Back in 1999, when I was a newly minted graduate and embarking on my first international job, I had the privilege of having Farah Stockman, the founder of Jitegemee, as my boss. We were journalists, reporting on the international tribunal for the Rwandan genocide. But I recall that, even then, she spoke constantly about her street kids education project in Machakos.

Farah and I would eventually move on to other jobs, but we kept in touch and every once in a while she would ask me what I thought about academic and career options for the students under Jitegemee’s  care. I had personally sponsored several promising young students to college, so when Jitegemee began to support kids to go to college, she sought out my advice.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with two of the college students studying in Nairobi- Kieti Muli and his cousin Charles. They were accompanied by Mike Kimeu, the project administrator, and two of the teachers at the center. I had the opportunity to discuss with them what kinds of opportunities exist for post secondary school students and what programs are most likely to lead to jobs after graduation. But it was only in December 2011, after I joined Jitegemee’s board, that I finally got to go to Machakos and see the project for myself. I spent most of the day talking to the students, listening to aspirations, discussing academic and career options, giving, best as I could, the career advice I had gained over the years mentoring other students in other institutions.

The visit reinforced in my mind something that I have come to believe after working with many students in difficult conditions. Poverty, while debilitating in many ways, does not mean that children have no aspirations. All children want to become something meaningful and important in life. What they define as meaningful and important may vary with exposure, but they all want to prosper, they all want to do well and more often than not, they express dreams of being able to help others one day.

Jitegemee is full of children who have the capacity, if they receive the right help, to change their locality, their country, and their continent. They are smart, sharp and determined: Children like Peter Muasya, who had an A- in his high school results.

I am well aware that academic success is not everything in life and that an A- does not tell you much about a child’s character and abilities, beyond the fact that they can pass exams. To know more about Jitegemee children you have to sit and talk to them; see how passionate they are, how much they want to succeed, and realize how hard they have had to work, given their difficult backgrounds, to get where they are. It is only then that the meaning of Muasya’s A- can be understood; and it says a lot more about him than his ability to pass exams. It tells you what he can do if he only gets half-a-chance.

Jitegemee also has vocational students who were not able to take the formal education path, but who have acquired skills that they can turn into businesses. It is easy, in a world where academic success is equated to intelligence and ability, to imagine that they are not so able. But doing so would be wrong. A country like Kenya needs business acumen and the Jitegemee vocational students that I spoke to have the potential, with support, to create thriving enterprises that grow and hire others not just in Machakos, but all over Kenya. In fact, with the right skills in building businesses, they may prove just as successful, if not more, than those students who take the formal academic path.

In Kenya we are a bit obsessed with education- any kind of education. Families will sell off land, assets and valued farm animals to send a bright child to school. Even in the remotest parts of the country, you are bound to find a shack or a tree under which children will come, faithfully, daily, come rain or blazing sun. They are sent by their parents to acquire the one thing that everyone believes will provide a better life for them. And it makes sense. In a continent where social security is non-existent and upward mobility not guaranteed, there has always been one thing everyone agreed could get you out of poverty, and that was education. Lack of schooling is seen to be the ultimate tragedy for a child and it is felt as a closing of the doorway to economic prospects, an almost irreversible narrowing of opportunities.

Jitegemee changes that. It takes children who, either because the parents are dead or are unable to support them, cannot go to school and re-opens for them that window of opportunity. It is one thing to hear about this project. It is quite another to visit the place, talk with children and realize just how much potential they have, how much they have done to get where they are, and how much they can achieve, if someone will keep that window open just long enough for them to acquire the skills they need.

It is a project worth supporting, not just because it will help these great children succeed, but more so because of what these children do in the future, not just for themselves, but for those around them, their community, the country and I dare say, maybe even their continent.

-Mary Kimani

There is no way to envisage what life is like in rural Kenya and much of the developing world until you experience it firsthand. Coming from white, middle class America, no matter how many generalizations about Africa you’ve heard, there is no way to understand the overwhelming lack of opportunity that plagues places like Kenya. As I discovered, Jitegemee exists to provide opportunities for those who have the least of them. I spent four months volunteering in Kenya, just under three of which I spent completing Jitegemee’s first internship program.

