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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A Young, Passionate Programmer-Lenox

Meet Lenox, an aspiring game developer. Lenox is in grade 6 in one of our focus schools. Before joining the program, he had no clear picture of what he wanted to become once he grew up. After getting a sponsor, he started attending our programs, one of them being Computer Training. Lenox fell in love with computers and he has barely missed a class since then. 

In early 2022 when the new students’ resource center (Elimu Hub) was constructed and the computer lab pimped with new powerful computers, Lenox was one of the proudest beneficiaries of the structure and he’s amongst the students that utilize the facility a lot.

Lenox has committed to all that gets taught to him during the computer classes and his best session is usually the programming ones where he gets to apply his critical and creative thinking skills. His programming skills are impressive especially when it comes to scratch programming.

Early January 2023 he was amongst five students that participated in a hackathon for scratch programming (Scratchathon) competition and he was voted one of the best students during the competition having led a team in developing a game using the scratch program and presenting it to the attendance on behalf of the team. He also got interviewed where he discussed his love for programming and his aspirations to become a web developer when he grows up.

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Caroline: Her Graduation Story

Caroline has been able to show resilience all through her studies and has been able to complete her post-secondary education. She joined the program in 2012 as a young girl in grade 6 full of academic aspirations that she has been able to fulfill. 

Caroline studied a course in social work and community development. The course took 2 years to complete, she completed it in September 2022 and she graduated in December. She has also been able to gain relevant experience through attachments and internships. She was attached at the NRCF offices between September and October 2021 working with the primary department and an internship at the same place for 6 months between April and September 2022 working with the secondary department.

Caroline is currently working with ICEA Lions Group as a salesperson, a position she has been holding since October 2022. She aspires to further her studies as she continues to work as well as a volunteer during the Saturday programs. We wish her all the best!

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First Class Honors

This year has been incredible for us in terms of getting exceptional performances from our students and Sallyanne is one of those students who has made us extremely proud. Sallyanne has become  the first student ever since the organization started to get first class honors! This is the highest achievement ever made by a post-secondary student.

Sallyanne joined Kabarak University in May 2018 and was admitted to the Bachelor of Mass Communication. Her end-of-semester results showed that she was excelling in her studies. In September of 2021, she was attached at a local radio station where she worked for three months and December marked the end of her studies. 

In January 2022, Sallyanne was among the first students to join the TechMates program where she specialized in Digital Marketing. She has since been creating content for both the NRCF and FoNR websites as well as managing the content on both social media pages and she helps in training new Digital Marketing TechMates who join the program. Through the program, she joined Lido Nation, a Cardano staking pool, gaining valuable work experience and networking opportunities.

She works for Lido Nation as a content writer, a website translator, and a social media manager and she is also a trainer for mentees who would like to learn more about Blockchain. She experienced the greatest highlight of her time at Lido Nation when she became a co-proposer in a funded proposal.

Sallyanne graduated on the 16th of December 2022 making her a journalist by profession. She received an award during the annual AGM as the first student to get first-class honors. Her role model is Larry Madowo and she hopes to become an equally great journalist. She has set the pace for our post-secondary students and we hope that many will follow suit. Congratulations Sallyanne!  

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Waiting Students

Frankline

Frankline lives with his parents and siblings in the Kibiria ward of Dagoretti. He is from a very humble background and despite the family’s hardships, Franklin has a positive attitude toward life. He and his siblings don’t have beds of their own, and he is often sent home from school due to his parent’s inability to pay for his school fees. 

Currently he schools at  Alpha Glory Academy where he is a top performer. He loves going to school and dreams of being able to go every day. He says that getting a sponsor will solve this challenge and let him focus on getting good grades. His best subjects are Mathematics and English. Frankline aspires to become a pilot and is therefore taking his studies seriously. His parents hope to see their son finish school, be successful, and become someone of substance in society through education.

Verah

Verah is not just your average 9-year-old girl. She is very helpful especially at home so, during her free time, you will find her washing dishes or helping her younger sister. Verah lives with her parents and her younger sister whom she loves dearly. She loves spending quality time with her family. 

Verah is very disciplined when it comes to her education and performs really well in her schoolwork. She would love to be a doctor someday. This is because she finds joy in helping other people and creating an impact in their lives and their families. She yearns for success and works really hard in order to achieve all the milestones that she has set for herself. Verah’s favorite foods are chicken and fish and she knows how to prepare them!

Verah will be able to join Jagiet Academy when she gets a sponsor. This will maximize her chances of earning the title of a doctor in the future and therefore empower her.

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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