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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December 15, 2021 By Carole Patrikakos Leave a Comment

Help Transform Lives – Contribute to Our Annual Appeal!

The students we serve face more challenges than most of us can imagine. They learn early on that to survive they must embrace resilience, facing their challenges with hope, drive, passion, courage, and kindness.

We are grateful to all our sponsors who make classroom education possible for individual students.  Sponsorships cover the costs of school fees and uniforms, but Friends of Ngong Road also provides unique program support to empower students to succeed and transform their lives. These include our Life Skills Program, career counseling, employment support, basic medical care, the Saturday Program, computer certification, case managers, etc.  Our Annual Appeal directly supports these initiatives. 

Thank you to the many friends who have already donated to our annual appeal.  We are making great progress but still need additional supporters to achieve our goal of raising $170,000 by year-end. 

Your support will be DOUBLED thanks to the $85,000 matching gift from the Ted and Kathy Truscott Family Foundation.  

It’s not too late!  Help us transform lives.

November 15, 2021 By Carole Patrikakos Leave a Comment

M-Pesa

Ever used Venmo, Apple Pay, Cash App, PayPal or Crypto? 

By 2021, digital currency seamlessly integrated. Curious about its origins shaping deep-rooted connection in our lives? What steps and precursors did we need to take to reach where we are today? In large part, one answer to these questions is M-Pesa.

Around 2000, developed nations’ banks embraced digital expansion, exploring financial technology and new financial mediums for global transformation. Kenya, on the other hand, encountered a reluctant central bank’s response to the new ways of the world. A largely unbanked population found an opportunity to respond creatively due to this.

Enter: Telecommunications giant Vodafone and Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile network operator.

Thanks to a grant from the UK’s Dept. of International Development, the Pilot launched in 2006, primarily as a means for micro-lending.

However, users quickly discovered a feature that allowed for peer-to-peer transactions. They had identified one of Kenya’s biggest needs almost completely by accident. Kenyans required quicker, cheaper money transfers than costly bank options due to poverty, prompting a demand for improved solutions.

The demand for this service reared its head in the first year of M-Pesa’s launch. Safaricom set a goal for 350,000 users on their micro-finance and loaning program, which grew to the tune of over 1.2 million users. Most of which were largely utilizing the user-to-user transfer function.

M-Pesa identified service demand, aiming to offer accessible ATM features due to its expanding user community’s rapid growth. Without the time or resources to open branches at such a large scale, Safaricom utilized what already exists in Kenya; small mom-and-pop stores and even smaller specialized commerce stands. These micro-businesses were weaponized as hosts for M-Pesa Kiosks across Kenya and allowed for its meteoric rise to a significant market share of Eastern Africa’s economy. 

M-Pesa has achieved an almost unmatched market penetration in any industry worldwide. Over 96% of Kenyan households are utilizing the service. Today, Sub-Saharan Africa boasts over 150 million active mobile money users thanks to M-Pesa and other similar services, accounting for nearly half of the world’s active monthly mobile money users. 

September 18, 2021 By Carole Patrikakos Leave a Comment

Consider Sponsoring a Student Who Lost their Sponsor – Owen

Due to the lasting impact of COVID-19, we have had a few sponsors who are no longer able to continue supporting their students’ education, in addition to the 200+ students on our waiting list.  One of these students hoping for a new sponsor is Owen.

Owen joined our program in 2018, and is 12 years old. Owen attends Jagiet Academy boarding school and is working hard to get good grades. His best subject is English.  When he grows up he wants to be an engineer. In his free time, he loves playing soccer, doing taekwondo, and dancing. He enjoys the company of others and has many friends. His favorite meal is fish and ugali (a Kenyan staple made of cornmeal).

Owen’s parents work as street vendors, but don’t make enough money to support their family. They live in a two-room house made of iron sheets and wood. The house is connected to electricity, but they don’t have running water. The house is so small that Owen has to share a bed at night with all of his siblings. 
Owen is looking forward to getting another sponsor who will help him be successful in school. Many of our sponsors choose to support multiple students! Please consider sponsoring Owen or another waiting student.

July 7, 2021 By Carole Patrikakos Leave a Comment

Over 20 students have lost their sponsors. Consider sponsoring an additional student. Meet Leon.

Over the past year, more than 20 students have lost their sponsors. This is due to a variety of reasons, including the economic impact of COVID 19. The students are continuing their education, but are in need of a new sponsor.

This is Leon’s story.

Leon is 16 years old and attending Karima High School, a boys-only boarding secondary school that is one of the best national schools. He has been in the program for eight years and his sponsor recently needed to discontinue support.  His sponsor’s support helped him get to this level of education and gain leadership skills through the Life Skills program, summer camp, and the Saturday program. He was a student leader in the primary department and also a squad leader during the 2019 summer camp. Leon has become assertive and gained self-confidence through these leadership roles.

Leon lives with his grandmother and two aunts. The grandmother makes beaded items, sews sweaters, crotchets tablecloths for an income. She also works as a Community Health Volunteer.

Leon’s family lives in a two-roomed house in Ngando slums. The house is made of old rusty iron sheets. Unlike most families in the slum, Leon’s home has electricity so he can study comfortably during school breaks. They buy water for domestic use from a nearby vendor. Leon sleeps on a bed. The family uses charcoal or kerosene stove to cook their meals as they are the most affordable. They share a bathroom and pit latrine with their neighbors.

Leon is an intelligent, focused, and hardworking student. He performs well academically and is usually among the top-performing students in his class. He would like to become a pilot in the future. He is outgoing, confident, and self-driven. 

Sponsors discontinue support for a variety of reasons. We have committed to supporting students who enter our program until they finish their education. So when they lose a sponsor it’s important for us to find a new sponsor. If you already sponsor a student, would you consider sponsoring another one whose sponsor left? We are fortunate that someone has stepped up to sponsor Leon. But there are many other waiting students like him who need your help to ensure they can continue their studies and achieve their dreams. Explore all the waiting students here.

March 18, 2021 By Carole Patrikakos Leave a Comment

2021 Spring Appeal

Worldwide, this school year is like no other. For Ngong Road students, like Michelle, it’s even more exceptional. After being out of school for much of 2020, the 2021 school year sprung into action in January. This year will have four semesters compared to a typical three-semester year. 

Michelle and her fellow classmates will go non-stop until December… with no summer break. 


Please support the “2021: Spring Forward – No Summer Break Ahead” campaign and make a big difference for our students. We are seeking to raise $15,000, which has been matched by anonymous gifts to fill these additional needs. That means any gift you give will be doubled, and all amounts are appreciated. We are getting close to reaching our goal! Help us meet the match. 

The extra semester this year results in additional expenses such as transportation, supplies, and school fees. A gift of $75 covers the cost of giving 10 students soap, shoe shine kit, lotion, sanitary napkins, and toilet paper for a term; $350 covers the cost of transporting 20 kids back and forth to school for one term; and $1,200 covers the cost of providing breakfast and lunch for 70 primary students for one term.

Friends of Ngong Road students, families, and communities continue to be challenged by extreme poverty, overcrowded living, limited access to quality healthcare and nutrition, and now this global pandemic. 

Thanks to your support, you are helping children spring forward in 2021, making it possible for our students to continue to focus on school and transform their lives.

Donate Now
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Friends of Ngong Road
100 1st St S #581308
Minneapolis, MN 55458
(612) 568-4211 | info@ngongroad.org

EIN: 20-4690846

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