I lived with Norman and Francesca Mwanzia, an elderly husband and wife who adopted me as their American son and gave me the opportunity to fully experience Kenyan life and Kikamba culture. They took me to church with them, to their family farm, and they introduced me to their family, friends and neighbors. Norman and Francesca have spent their lives creating their own compound complete with a house, corn fields, two small houses for rent, a preschool class room and a mango tree. Every morning I would walk 30 minutes from where the Mwanzias lived in Miwani to Jitegemee’s center in Machakos Town, or if I was running late, I would take a matatu (a shared taxi). To get to the main road, I would pass through Miwani, greeting and being greeted with “Jambo!” at every smiling face. “MZUNGU!” (foreigner) the little kids exploded at the sight of me, a strange, slightly red American man strolling through their rural community.

I hope that the risk Jitegemee took in sending a fresh, qualification-less high school graduate to Kenya paid off.  In an environment that could not be more different from my suburban home town of Brookline, Massachusetts, my age gave me a common ground with many of the Jitegemee scholars; it gave me an initial way to connect with them.

I worked in collaboration with Mike, Elizabeth, Mwelu, and Alex to find the areas where I could be of most use. My duties included developing a basic computer skills curriculum and lessons, and creating a networked computer lab and a litter management and environmental awareness program. While I hope that my work there will have a lasting impact in Machakos, I know that what I learned from Jitegemee’s students and staff will forever impact the way I approach life.

Through conversations with courageous people, I saw just how invaluable faith and optimism are in surmounting dire situations. The first day I arrived at Jitegemee, I was introduced to three girls who wanted to tell me about what they had been through. The girls, whom I later got to know well, recounted horror stories about life on the streets, drug and alcohol abuse, and not having enough food to eat. They were two years younger than me and already they had been through an incredible amount of hardship. I thought about people I know from home who, in spite of the privileges they have, chose not to do their homework, who chose to go to class high or skip class altogether. How come when opportunities and necessities are provided, people abuse them? Every Jitegemee student I met craved education. Learning is their key to a better life.

One of the girls, exuding the confidence and maturity of a person much older than fifteen, continued her story. She wore a long, floral-patterned skirt and a simple button-shirt, caringly scrubbed cleaner than anything I owned, and she appeared cool and at ease under the hot sun. She was ready to open up her heart to a complete stranger and share her love for Jitegemee. She spoke softly and thoughtfully in English, a language she had only learned up to the Kenyan sixth grade level. She explained to me how one day, instead of being ignored and looked down on by passersby, she was approached by a well-dressed teacher from Jitegemee. She was offered a daily meal and the chance to learn a trade and do something with her life. This was an opportunity she seized with her entire spirit, and she is now a certified hair dresser and was one of the best students in my computer classes.

While it is not always this easy to get children off of the streets, Jitegemee is extremely successful and has a high retention rate because there is so much need for what they do; most street children just need to be given the chance to succeed. The students are so grateful for Jitegemee and I was touched by the weeks of effort they put in to welcome a family of donors with dance and songs.  I will always be grateful for the opportunity Jitegemee gave me and I am already planning my trip back to Machakos. I will forever remember the stories, songs, dances, expressions, jokes, and smiles. I hope to continue being a part of the Jitegemee family and the great work that they do. Tutaonana.

-Calum Bowden

My name is Mirriam Mutindi Mativo. I was born in a family of two. My mother was crippled and a single parent who was the only bread winner. She worked as a newspaper vendor and thus earned just enough to provide for food. My sister and I faced a lot of challenges in school because my mother could not afford all the expenses. I had tattered clothes and was sent home regularly due to lack of school fees and other requirements. As young as seven years of age I could assist my struggling mother to carry newspapers to the streets for sale.

Worse came to worse when she passed away in the year 2004. I was barely in class five and my sister in form four. This was the darkest moment of my life. I opted to run to the streets to assist other newspaper vendors and beg for money. It was then when one of my late mother’s friends took me in to her house and sent me back to school. She had four children, so in addition to me, she was having difficulties in providing for all of us. I had to go to the streets quite often to fend for myself. It was in 2005 that I joined Jitegemee children’s program. It was the sunshine of my life because I now saw hopes of me in future. I met very wonderful teachers who made me feel like my mum was alive again. They reminded me that education is the key to good life and that I can make it through hard work. I made my decision to do all my best to succeed in academics.

