The importance of volunteering for students

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”

~Author Unknown

A section of the Kite Oxford Nairobi Organisation

Programs involving student volunteering and service learning are aimed at encouraging civic behavior among young people. Volunteering to help sections of the community cope better within their respective environments and situations doesn’t necessarily mean you have enough time on your hands. The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention. Volunteering helps you get in touch with sections of the population that do not form topics brought to the table most of the time. It keeps you in touch with your humane side and reminds you what it means to be human.

This is what Kite Oxford Nairobi is built on. We aim to provide students with a platform where they can be themselves and still be part of the decision-making process in the community. The platform allows them to interact with their fellow peers as well as other established organizations from the social to the professional level. All this is achieved through interactions, projects and fundraising activities. 

Why should you volunteer?

Volunteering while at university improves well-being by establishing a positive regular routine alongside studying and socialising. It acts as an activity that breaks the monotony by giving you a chance to explore other aspects of life. Students contribute significantly to the wider community through the hours they give to groups and organizations through formal and informal volunteering.

 A chance to help others

Volunteering gives you a chance to improve the conditions and situations that some people experience. A significant number of  students who volunteer with Kite have shown the desire to work with organizations aimed at improving the survival or living standards of people. It could be the community as a whole or sections of the community like youths, girls, or even women. Volunteering gives individuals a chance to make a difference in a community as they develop a diversity of skills through getting involved with the projects on the ground.

Kite Oxford Nairobi Mentorship Program (one on one mentorship sessions)

 A chance to help others

Volunteering gives you a chance to improve the conditions and situations that some people experience. A significant number of  students who volunteer with Kite have shown the desire to work with organizations aimed at improving the survival or living standards of people. It could be the community as a whole or sections of the community like youths, girls, or even women. Volunteering gives individuals a chance to make a difference in a community as they develop a diversity of skills through getting involved with the projects on the ground.

A visit to Bomas Of Kenya (Heritage site) under the mentorship project

Creating awareness

Student volunteers make a significant contribution to organizations and the wider community, especially through the skills and enthusiasm they bring to tasks and the hours they put in while volunteering with groups and organizations. Student volunteering develops community awareness and helps students integrate into the local communities outside of university life. Our Kite Oxford Nairobi, are based on research focused on issues that have been neglected or ignored by the responsible bodies. Mentoring projects, for instance, have helped university students interact with the high school community including parents and teachers. It has also helped high school students be more expressive about the issues that affect them. Students are able to come up with strategies that are aimed at making high school life bearable and smooth-sailing, through exposing students to more options and alternate ways of dealing with challenging situations rather than dropping out or engaging in irresponsible behaviors.

Social Networking

 Finally, volunteering provides a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and feel part of a larger community. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. Social networks are at the centre of providing quality standards and reliable opportunities to invest and benchmark even more diverse professional outlets. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network and boost your social skills.

Through shared activities and projects, Kite Oxford Nairobi has been able to bring together university students across Nairobi and enable them to collaborate together as well as with those from Oxford University.

Kite Oxford Nairobi Mentors (university students in Nairobi, Kenya)

This, in one way or another, strengthens social ties within and beyond the local communities exposing volunteers to people with common interests, neighborhood resources and fun and fulfilling activities. 

Different people choose to engage in volunteer work for different reasons as different organizations and projects require different responsibilities. It is important for you to volunteer together and in environments that bring you comfort, joy, satisfaction and a reputable organization.

 Written by Stellah E.

Stellah E.A is the Head of Publicity and Outreach- Kite Nairobi

Basket distributions - a July update

All of us at Kite-Nairobi continue to work hard and remain dedicated to delivering the Covid-19 emergency food baskets to our mentees and their families for support. We have been working with a number of families and each month we find new and innovative ways of helping more families. This month has been extremely difficult as we had to deal with an unexpected turn of events. The ideal plan was to handpick a considerable number of families for whom we could provide a monthly food basket to help them through the hard times that the pandemic has caused.

