Notice of AGM – Tuesday 8th May 2018 at 2.30pm

We would like to announce that the Friends of Dagoretti Children AGM will be held on Tuesday 8th 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! Do join us if you can! 

Friends of Dagoretti Children - Notice of AGM - Tuesday 16th May at 2.30pm

We would like to announce that our AGM will be held on Tuesday 16th 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!

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter

The FDC committee

Book your tickets/table now for FDC's festive fundraiser!

Tickets are selling fast already for our annual fundraiser, to be held at Karen Country Club on Friday 25th November at 7.30pm by the pool, and the event promises to be another spectacular evening to kick start the festive season!

Thanks to some very generous donors we can once again offer some amazing auction and raffle prizes!

So please continue to help us educate the bright and needy in the Dagoretti area by buying a ticket or better still, booking a table through Linda, Charlie, Wendy or Louise. You can email us by reply (frodach@gmail.com) or do call us!

Tickets – 5,000 ksh per person, including dinner, a welcome drink and an evening of lively entertainment, featuring Mojo! You can pay by cash, cheque or Mpesa us on: 0727 409378.

Cash bar available. Dress Smart.

Thank You.

Linda – 0733 718599

Louise – 0733 479372

Charlie – 0733 614796

Wendy - 0701 166017

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!

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:

FDC's 'FUNDRAISER FORMIDABLE' 2015

FDC's 'Fundraiser Formidable'  will be held on Friday 20th November at 7.30pm at Karen Country Club. Please join us for another fabulous evening - all for a good, local cause! We are taking bookings for tables now! 

Many thanks, once again, to our very loyal and generous auction prize donors.

See the poster below for details and contacts:

Signs of the Times

This week we visited Alice Atieno (below, second from the right) at the Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf. We are so pleased to report back that she is making huge progress there, and has achieved good term grades.

We found her cooking up a storm with her fellow students - but whilst the class room was quiet there were obviously many animated exchanges going on, and the ingredients were being mixed with much culinary cheer! 

In September, Alice will be going on attachment, which she is much looking forward to. She spoke to us of her excitement at being exposed to more of the outside world and of how much she wants to learn new techniques and meet new friends and colleagues. 

When we asked her if she had encountered any particular challenges this year, her confident reply was that challenges are normal and to be coped with on an every day basis - one way or another, without fuss. This pragmatic approach to life was echoed in her recommendation to the Dean that it would be great to have more items available for their practicals - budget permitting. 

On our way out, Alice, realising our inability to follow what she was  'signing', rushed off to bring us her signing text book - which we will now do our best to delve into and learn from - so that on our next visit we can do better than our weird and wonderful gestures, that must have made a few of her class mates giggle! 

Alice with Catherine in the Dean's office and Catherine with Alice's 'signing' book.

Alice with Norah Joy Iganza, the Dean of Students

Marching On

This term has been an incredibly busy one! Catherine assessed many potential new Form 1 intakes and we are delighted to report that we have four new students who have joined secondary schools in Form 1 (David, Solomon, Jackson and Dorcas), and one maturer student (Ann) who is joining St Columba's Technical Training College in Kitui. Well done to Catherine, for the assessment process and home visits undertaken. These are not easy decisions when there are so many worthy candidates to chose from. This new intake brings our numbers up to 61 students - 30 girls and 31 boys. 20 are in secondary schools, 25 are doing tertiary courses and 16 have completed KCSE and are looking at their next options.

We are so pleased to announce that our 14 Form 4 students, who took their KCSE exams in November all did well. Particular praise and mention must go to Mercy Kalekye and Dennis Chomba who both achieved A minus grades, which is a great achievement - we are so proud of them after all their hard work. There are always a few personal disappointments but it is worth mentioning here and reminding them, of the hurdles that a number of them have overcome to get this far! 

We are now following up on a number of kind offers to provide work experience, placements or even permanent jobs for our students. Many thanks to all those who are part of this initiative. The exposure these students get from spending time in companies and different departments is invaluable!

Please remember that if you would like to buy Easter cards, you can buy them from FDC - on sale in KPS, Siafu and at the Karen Club shop. Ksh 100 per card.