The Jitegemee teachers were very generous and encouraging. It was from them that I learned that I had a bright future ahead. I worked hard and finished class 8 with my dream coming true by passing very well. I scored 392 marks out of 500 and secured myself a place in Machakos Girls High School. I was taken to secondary school by Jitegemee and was provided for with everything. This was one of the happiest moments in my life because I had never thought that I could ever go to secondary school or be in such a good school. I met kids from bright backgrounds and we schooled together.

I also met a lot of poor students whose parents were struggling and this motivated me because I had this golden opportunity. I put more efforts in school and cleared form four last year and scored grade B of 65 points. I am now waiting to join the university. My dream has been to work in the field of procurement which I hope to pursue in the university.

One thing I have learned through experience is that street children face a lot of problems and need special attention like I received from Jitegemee. I believe with determination everything is possible. I am true testimony to other street kids that we can make it in life and that a bad door closes for a better one to open. I trust we should forget the past and concentrate on building the future through hard work in school. I hope to join Jitegemee’s noble work of supporting the needy by giving moral support, material and financial support in the future.

I thank all the donors, the staff members and all well-wishers who have contributed in changing and improving the well-being of the less fortunate children. It is because of you I am where I am now. Your support and kindness has made a great impact in our lives. Thank you and may the almighty God bless you abundantly. Street children, given a chance in life, can do wonders.

-Mirriam Mutindi Mativo

My parents did their best to bring me up in their most affordable way. When I was in class three, things fell apart following the passing away of my dad. Life was unappealing to the poor family since the bread winner was not there and coincidentally my mother was jobless. To save the boat from sinking my mother started doing odd jobs such as washing clothes, digging other people’s shambas, (farms) and other manual jobs.

At that time I wanted to give up learning due to the challenges I faced at school and back at home. I lacked sufficient diet, I wore tattered clothes, and at school I was mocked, isolated and discriminated by children from advantaged families. Many days I never went to school and instead I went to the streets to fend for myself. I thought I would end up being a watchman or a cart pusher.

Ooh! I was in class seven at last – only one more step, then graduate to be the town cart pusher! I had now given up. Going to school having not taken any meal and dressed differently from the others was a big challenge. I saw God’s great love when, after realizing my potential towards success, our school head teacher gave a lot of support and the kids I worked with introduced me to Jitegemee program. The following day I was interviewed on various matters then I was sponsored. I was issued a new uniform. This was my first time to wear a new uniform and new leather shoes.  In addition to that stationery was provided while tuition fees were catered for. We were then all equal at school – no one belittles me. My self esteem and attitude towards life and myself changed positively. I vowed to work as hard as I could.

I started putting more efforts, “Why crawl when you can walk, walk when you can run, run when you can fly?” Martin Luther King, Jr. Therefore when I did my KCPE exams I attained 411 out of the possible 500 marks and secured a chance at Alliance High School (the top school in the country). I am a true witness to other street children that with determination one can make it in life whatever background you come from.  I have a dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. By attaining that I wish to join Jitegemee in their noble work of sponsoring street children. One thing which I realized is that street children require moral support more than any other person.

Finally, I would like to thank our donors, director, staff members and all people of good will for opening my eyes. Your support, financially, morally, spiritually etc is highly appreciated.

When the pathway seems long,

When temptation is strong,

When your strength is almost gone,

That’s the time to press on.

Streets kids are able to make it in life.

-Meshack Wambua Nzioka

Site of the the new building

Dear friends of Jitegemee,

It has been a long process, but this spring, we finally were issued our title deed to our land. We are currently in the process of seeking competitive bids for contractors and we intend to break ground on the building this summer. Here is a recap of how far we have come, as well as the blue prints for the master plan, which we intend to build in phases.

July, 2009:

• Signed a contract to purchase an acre of land after securing seed grant from the Kaplan Foundation and $50,000 in matching funds from the Andrew and Bonnie Weiss Foundation.