However, at the beginning of this month, quite unexpectedly, two more families showed up despite not being short-listed for the baskets. We had to come up with a way to incorporate them into our food delivery basket scheme, as we want to help as many families as possible. Our Kite Nairobi Co-Director Patricia, visited these families and engaged with them, seeking more information on the situation and finding out if it was possible to help them in a way that would most definitely exceed our budget but still enable us to accommodate them in our monthly food basket distribution. In the current environment of limited fundraising for resources, this is just an example of what we are dealing with on the ground. Decisions such as these concerning who and how to help such are always difficult to make especially in this time of crisis when we want to help as many vulnerable people as possible.

PATRICIA helping with the distribution of foods to one of our beneficiaries

We have also encountered other setbacks in pursuit of this project. One of them is communication. Clear and consistent communication with these families is sometimes a challenge as many don’t inform us, for a variety of reasons, of their availability to collect the baskets. The basket scheme requires effective communication and cooperation, but as our statistics show, either the family is completely broke with no means of communication, or their mobile phones were spoiled or stolen - hindering smooth deliveries. 

When they fail to show up, another family takes the food basket as there are always extra families waiting in eager anticipation for a spare basket. Sometimes when this happens, we have to find ways to compensate for the missing basket in line with the type of service we deliver. Many of the families’ challenges are currently beyond our means, but we do whatever is possible to deliver the food baskets to them. We are creating a strategy that will enable us to follow up on every family and carry out routine checks to see if they are lacking anything they might need.

The fourth food basket delivery happened on 1st July. As our team arrived on site (Uhuru Kenyatta Secondary School), the parents and students (beneficiaries) had already arrived and were ready to receive their share. Some of the mothers and young people among the crowds, hoping for a basket were not on our list of beneficiaries, but were desperate to wait for something even if it was just a kilogram of flour. The hardest part of the distribution is having to turn away some needy families due to a lack of food baskets. The distribution process took approximately 45 minutes due to the families’ urgency and their fear of missing the free-food basket.

We are looking forward to raising more funds so that we can accommodate more families and avoid the sadness of turning some down or having to share baskets. When we encounter these hurdles, our humane sides kick in and it’s easy to disregard our professionalism, sometimes affecting the delivery plan. 

One of our beneficiaries waiting for his turn to receive the food basket

Nevertheless, we are glad to have had a successful #covid19Response and delivered approximately 40 food baskets to families. We are honored to continue making more families happier this month and the majority have reported feelings of satisfaction.

We are excited and very grateful for the support everyone has given us throughout the duration of this project and we continue to remain committed to those we are helping during this particular period of pandemic meltdown. We appreciate everyone who has made this project possible through donation or sharing of this hopeful message. We would be extremely grateful for more funding in order to keep delivering more food baskets. If you would like to donate, kindly click here.

Covid-19 Kenyan update

March 15 2020 marked a new era in my country Kenya. Students had an early holiday, employers held emergency meetings, businesses closed down, restaurants and entertainment centres were hit worst with the lockdown directive. The majority were laid off and those who still held their positions had to take “voluntary” mandatory pay cuts, except of course the politicians, who passed a bill that ensured their salaries and allowances remained untouched. The spotlight shone on the health care providers, they were the unsung heroes, the soldiers in the battle against the invisible enemy. A new list of essential service providers emerged; my boyfriend was excited he made the list… I roll my eyes every time he brings it up. The rest of us had one job, stay indoors, sanitise, keep safe and follow the daily briefing the ministry of health religiously made before 4.00 p.m. EAT.

For a while we focused on the steady rise in the numbers, we ate and breathed Covid-19 numbers, the economic status was not given much thought. A couple of weeks down the line, the cases started, the number of gender-based violence cases increased, the cry for relaxation of lockdown measures became louder as the number of hungry people increased. A stampede in one of the slums during a scramble for relief food led to the death of two women, barely a month after the stringent measures. The Rotarians sent out flowers for hope to health workers and patients alike, the government sent flowers to the UK health care practitioners. Kenyans now ate and breathed the conspiracy theories spun by the notorious KOT (Kenyans on Twitter), meme lords were the new entertainment and WIFI companies recorded a rise as new clients requested unlimited internet access.

