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Our May 2018 newsletter is out! 

We always welcome your feedback! Enjoy the read.

Summer fun and fundraising - Part 2

The second generous donation came from SAWA (South African Women's Association) in Kenya, who kindly put us forward as the lucky recipient of funds raised at their Blue Moon Ball - held at Muthaiga Country Club at the end of June. The evening was a huge success and the auction saw many bidders vying for some great offers in the auction and Muthaiga Club once again did a very professional job with much creative input from all the SAWA organizers - with beautifully decorated tables and a delicious three course dinner adding to the convivial ambience of the evening. Dancing to the live music aided digestion and all in all a great evening was had by party-goers and organizers alike!

Our huge thanks to all at SAWA - the 1.8M donation will make a huge difference to our 52 secondary and tertiary level students and their future education!

A Great Meeting - Our AGM 2017

On Tuesday 16th May we held our AGM - which proved to be a very lively and informative meeting. Many thanks to those donors and visitors who attended and to our tertiary students, James, Grace, Monicah and Peter who came to present to us at the end - telling us what courses they are doing, why they chose them and what part they particularly enjoy.

Before the meeting started we were able to hand over to Dennis Chomba's mother, one of the laptops that have kindly been donated to us. This will help Dennis enormously with his studies at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology - studying Control and Instrumentation Engineering. We are always on the lookout for laptops and printers - so please do think of us if you have any old ones, in working condition, that you no longer need. At the end of the meeting we were able to give our visitors a tour of our new "Resource Centre" - a refurbished container, bought with money donated by the Kenya Charity Sweepstake; giving us an invaluable space for report reading, holiday tuition, study and the storage of books etc.

It is always interesting to hear more about the FDC programme and this year we were so thrilled to announce that during the academic year of 2016/17 we admitted our 100th student! These young people's lives are so enhanced by the education they receive, and it is wonderful to see many of them 'popping out the top' now with a good number in full time employment, able to support others in their family and encourage other family members to stay in education! It is not always a smooth ride, but it is always fulfilling to see a student succeed - often against the odds. Thank you once more to our students, supporters, friends, social worker, auditor, committee members and office holders. The success of FDC is all in the team work! 

From left to right: James, Grace, Lydiah, Gerry, Monicah, Peter and Catherine.

Dennis Chomba's mother receives a donated laptop for Dennis.

From left to right: James, Grace, Monicah and Peter

Taking a tour of our new "Resource Centre"

The FDC "Resource Centre" 

MAY NEWSLETTER - HOT OFF THE PRESS

We hope that you will all enjoy reading our May newsletter. This issue highlights the achievements of three students who are now out in the workplace - two on internships and one on a contract basis.

You will note that our AGM is on Tuesday 16th May at 2.30pm at Mahalai Pa Watoto School and we would encourage any of you who are free, to come along and meet us. Tea and refreshments will be served afterwards and if you need directions, please drop us an email on: frodach@gmail.com

Another date for the diary is the SAWA "Blue Moon Ball" on Saturday 24th June at Muthaiga Country Club. Contact details are on page two of our newsletter - we are hugely appreciative that they are donating the funds raised at the Ball this year to FDC. 

Jane Wanjiru - working hard for a good outcome

It is always such a pleasure to report back on success stories and particularly when a student's hard work has paid dividends! 

Jane Wanjiru has been standing in for Catherine, our social worker, during Catherine's maternity leave. She has been covering the FDC office to meet parents and students alike, offer sound advice and and help the committee, in all sorts of ways, to provide a constant presence until Catherine returns.

Jane Wanjiru

In between all of this she has been looking for permanent employment in the environmental sector and we are pleased to report that following an interview in Kitui with a company called Machine Centre Ltd, she has now secured a job on a contract basis - working one week in every month. 

Machine Centre Ltd is running a very interesting sounding project, contracted to them by the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development through the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Program (KISIP). The project will encompass the improvement of Informal Settlement infrastructure in Kitui - including roads, sewer systems, water connection, installation of street lights and solid waste management.

Jane will be working on the following:

• helping the youth in these informal settlements to form a community based organisation (CBO).
• training the youth how to run these CBOs, highlighting the opportunities and challenges.
• training them in solid waste management
• training them on how they can earn a living from waste collection

Jane will also be in charge of occupational health and safety issues for the project.

She will be busy - but we have every confidence that she will do an excellent job and be a credit to herself, FDC, her educational institutions and last but not least, to her family! 

Good luck Jane! 

Jane shows round a visitor from Scotland while manning the FDC office

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

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.

FDC's very own Super Tuesday - Trumps and No Trumps

Many thanks indeed to our merry band of 36 Bridge players who gathered last Tuesday for an afternoon of tense (and sometimes tentative) bidding, fierce play and top scores, The afternoon was punctuated by some delicious cakes and sandwiches and a lively raffle, all washed down with a cup of tea and/or a glass of wine! A great deal of fun was had by all and we are pleased to announce that we raised a fabulous Ksh 130,500. Our thanks go to the players, particularly those who braved the traffic from the other side of town, and to all those who donated raffle prizes and roses and, last but not least, to our MC - Jackie. 

Charlie, Wendy, Louise and Linda - FDC fundraisers and dedicated sandwich makers!