Friends of Ngong Road

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

By Leave a Comment

Graduation Stories

Francis

“Success is and will never be an activity, rather, it is a process”. These were the exact words spoken by Francis on his big day, his graduation day. Francis, our most recent graduate, joined the program in 2010 as a young boy, full of ambitions. He not only completed his studies but also graduated with a degree.

Francis joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in September 2017. He pursued a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, specializing in animal physiology, which entails studying how animals function and their life processes. He has always been a lover of animals. He completed his degree in December 2021 and graduated on the 28th of July 2022.

He was an intern at Bimeda Kenya, a leading global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of animal health products and veterinary pharmaceuticals, as a sales representative for 3 months. Francis currently has two internship options, to either renew his internship contract with Bimeda or to join one of our employment initiatives, the Techmates program. He hopes to be able to put his skills and knowledge into action and add value to any place that he goes to.

Shaleen

Shaleen has always been a focused and hardworking girl since she joined the program in 2010. Her dedication and resilience finally paid off when she was able to wear a graduation gown, a dream she has always had. On her graduation day, she had lots of emotions, but most importantly, she was proud of herself for being consistent all through her studies.

Shaleen joined the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology in May 2018 after completing her high school studies in 2017. She pursued a degree in Bachelor of Commerce and specialized in accounting, an area that she really enjoyed as business studies were among her favorite subjects in high school. The program took 4 years to complete and on the 17th of December 2021, she finally graduated. 

She is currently working as a temporary finance assistant at the Christian Health Association of Kenya  (CHAK). When asked about her aspirations, Shaleen said that she hopes to complete the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) course, earn the accredited title, venture into the audit

By 1 Comment

Notes From Paula

Dear friends,

I had the pleasure of visiting Nairobi from June 23 – 30 for the first time since February 2020.  This was my 26th trip to Kenya and I left with three major impressions related to our work through Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF).

  1. Leadership is everything.  I believe that organizations grow and thrive when they are well-led. We have been working toward developing effective leadership in Kenya that is both a reflection of Kenyan culture yet also responsive to American leadership norms. Kelvin Thuku (Programme Manager for NRCF) and his leadership team are doing an excellent job of leading the organization and it shows.  Our staff is long-tenured and mature.  It is clear that they have built a culture where team members bring their best ideas to work and feel comfortable tackling challenging problems.

I observed the team discuss issues in our post-secondary program; they were clear on the problems to be solved and very vocal about solutions.  I visited the Saturday Program and saw a well-organized, orderly program for 150 elementary-age students. We had many programs running concurrently while I was in Kenya – computer training for recent high school graduates, parent meetings for post-secondary students, Life Skills training, etc. – and it all worked smoothly.

  1. Get educated and get a job.  We have done well in helping students get educated, yet we know we have room for improvement in supporting alumni on their employment journey.  We conducted our 2nd Alumni Survey in late June and learned that 51% of graduates had a job at the time of the survey, 80% had one or more jobs in the past 12 months and 72% of alumni are supporting other family members.  These results are modestly improved from 2021. While I was there, our new Employment Services Manager (Martha Otieno) began her job.  She brings strong skills and background in workforce development and good understanding of the employment market in Nairobi.  I expect she will have a positive impact on employment among our alumni. 
  1. Even if a student’s path leaves the main road, they find a way.  I spent time with many alumni while in Nairobi, including at least 10 whose education journey was less than we hoped for.  In every case, I found young adults who have grown, are more mature, and are piecing a life together.  Some are back in the slums, but they have one or more businesses or are employed. If there are children, they are in school.  Some are working in the gig economy and earning a living by doing several things like contract workers in our economy. Some are looking for a better job or getting more education or trying to move out of contract employment to more permanent jobs.  Most of them are building on the education they earned; they are determined and succeeding. 

Sometimes the road taken is not straight.  We have 183 alumni from this program whose lives are better than they would have been without education.  In most cases, alumni are building a life and by the time they get into their 20s, they understand the incredible gift they have been given.  Thank you to each and every one of you who have helped these students in their journey.

Warmly,

Paula

By Leave a Comment

Waiting Students

We have many students waiting for a sponsor to give them the gift of education.

Cynthia

Cynthia is a beautiful young girl who loves to cook and read. She lives in Waithaka, Dagoretti with her Mother and an older brother who is in grade seven. Her mother is the sole breadwinner of the family and she does laundry for a living. Her income isn’t enough to meet the family’s needs, so sometimes they have to forgo a meal to make ends meet.

She is a bright student who loves being in school but has not been able to be in school consistently due to financial constraints. Cynthia’s best subjects are English and Christian Religious Education. Cynthia is a musician and loves playing the piano while in school. She would love to be a scientist in the future and to invent medicine for incurable diseases. Cynthia works hard at school because she knows education is the only thing that will make it possible for her to have a successful career as a scientist. 

By 2 Comments

Emmanuel Scholarship to Ghana

Emmanuel, sponsored for 12 years, joined the program in 2010 and received support from Susan and Dave Plimpton for primary, secondary, and post-secondary education.

During primary school, he developed a passion for technology through the NRCF Computer Lab, attending computer classes led to pursuing a tech career path. In high school, Emmanuel was a good student who was very active in class participation. He was responsible and had leadership skills as he was the class monitor. After high school, Emmanuel underwent intensive computer training for three months which he received a certificate from the Computer Society of Kenya and Belmont College. He later joined Jomo Kenyatta University to pursue a degree in Business Information Technology.  He graduated in 2022. 

In 2021, NRCF launched a new tech internship program, TechMates,  designed to offer on-the-job training to graduates interested in tech careers. Emmanuel was among the pioneer interns of this program and underwent an eight months training program from September 2021 to May 2022.  During this internship, he was able to gain employment with Lido Nation as a software developer.  

NRCF launched an Entrepreneurship Program in May 2022 to train alumni in business start-up, management, and sustainability. Emmanuel, a pioneer, focused on website development and management. Emmanuel applied for a Tech Entrepreneurship Training scholarship at Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Ghana. This is a 1-year training program focused on tech entrepreneurship. He qualified for this program and has been invited to join the cohort in September 2022. 

Emmanuel has demonstrated superb leadership and resilience throughout his education journey. Emmanuel’s personal strengths are as impressive as his intellectual accomplishments. We celebrate all the milestones that he has achieved so far. The sky’s the limit for Emmanuel.