Kite Oxford-Nairobi on the ground for the #Covid19-Response:

Three months down the line, the narrative has barely changed. The nationwide night curfew is still in place for 7 hours, no longer 10 hours as before, however, it now runs for 30 days instead of the 21 days we had grown accustomed to. The notorious KOT have already noted the government’s dubious methods of “kutufunga macho” loosely translates into closing our eyes, which is blind sighting us. Apparently, the math adds up, we are still going to be on lockdown for a cool 210 hours there was no relief offered at all. The cessation of interstate movement in and out of two cities is still in place for an extra month, but the school heads and restless students can see a light at the end of the tunnel after a gradual reopening of schools is set to commence on 1st September. 

This has elicited mixed reactions; you will have to read the next post to get the continuation…

©Audi Kawira

The writer is a University student who is passionate in pointing out the specks in our own eyes, dedicated to reminding the broken that Humanity is still Alive, Browbeaten but Alive in this century despite the chaos

A Proud People: Fight Against Corona

My ancestral home is in a town called Karatina, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. The Gikuyu say the people of Karatina are proud. I mean, for the longest time we had the largest open-air market south of the Nile and North of the Limpopo. We work hard. A town of early risers all in a rat race to catch the proverbial worm.

Earning their loyalty takes a long time. Many outsider-labelled businessmen close their businesses when the Karatina town folk refuse to buy their merchandise. Not because they are full of bile and jealousy but because they believe in supporting their own. They hold in high-regard their sons and daughters, who succeed in life and curse those who dare hold any ill.

We grow our own tea and drink it in hot metallic cups. We call it, ndufia. Tea is drunk with every meal. It is the oil to the machine of our bodies. To the chagrin of our visitors, we noisily slurp our tea. Yes, we love visitors. We give you our best beds and make sure you leave with a basket full of the produce from our lands. Only if you don’t stay long lest you will join us in toiling our shambas.

We the people of Karatina cannot find our way off the syllable’s ‘R’ and ‘L’ or ‘sh’ or ‘ch’. We say callot when we actually mean carrot. We loathe words like chakula. Now that’s a tongue twister!

QUARANTINE…KARATINA?

You would be left in stitches as you hear my people try to say Corona and Quarantine. I mean have you heard our far cousin Mutahi Kagwe from Mukurweini, the health cabinet secretary? That is why we choose to call the disease by its scientific name, COVID 19. Not because we are sophisticated but because it is gentle on our tongues.

The word quarantine is not new to us.

The beauty in traditions and cultural heritage

The name of our town, Karatina, according to folklore, was formed by our ancestors because they could not phonetically pronounce the word quarantine as the white man said it. So, they looked for a word closest to their indigenous Kikuyu language. I know you are wondering what the reason was for why the white man called our place quarantine in the first place.

During colonial Kenya, the Gikuyu people particularly those of Nyeri region, where Karatina is located, were among the people displaced from their lands by the British colonialists. Our lands are fertile, prime for agricultural production.

As I mentioned earlier, we the people of Karatina are immensely proud people. Our ancestors led by the legendary Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi, fought together under the dreaded Mau Mau resistance movement.

The struggle and the fight against the British colonialists were taken up everywhere. The freedom fighters hid in the neighboring Aberdare and Mount Kenya forests using guerilla warfare tactics to make surprise attacks. This was a communal effort for the people of Karatina.

We readily and overwhelmingly took up the oath of secrecy known as Muma. The men joined as fighters. The women toiled dutifully in their lands to provide an endless supply of food for the fighters. In addition to that, they carried weapons in their bosoms or as fake pregnancies to deliver in the forests. Children were the de facto intelligence services, delivering letters and information on the white man’s whereabouts.

For every action there is a reaction, the white man reacted ruthlessly. A state of emergency was declared in 1952. At the epitome of the resistance, our locality was put under strict dusk to dawn curfew. It was also designated as a quarantine facility. The neighbouring forests were continuously bombed by the white man’s fighter planes.

Deep trenches were built around villages to cut off movement and supplies to the fighters. The trenches featured armoured watchtowers and were filled with dangerously chiseled wood which instantly killed anyone who fell into them. Parents were separated from their children and thrown into forced imprisonment in the quarantine centres. All this was not in vain because our beloved country gained its independence a couple of years later. Only the elderly among our people have lived long enough to remember these times.

FIGHT AGAINST CORONA:

What we are facing right now, the Corona pandemic, may be equated in some way to the fight against the colonialist. The similarities are striking. Disruption of our normal lives, curfews, quarantines, you name it. We are instead facing a silent invader with a devasting effect.

