meeting, and we expect the parents/guardians to attend.” They receive updates on the program, review their commitment to their child’s education, and are asked for their support in identifying prospective students for the program. They usually hold it at the end of the year and distribute Christmas packages of food aid to their families.

We highly appreciate all our parents/guardians for their continued effort in helping us achieve our students’ success. Their involvement contributes to the success of the students through the web of supportive adults in their lives – parents/guardians, case managers, teachers, and sponsors.