August 2009:

• Conducted a school design workshop with Architects for Humanity in Kenya, to educate teachers, students and parents about the process of building a school to give them a voice in the process. Our school planning committee visited several schools around Kenya that have used environmentally-sustainable architecture.

December, 2009:

• Architects for Humanity completed first draft of drawings and sent to Kenya for comment.

January, 2010:

• Title deed was delayed at the Ministry of Lands, due to chaos at the ministry and a corruption probe. Documents had to be re-submitted.

March, 2010:

• Architecture for Humanity finalizes its sketches based on reaction from Kenyan planning committee.

July, 2010:

• Surveyors were engaged to begin to subdivide the plot of land to pave the way for our purchase.
• Over $30,000 raised for the building through the GlobalGiving “Green Open Challenge.”

January, 2011:

• Jitegemee obtains competitive bids for Kenyan architects.

May 2011:

• Jitegemee receives first installment on a $40,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor.

November, 2011:

• Green Designs, a Kenyan architecture firm that specializes in environmentally-sustainable building finalized the master plan and gave an initial budget estimate.

February, 2012:

• Jitegemee receives its title deed from the Ministry of Lands!

March, 2012:

• Jitegemee submits documents to change land use from residential status.

May, 2012:

• Jitegemee begins to seek competitive bids for contractors.

We sincerely thank your for your continued support, and we look forward to celebrating the completion of this important addition to the Jitegemee program, and the city of Machakos!

Sincerely,
Farah Stockman
Founder and Executive Director

In July 2010, knowing very little about Jitegemee, outside of a general notion of what it was and that it was being led by someone I look up to and respect, I endeavored to help raise funds to build a new education center for kids in a town far far away, with a name that I could barely pronounce. That July, with the help of many of you and some very generous matching donors, we raised over $60,000 for the new school, putting us more than a quarter of the way toward our ultimate $200,000 goal. A couple months later, still never having been to visit the actual program, talk with the kids, or meet the staff, I was asked to join the board of the organization. Honored to receive this invitation, I immediately accepted. At that point, the next big item on my life agenda became to make the journey to Machakos to visit the program in person. This past August, almost a year after being asked to join the board, I was able to make the trip.

Before boarding the bus in DC to make it to JFK airport I purchased a small notebook to capture my thoughts as I traveled. The very first line in the notebook, written as I was about to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport reads, “7 minutes from landing, still no idea what to expect…”

With that frame of mind, I passed through customs and met up with Farah, a familiar face in uncertain surroundings. She escorted me to a car driven by Captain Amos (Amos, by the way, is the best there is – if you ever make the trip to Kenya, I have his contact information), and we were off to Machakos—marking the beginning of the experience of a lifetime.

Jitegemee students and me having fun with the camera.

Over the next ten days, I would be shuttled between five different cities, experiencing everything from sitting in on community planning meetings for the new education center and meeting the architect Musau Kimeu; to sleeping in a bunk bed underneath a mosquito net at a primary boarding school after an 8-hour cross-country bus trip. In the course of my travels, I had the opportunity to talk politics and the future of the country; witness firsthand the excitement around the Kenyans for Kenya fundraising campaign; float along Lake Naivasha next to very large hippos; taste traditional Kamba food; and visit the slums where some of our students grew up.

When I made my first journal entry on August 5th, I had no way of knowing the truly profound impact this trip would have on me. However, by the time I left Kenya on August 13th, I was absolutely humbled by the dedication of the Jitegemee staff, and the spirit, intelligence, and gratitude of the Jitegemee students. On my fourth day in Machakos, I spent time with Valentine, Peter, Grace, and Christine, the first two are students in our formal schooling program, and the latter two are students in our vocational training program. As we walked through the city, visiting their apprenticeships, and exchanging stories and questions about life in our respective worlds I came away impressed with the students’ recognition and appreciation of the opportunity they were being given. At one point, as we walked past two street kids, one with a glue bottle literally stuffed in his nose, one of the girls whispered to me, “That used to be us.”

Our students are excelling in school and in the workplace. They’re focused on taking full advantage of the opportunities given them through Jitegemee, and are working even harder at creating additional opportunities for themselves.