In place of guns and bullets, we fight with masks and sanitizers. True to their fierce proud nature, the Karatina people go about with their daily lives oblivious to the dangers it may pose. Some even pronounce their supposed immunity to the disease. Due to the perennial cold weather, colds are not an abnormality for us.

Just as it was during the colonial war, the people have gone back to their farms. It is back to their roots in every literal sense. The gods have blessed the land with rains and a lot of produce. What matters, is that we do it together. Everyone playing their own small part.

My people have a saying which says, Gakiihotora niko koi uria kariina.

It loosely translates to he who beautifies himself knows what type of dance he is going to. This means that we are all part of greater things than ourselves which are insurmountable. Everything happens for a reason. With Mt. Kenya standing strong behind us, just as our ancestors did, we will fight and overcome this pandemic. Of course, with our pride unblemished and intact, right?

By Wa Gacharamu

Wa Gacharamu is an eager student of life with the penchant for savoring the essence of life through purposeful and witty storytelling. He is proud of his heritage and believes humour is still the best medicine. He has been with us since we started the mentorship program which makes 2020 his second year of being on the ground as a mentor.

My Covid-19 Experience

Sammy Werunga

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly affected and continues to affect the human race in its entirety under the sun. At a personal level, the outbreak came at a time when I was almost done with my undergraduate studies. The school was shut down indefinitely as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the virus that has no cure at the moment. Consequently, I was forced to travel up-country now that everything had come to a standstill. Rural homes have been considered safer in comparison to living in metropolitan areas. I guess we can say that I am lucky having a rural home because I could return to it and not have to study far from home. Due to the prevalence of the disease in the country's capital, I was more at risk of contracting the deadly virus than I would be in the village.

Sammy on arrival at his rural home where the extended family is sheltering:

I arrived in the village late March. As was expected of anyone who had traveled from Nairobi, which by then was the only place that had reported cases of Coronavirus, I self-isolated for about twelve days after which I started to freely interact with other community members. Some of the community members were afraid of interacting with people who had traveled from Nairobi, whereas others did not give a damn! As a development agent, it dawned on me that I had a role to play.

First, I had to sensitise the community members to the reality of Corona. Secondly, I had to encourage them to adopt the measures that the ministry of health was advertising, which unfortunately very few members of the community were adhering to. So, through these efforts that the majority of local joints and kiosks now have sanitisers and water where today customers wash their hands before any interaction.

The pictures below show how the community is actively involved in the sensitization and incorporating of safety measure against Covid-19:

Besides the sensitisation that I did in the local market, another of my passions has been reignited. I have always planted trees during my holidays. During this period I have dedicated plenty of my time to cultivating and planting not only trees but also bananas, sweet potatoes, and cassavas. The greatest lesson that I have learned is that communities should be encouraged to grow more food crops rather than cash crops, so that in the event of such a crisis in the future, the rural populations will be in a better self-dependent and sustaining position, meaning that they don’t have to wait and rely so much on financial aid from the government and other support groups.

By Sammy Werunga

The writer is a 4th-year student at Kenyatta University where he pursues a degree in community resource management. Sammy just started with us as a mentor. He loves nature and is passionate about activities that bring forth positive social change, particularly for the vulnerable. 

£2080 raised so far through our #ClimbKilimanjarofromhome challenge!

For approximately two years now, we have been running a Mentorship Scheme that is aimed at lowering high school dropout rates from schools within low-income areas in Kenya. This project was launched in 2018 at Uhuru Kenyatta high school located at the heart of Nairobi. Trained university mentors act as role models for mentees and encourage enthusiasm for learning in the students. Read more about the project here: StudentMentorship. However, in its second year, the project came to an unexpected standstill when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the capital in March 2020.

Schools closed until further notice to contain the infection. This meant a new struggle for the mentees due to the rising cost of basic necessities such as food and sanitation products, coupled with the fact that most of their parents live off casual work income. In response, Kite-Oxford-Nairobi chose to work with their program beneficiaries and came up with an initiative that would raise funds to keep the families afloat during these trying times. Donations will support the families through a basket distribution initiative. For two months already, we have safely delivered baskets containing essential items such as hygiene products and cooking ingredients to our mentees and their families.