Last, but not least, we had a terrific end of term and prize-giving in December and are delighted to report that the following students won awards:

Academic prizes to:
1. Dennis Chomba, Francis Kioi
2. Mercy Kalekye
3. Christine Wanjiku
4. Rosemary Nga'ng'a
5. Catherine Muraguri and Grace Wamaitha

Most improved student:
Stephen Njihia

Maths improvement:
Alfred Ndundiro (From a D- to a B-)

Most helpful student during the year:
James Odhiambo

Initiative Prize:
Brian Gitu - chosen to audition for a play with Nation TV
Duncan Wataka: who has lived on his own since clearing Form 4 and done all sorts of jobs to earn his living, while he waits to join tertiary education.

Happy New Year! 

Friends of Dagoretti Children would like to wish all its students, friends and supporters a very Happy New Year - with good health and much happiness and success during 2015!

Fundraising and Features

We are pleased to report back that tables are filling fast for our big Fundraiser on Friday 28th November at Karen Country Club, 7.30 pm by the pool. We are still taking bookings, so please contact us if you would like to buy a ticket or better still, organise a table! It is shaping up to be a fabulous evening with some great auction donations and lively entertainment by The Soul Syndicate.

We have also printed a new Christmas card design as they have been selling like hot-cakes! These are available in various Karen shops, at the Karen Country Club shop or via a committee member. 500 Ksh for a pack of five! 

Last but not least, we are thrilled to see an FDC photo on the front cover of the Karen Country Club Charity Golf Day magazine, and an article on Duncan Wataka on page 4. Copies of the magazine can be picked up at the Club and once again we would like to thank all our supporters for their continued interest and donations over the years - be it through corporate or private donations, attending our fundraising events or buying our cards, notelets, aprons and bridge pads! It all makes such a difference to our ability to fund the students (currently 56) through secondary and tertiary education. 

Our Year 4s have just taken their KCSE exams and we wish them the best of luck in getting the good results that they deserve!

Best Pre-Christmas Party/Fundraiser Yet!

FDC FUNDRAISER – FEATURING THE SOUL SYNDICATE 

FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER AT 7.30PM, KAREN COUNTRY CLUB

Please take a look at our fabulous poster with all the details on it + how to book a table + who and how much to pay!

We have some absolutely amazing auction prizes again this year and to keep it current, have added some new twists and turns, to make the evening even more of a success than last year! 

So please continue to help us educate the bright and needy in the Dagoretti area by buying a ticket or better still, booking a table through Linda, Charlie or Louise. You can email us (frodach@gmail.com) or do call us!

Graduation Glory and Pride

On Saturday 23rd August, FDC held its first Graduation Ceremony for eight of its students. Rather than read all about it, sit back and enjoy this short 'movie':

(Warning - this is a large file and may not play on an ipad or smart phone).

Our graduates and their courses:

Bernard Kibera - Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology
Aaron Njoroge - Diploma in Telecommunication Engineering
John Chege - BSC in Mathematics and Statistics
Harrison Mugo - Certificate in Food Technology
Fred Opel - Diploma in Clinical Medicine
Catherine Kangethe - Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies
Susan Mbugua - Diploma in Beauty Technology and Hairdressing, Revlon College
Paul Waruhiu - Degree in Sociology and Diploma in Business Management
Zacharia Gakunju - Diploma in Clinical Medicine

Absent:
Veronica Robe - Degree in Electrical Engineering
James Muniu - Diploma in I.T.
Winnie Njuguna - Diploma in Teaching
Margaret Ngugi - Degree in Business Management (Aviaton option)
Anthony Njuguna - Course at Graffins College
Joseph Kamau - Diploma in Electrical Engineering

Some additional photos:

Pop with John

And with Paul

With Aaron

With Bernard

With Susan

Limbering up for the award ceremony

Bernard with Linda

Susan, Mary, Linda and Catherine

Bridging the gap to make fundraising fun

On Tuesday we held a fabulous bridge afternoon - to ring the changes with our fundraising! The event was exceedingly well supported by friends and 'members' of Friends of Dagoretti Children and with nine tables of competitive (and some not so competitive!) card players and a raffle, we managed to raise just over Ksh 80,000 - which was wonderful! It was also the perfect opportunity to launch our new range of aprons, notelets and bridge pads for sale - which all went down a storm! We are also so grateful to the Murray family for donating their beautiful roses for sale and to Hemingways for donating dinner for two as a prize. Many, many thanks to all those who played, and/or contributed the most delicious cakes, sandwiches and biscuits - some of which, were even themed - a kind and creative thought, Denise! 

Last but not least - very special thanks to Linda for coordinating all the bridge players and to Charlie for hosting the afternoon at her beautiful home. 

The photos say it all:

Well done to all those who won a prize and "better luck next time" to those of you who missed out! We will definitely be doing this again!