A year into my board experience, I get it now, much more clearly than I ever did before. I see the connection between the money raised here and the impact it has on the lives of children a world away. I get the opportunities that $10 affords, and I feel extremely blessed to be in a position to help make a difference in another’s life. As we enter this holiday season, if you haven’t taken the opportunity to contribute to the great work that is going on at Jitegemee, I would implore you to consider it. We are still fundraising to meet the goal of our 2012 operating budget. It is only through your generosity that we can continue to literally change lives!

Asante Sana (Many Thanks),

Clarence Wardell III

P.S. For more updates throughout the year please follow us on Twitter (@jitegemeeinc), or “like” us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/JitegemeeInc)!

This year the SIPA team performed the first ever outside evaluation of Jitegemee’s Formal Schooling Program.  The team conducted a comprehensive impact assessment of the program, with an emphasis on health and social outcomes for participating primary school students and their families.  The initial findings of the evaluation were very encouraging:

“We found that the Formal Schooling Program leads to both positive overall health and social outcomes. One of the major contributing factors to improving students’ health is the feeding program, which provides free lunch on a daily basis during the week. In addition, regular check-ups from the Jitegemee doctor and access to medication have had a large impact on both students and their families. With regard to social outcomes, we concluded how Jitegemee’s financial support – especially in terms of providing uniforms and shoes – has helped the students to feel like they belong among their peers, allowing them to focus more on their studies and less on social stresses. The financial support has also had a major impact on families, enabling parents to put the money they save toward other household expenses, as well as to better outfit the students’ siblings for school.

We also found additional positive financial, educational, health and interpersonal relationship outcomes based on the four areas of impact that we identified during Phase II, and determined that Jitegemee’s impact on relationships was the area where there was the most room for improvement.”

We are sincerely grateful to the SIPA students and faculty for all of their hard work.  Their recommendations for improvement will help guide us as we continue to build a better Jitegemee for our students.  When you get a chance, please check out the full report.

In March 2010, I had the privilege of spending two weeks at Jitegemee, working with students and staff as part of a consulting team from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. We were working with the vocational training program, learning about the trades Jitegemee students were training in, the economy in Machakos, and other potential employment opportunities for graduates.

We got to meet Jonathan, who had recently completed the vocational training program. He worked with an electrician during his attachment phase, and stayed on at the same business after graduation. He was shy at first when speaking with us, looking down more at his soda bottle than at us; I can only imagine how it felt to have these three American strangers suddenly peppering him with questions. 

But Jonathan was polite and patient and eventually wanted to show us where he worked. He walked us through Machakos to the electrician’s shop where he told us more about his work. We asked him what type of electrical equipment he could fix.

“Everything,” he said, without hesitation. “I can fix everything.”

 

He spoke with such confidence, and I know that it was largely thanks to Jitegemee that he felt so self-assured. The educational opportunities afforded to bright young men and women like Jonathan wouldn’t have been available if it weren’t for Jitegemee’s dedicated staff and mission.

We also spent a day with the young students that Jitegemee was sponsoring at primary schools throughout Machakos. They taught us Kenyan games and songs, and had so much energy that by the end of the afternoon, I felt exhausted but exhilarated.

I was embarrassed as I realized that I had always taken being able to attend school for granted. But with Jitegemee’s help, the new students would be able to secure their educational future.

The trip itself was something I talked about for months afterward, and I still think about it often. I describe the work that Jitegemee does, and the amazing students and teachers, and feel incredibly lucky that I had the opportunity to meet them.

-Kiri

After my hottest week in Machakos, it rained. Really rained. It started Sunday afternoon and it actually only stopped raining earlier today. Now there is heavy mud everywhere, or “ndaka” in Kikamba, which a man in the matatu told me I had collected lots of on my shoes .

Unfortunately the rain has come several weeks too late to save the crops. But a few weeks ago my family was able to harvest a massive sack of beans and some thumb-sized bananas from their shamba farm. Many of Jitegemee’s families are hit hard by the increasingly unpredictable rains so it was a good time to talk about protecting the environment with the students.