From left to right: Publicity and Outreach Chair Ella, Coordination Officer Sherrypat, and Nairobi Co-Director Patricia

Menstrual Health Director, Laura

In order to fund this initiative, we hope to raise £3000 over the next five months and have raised £2080 so far! Just £15 covers the cost of a basket to help feed an entire family for a month. We are relieved to announce that with the generous donations we will be able to continue providing the 35 vulnerable families we are supporting with basic supplies until at least the end of July.

The current pandemic has made it challenging for Kite to fundraise through its usual methods, so our very own Mentorship Scheme Director, Hannah, came up with a brilliant idea to: #ClimbKilimanjarofromhome! This challenge will help us fund baskets for the months of June and July. Below, we have collected the experiences of our team members in this effort.

#ClimbKilimanjarofromhome activities 

On Sunday 17th May, the team took to their staircases or nearby hills to do their climbs. For many, the equivalent height of Kilimanjaro (5895m) on staircases resulted in climbing for over 10 hours, scaling staircases over 2000 times! Others opted for around seven hours of hill climbs. For the full mountain climb experience, the team carried backpacks loaded with energy drinks, bars and snacks. As they say, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’ and the team tried as well as they could to all stay in contact throughout their individual climbs - through a zoom call during lunch break and by live-streaming their climbs via instagram.

The early starts on Sunday morning, the unchanging scene of the staircase or hill, coupled with sore muscles over the next few days, were all bearable as afterwards everyone involved felt rewarded by the results. Laura Mitchell, Director of our Menstrual Health Scheme spoke of how grateful she is “to everyone for their kind and supportive messages and generous donations, that really did make the climb so much easier”. Camille Gosset, our Oxford Co-Director, spoke fondly of how the activities brought the team together towards a common goal of being impactful during this trying time. Despite being far away from Kilimanjaro, the team united through the climb and “seeing the support that we received was truly heart-warming”.

Joe, Chair of Trustees

Nairobi Co-director Patricia and Publicity and Outreach Chair Ella

The Nairobi committee decided to take the challenge to the hills where they climbed all 7 Ngong hills twice. The team consisted of Patricia, Sherrypat, Ella, and Kelvin. The whole challenge was documented in videos, pictures, and live-streams on Instagram and Facebook. Patricia, our Kite Nairobi Co-Director explained that the team had to start the day as early as 5:00 am to ensure they got to the foot of the mountain by 9:00 am. With lockdown minimising active movement, the hike was quite a challenge! Ella, our Publicity & Outreach Chair, said “We had to keep motivating each other with every peak we achieved. Post-climb we were exhausted and our bodies sore, yet happy to have been a part of this challenge”.

We appreciate each and every one of our donors for the warm hearts and generous contributions that have made our #Covid-19Response project successful so far. As we look forward to the next basket distribution, we kindly encourage further donations and ask you to share this message of hope with your network!

Daisy and Ella

(Kite-Oxford-Nairobi committee)

Rona, The Unprecedented Eye-opener

To many, the pandemic is a disaster. It has seen a rise in domestic violence, it has seen most families fall apart, it has shown Kenyans the brutality of the police force and it has the world’s economy in recession. However, for me, it’s been more of an eye-opener. I finally had enough time to clean out my glasses and see the world through clearer lenses. I got to listen to my friends, well virtually but it counts right? And through their eyes, I saw of the brutality that has been happening in my own backyard.

The lockdown issued by the government was met with mixed reactions across the country, for some it was the break they needed to slow down the fast 2020, for others it was the vacation away from work deadlines and bosses breathing down their necks, for some students it was happy holidays with their parents at home, for others it was the beginning of a headache and depressing phase, while for some it was the beginning of an endless round in the boxing ring. Within the first month, one of my friends was not only homeless but had to find a place to house her three siblings and mother after being kicked out by her biological father.

Living in a country where victims of gender-based violence are stigmatized and the oppressors are feared, one of the hardest things she had to endure was not only bearing the blows and kicks rained on her but also opening up to friends and asking for help as the darkness loomed bringing the curfew with it. I am honestly not sure what broke my heart between listening to her story about how they forwent meals because in her own words “no one had the money for that” and hearing how they were not allowed to walk out of the house, watch TV, talk amongst themselves or receive phone calls.

