Geoffrey Kimwandi Kageha

We are deeply saddened to announce that Geoffrey Kimwandi Kageha, one of our sponsored students whom we have supported through secondary school into university, has died in hospital on Friday 6^th May after complications further to a diagnosis of advanced Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Geoffrey, a diligent student and enthusiastic sportsman will be dearly missed by all whose lives were touched by him. We send our heart-felt condolences to his mother and siblings from the FDC family and our sister organization, Karen Street Children’s Trust.

Geoffrey had been pursuing a degree in maths and computer science at Machakos University.  It had been a dream of his to complete tertiary education and become the breadwinner for his family.  He was already helping to support a sister through her secondary education doing casual jobs whenever he had the time. That this hard-working and generous-spirited young man’s life has been cut short so tragically is a great loss to so many.

Inspired by Iggy

By very popular demand Brett Sievwright (Platinum Credit), very kindly returned to give our students another inspirational talk on 22^nd April.  Brett brought with him his right hand man and Financial Director, Ignatius O’Bara – or Iggy to his friends and colleagues.

Both Brett and Iggy spoke.  Brett talked to the students about the ‘VUKA Revolution’ which, in brief, captures the principal pillars for development and success, which we think are worth listing:

Discipline          Honesty                   Hard work

Consistency      Persistence             Excellence

Planning            Consequences       Relationships

Objectives                Gratitude

Ignatius spoke to the students of his own life experiences and challenges.  Iggy was brought up in Kibera with his family and was 1 of 23 children! Life was very difficult and he grew up surrounded by bad influences, gang mentalities and the effects of drugs. Many of his friends have fallen but Iggy had decided himself, without the help that is now available, to adopt the principles of VUKA. Had Iggy accepted his father’s advice he may have been an ‘askari’.  Iggy’s decision to walk to the library every day, work hard and never give up is an inspiration to us all. 

Coffee and kikoys  

Many thanks to Clare Norman for organising a coffee morning and kikoy sale in aid of Friends of Dagoretti Children last week at her beautiful home near Winchester. When her coffee and mouthwatering muesli bars were not being consumed in the kitchen there was a rush on the kikoy towels, kikoys and notelets in the sitting room - 'product placement' was key and Clare and her team of models and sales agents did us proud - raising a phenomenal six hundred pounds at the final tally - which will go towards the educational costs of two of our students, whom this Winchester crowd have supported for over a year now! Many thanks to all who supported us again and to Clare for organising such a lovely morning! 

Clare (right) sets up with Sally

Happy Shoppers

Notice of AGM - Wednesday 18th May at 2.30pm

We would like to announce that our AGM will be held on Wednesday 18th May at Mahali Pa Watoto School, Karinde (off Dagoretti Road) at 2.30pm. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

We do hope that those of you in Nairobi will be able to attend. RSVP by email to frodach@gmail.com by 1st May and we will send out directions, if required, and the agenda. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet the committee and to find out more about us and our students!

Spring Newsletter

Read our latest newsletter (Issue 12 - May 2016) which is hot off the press! In it you will find articles on our latest in-house training course, KCSE results and exam issues, fundraising, our latest range of notelets and what it costs to support a student through secondary education if you or a group of friends or family are looking for a worthy cause to support! Our AGM will be on Wednesday 18th May at 2.30pm at Mahali Pa Watoto School - please email us if you are able to attend. 

Training and guidance for the future

This week was another busy one with 13 post-KCSE students from both Friends of Dagoretti Children and Karen Street Children's Trust coming to Mahali Pa Watoto School for some in-house training to 'make the most of themselves' in the years to come.

As in previous years, there was a great deal of laughter in the mix - with great emphasis placed on role playing and presenting. This not only breaks the ice, but ensures the students really enjoy the course - stretching some 'comfort zones' in the process, but we think Daniel recovered fairly quickly after playing a pregnant lady trying to get on to a packed matatu! Francis, too, must be commended on his fabulous portrayal of a grandmother!

We covered the usual material - making the right impression; the importance of style and good grammar; text messaging and emails; letter writing and how to write a good cv; time management; good etiquette; financial planning and the appropriate use of social media. This year, we also added an extra section on 'contemporary problems and dangers', to what, previously, has been more a course on good communication skills.

I have to say, it is a sobering thought to think that these students whom we have seen grow up into such fabulous young adults, could now be faced with the threat of radicalisation and crime. But the area that many of them come from, Dagoretti, is not a 'stranger' to such ominous forces and this is the second time, in a very short space of time, that we have counselled the students on being aware of, and resistant to, possible approaches. 

Our students are incredibly fortunate in that they are part of a family and their well-being is a priority for both FDC and KSCT. They are not alone in the process and we will now be guiding them onto the next stage of their education - university/college or vocational courses. That they will 'make the most of themselves' is a given and we look forward to following and supporting them, onwards and upwards!

Louise Roest

Daniel, Catherine and Francis

Anthony and Joyce

Alfred

Catherine and Faith

 

Catherine

Chilling between sessions

Christine making an appointment by phone

Christine

Daniel role-playing

Faith and the others look and learn

Faith, Mercy and Daniel

Rosemary and Alfred

Class scenes follow:

Congratulations to our KCSE Students of 2015

We would like to congratulate our nine 2015 KCSE students on achieving a very respectable set of grades over the last week. 

Particular mention must go to Francis Kioi who received an A- grade, narrowly missing an A plain grade by only two marks! 

Francis is pictured here receiving an FDC academic prize in December 2015

These students are now all fulfilling their compulsory period of voluntary service and working at either the Kenya Red Cross, Mahali pa Watoto Kindergarten or Waithaka Special Needs School until university/college courses are allocated and decisions made on their next career path.

Next week they will be undertaking a three day in-house training course, with their peers from Karen Street Children's Trust, and will be covering a wide range of topics from good presentation skills, the preparation of CVs and application letters; to time management, the appropriate use of social media and an awareness of certain challenges (including the danger of radicalisation) that will face them as they leave school and move on up to tertiary education and more independent living. 

Returning to the KCSE results, it is a great shame that this year's results have been characterised by controversy and we are pleased to report that none of our students have been affected. 

A headline in today's Daily Nation (Saturday 12th March) reads:

"Govt will act on historic exam cheating, Education CS Matiang'i says". 

An extract from the article follows:

Education Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i has said the government will finally act on the historic cheating that eclipsed the recently released Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.

He said the exams, which recorded the highest rise in the number of cheating cases in history, have revealed serious systemic loopholes that need to be dealt with immediately.

“We cannot subject our children to such recklessness,” he said during the closing ceremony of an education conference for Catholic private educational institutions, head teachers and directors at Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

Last year’s KCSE examinations recorded a 70 per cent rise in cases of cheating from the previous year, with results of 5,101 students being cancelled as a result.

The CS had stated that all those involved in leaking the examinations will be brought to account but had been vague about how this will happen.

He has now set March 30 as the day the government will reveal the actions being taken to ensure this year will not be a repeat of the last.