Two Saturdays ago, all of the primary school students came to the center. We talked about what the term environment means, the interdependent nature of ecosystems, and why it’s important to protect it. I tried hard to make it relevant to their lives. Not just “recycle used peanut butter jars and decorate them for fun” as my Google search had suggested. I wanted the students to understand that pollution and dwindling natural resources pose a serious threat for our generation. If we throw our litter on the ground, livestock/a small child could mistake it for food and choke on it. We could further pollute the water. Climate change affects the rains. We will eventually run out of fossil fuels.

With Jitegemee about to start the construction of a new, “green” center, we wanted the students to understand that it doesn’t mean it will be painted that color, as one primary school student suggested. The new building will have solar panels for electricity, a solar hot water heater for cooking, toilets that use little/no water, a roof designed to collect water, and a large shamba.

I organized 3 activities: an environmental scavenger hunt, the “taka taka challenge!” (just a rubbish pickup), and some typing and drawing activities on the computers. The kids excitedly ran around the center looking for the different things I had asked for. One group even found a turkey, which I didn’t think lived in Kenya, let alone Jitegemee’s grounds.

-Calum

As mentioned on our Twitter feed and Facebook page (you are following those aren’t you? ) Jitegemee welcomed its first intern to Machakos a little over a month ago. Calum is taking a gap year to travel the world, experience life, and hopefully make a difference along the way. We’re happy to have him working with our students and staff at Jitegemee, and we are excited to hear about his time there. Throughout the course of his stay we will occasionally be cross-posting updates from his blog “Merry Go Round,” here on our site. Below is the first such post, ENJOY!

For over a month now I’ve been working with the NGO Jitegemee in Machakos, Kenya that rehabilitates street children through formal and vocational education. I’m their first long-term volunteer and I’m working on developing a basic computer skills curriculum, a networked computer lab and a litter management program. Living with a local family has given me an opportunity to fully experience life here. They have made me feel like their son always referring to each other as “mom” and “dad”. Many of our conversations are spent comparing our cultures and asking each other questions. What I’ve found most interesting is how surprised they are when I explain how different life is back home. I remember their shock when I explained I didn’t know how to make chapatis because I don’t eat them back home. But they’ve made sure to teach me and now I’m pretty much an expert- I’ll post some instructions soon.

Over the first two week of January, we had many visitors to Jitegemee. Two Columbia graduate students studying international development came for 10 days to research the impact of the formal schooling programme. Not sure how they got anything done as we spent most of our time together dancing with all the students. Their findings fully support the huge, life changing impact that Jitegemee has on children’s lives. Just read ”REFORMED“, a poem written by several vocational students, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Last Friday we had three donors visit from the US who shared a day of performances and celebration with us here. Hopefully soon I will be able to find the internet power to upload some pictures.

Slowly I’ve been making progress teaching the students how to use computers. We have five (if we’re lucky and they all decide to work) in a mini-lab that is now decorated with some posters the students made about the different parts of the computer. Since the most of them had never touched one before, I start by teaching them about the parts, why its important to learn computers, and how many jobs can benefit from using them. Then we move into turning them on and off correctly, and how to hold the mouse and use the left click. My first major activity involves the paint application and they have all loved learning how to draw and color on the computer. It’s a fun way to learn about interacting with the computer using the mouse. Some of them have been able to create really detailed portraits, maps of Kenya and Africa, and 3D houses. It’s amazing to think that a week ago most of them had never used a computer before and now they’re able to do all that. This week I’ve been introducing them to the keyboard, going through what all the keys do and having the students practice using them. In the next few weeks we will continue to work on typing and formatting. I’ve also been working with the teachers on typing, word processing, powerpoint, and video editing. Hopefully by next week we will have the entire center connected to the internet so everyone can start playing with it.

For the litter project, we now have five bins for taka taka trash and a bottle of soap. I made some posters about keeping Jitegemee clean and healthly and put them up all over the place. I’ve started to explain it all to the students and already I’ve seen many people putting their trash into the bins instead of throwing it on the floor.And we’ve nearly finished the bottle of soap. Great success! Hopefully we’ll be able to get hand sanitizer dispensers which I think will be better for the limited water supply.

Now I’m off to Nairobi to spend the weekend with my host brother. What a crazy life!

By Calum