However, this story also enabled me to see how charitable Kenyans are. University students stood up and gave what they could from the little they had saved before the schools were closed, strangers who didn’t know the victim sacrificed and raised money in a week to buy food for the family and ensured their safety as far away from the oppressor as possible.

We are who we are because of who our parents are, it is because of the harsh conditions that our parents grew in that made them “make it” to the social and economic class they are in. It is also because of our parent’s beliefs that we have attended the schools we have been into, that we live in the neighborhoods that we are in, that we look at the world in the way we do. Because this is what we have been taught since we were little until we get to a certain point where we finally see life through our own eyes. Influenced by our own experiences, our friend’s experiences, and how we perceive the news churned by our media houses we charter our own personal journeys. It is not until this moment that we figure out how much impact our parents and upbringing have on us as children, but as adults, we shoulder the entire burden and feel the weight. Maybe that explains why we are a generation that hides behind dank memes and pseudo accounts, a generation of depression and anxiety attacks, a generation that thrives in cyberbullying, drowns in drugs, hides in filters, and buried in layers of make-up.

©Audi Kawira

The writer is a University student who is passionate about pointing out the specks in our own eyes, dedicated to reminding the broken that Humanity is still Alive, Browbeaten but Alive in this century despite the chaos.

2019 Recap: Mentorship Scheme Pilot begins at Uhuru Kenyatta Secondary School

The 2nd of February 2019 marked the beginning of the Mentorship Scheme Pilot, with 25 mentors travelling to Uhuru Kenyatta Secondary School for the initial ‘Mentee Matching Session’.

The ‘Mentee-Matching Session’

The session involved a series of ‘icebreaker’ activities designed to help both mentees and mentors get to know each other better. These culminated with an investigation task, whereby mentees were given a list of questions and facts to find out from the mentors. The activity was designed to encourage mentees to talk to as many mentors as possible, getting to know their interests better, and giving them an idea of how they’d feel working with them. Following this activity, mentees and mentors paired up, with mentees selecting mentors they were interested in working with.

Mentoring sessions will be occurring weekly from now on.

You can find out more about our mentorship scheme on our project page.

Our 2019 fundraising challenge recap: Cycling to Nairobi!

In early 2019, we launched our fundraising challenge to raise money for the Oxford-Nairobi mentorship scheme - Cycle to Nairobi! Between the committee we cycled and walked the distance from Oxford to Nairobi in 5 weeks! We started on 18th February and by 31st March had travelled 4,284.40 miles collectively with each committee member cycling, running or hiking part of the distance. Bridging the distance between Oxford and Nairobi we are celebrated and raised money for the launch of our first collaborative pilot project!

Our mentorship scheme is a joint project by Kite Oxford and Kite Nairobi which was launched in January 2019. It aims to reduce the rate of dropouts in high schools, develop pupils’ entrepreneurial skills, and bring awareness of vocational training opportunities to students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Kenya. The scheme utilises university student mentors who have been trained to act as enthusiastic and able role models for high school age mentees and who will provide them with effective careers and skills development support in one-on-one sessions, group activity sessions as well as special activities.

You can find out more about our mentorship scheme on our project page.

Going With The Flow

06/09/2019

Every month women between the ages of 11-55 experience their menstrual cycle. In Kenya, menstrual health is swept under the carpet as a woman's thing, with little information given on the subject and periods often treated as something to be ashamed of.

Research from Huru International has shown that 65% of women and girls in Kenya cannot afford menstrual products. The average girl reports missing at least 3 days of school per month because she doesn’t have what she needs to manage her period. This has serious personal and educational consequences, like falling behind in class, dropping out altogether and having to use unsafe substitutes for pads like mattress filling or leaves. For example, a resident of an informal settlement or just a young struggling Kenyan girl with 50ksh will often have to make the difficult choice between buying food and buying a pad; both are basic needs but opportunity cost prevents meeting the later.

Over the last few weeks, we have undertaken research to review the different menstrual products that could provide affordable, safe and hygienic options to girls within Nairobi. We focused on two alternatives, Menstrual Cups and Reusable Pads.

Menstrual Cups

A menstrual cup is a ​feminine hygiene cup ​that you insert into the vagina to safely collect menstrual flow. As the name suggests it is in a bell shaped form made from a flexible silicone. There are many ways in which it can be inserted to the preference of the girl/woman. It might sound like a new product, but the menstrual cup was actually invented way back in ​1937 ​by an American actress ​Leona Chalmers​. Awareness of the product, however, generally remains low, although it is starting to increase in both Europe and Africa, interestingly among quite different target audiences. In Europe menstrual cups are making waves among the young and climate conscious in environments such as universities, and are often regarded as a high end product. Contrastingly, in Kenya, and other parts of Africa, menstrual cups are being introduced and promoted by NGOs looking to improve menstrual health options for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

With all new products, questions and misconceptions abound. Reading this, you’re probably wondering things like, are they safe? Are they easy to use? Will they save me money?

How about side effects and health issues?

Whilst every woman is unique and they may not be the solution for everyone, from our research users generally give very positive reviews. Menstrual cups can remain inserted up to 12 hours, with users commenting that they are comfortable, and they can get on with their everyday activities without even noticing that it’s there. Light and heavy flows can be managed with cups of different sizes.

Menstrual cups at The Cup Foundation’s shop in Kibera

A major attraction is that one menstrual cup can last for as long as ten years, creating potential for savings. Huru’s research found that an average Kenyan girl requires 14.1 pads a month to adequately manage her period (Huru, 2019) with the cheapest pads going for 50ksh to 125 Ksh. In a year, adequately managing her period with disposable products, an average girl could thus have to cover costs beyond 8460 Ksh a year. By contrast, a long lasting menstrual cup costs around 2000Ksh.

Recent research published in the Lancet  (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(19)30126-4/fulltext) concluded that menstrual cups were as reliable as disposable alternatives, and presented very few complications. They also do not produce an odor and their reusability makes them eco-friendly! However, they may take a while to get used to, meaning the training is key.

At present in Nairobi, the menstrual cups have a slow market as not many know of it and this causes a lot of stigmas and misconceptions towards its use. Much research is needed to help about how best to convey understanding and ensure acceptance of menstrual cups as an option among the girls and women in Kenya. Considerations such as culture and perception, techniques of combating harmful myths and taboos, will be explored as we further our research.

Our research to date has included meeting with The Grace Cup founder, Ebby Weyime, and talking to Sue from Crimson Care about how they raise awareness and use of the cups. They both sell the cup at a price favourable to mostly middle class women but aim to help all females. We also met with Camilla Wirseen who through The Cup Foundation strongly advocates for the education of girls and boys regarding menstrual health and other issues arising from social environment in which the girls and women they support live. Through our research we keenly noted the stress made on training girls on the cup’s use and education of general menstrual hygiene and issues as they are socialized not to discuss the topic of periods.

Meeting with Camilla (left), founder of The Cup Foundation

Meeting with Sue (second from the left) from Crimson Care

Reusable Pads

Reusable pads look similar to the disposable pads however they can be washed and reused each cycle.  They can last up to 18 months and one is advised to use around 8 pads for her cycle.

Reusable pads produced by Huru International

We met with Huru International, an organisation here in Kenya that has specialised in equipping young girls and women with comprehensive health education. Huru pads are quality fabric, leak proof tested and environmentally friendly pads which are Kenyan made by women and men from impoverished informal settlements in Nairobi. To mention some benefits that are highlighted on the reusable pads, they are comfortable and have less infection risk than disposables. They are great for sensitive skin and can be more absorbent than disposable pads as well as being more breathable. There are some downsides, such as handwashing taking time and water, with difficulty getting stains out and also having to carry the soiled towels around before cleaning at home. These are challenges, however reusable pads are adaptable and the similarity to disposable/traditional alternatives makes adoption for girls easier, which is attractive particularly in communities where there might be existing cultural taboos.

Huru International take a holistic approach which is evidence based, girl centred, community focused and brings in boys as allies. This inclusive approach has helped them reach girls in more inaccessible, isolated communities.

Our hope as we develop a project in this area is to give girls agency to be able to choose their option of management. To pick an option which is appreciated by them and they feel most comfortable using. Rather than preaching the benefits of one option we want to increase awareness and access to many, empowering girls. Furthermore our main aim is to increase education and knowledge about menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and the female body. We understand this is a big task but we are excited to carry on researching this project.

We are beginning research for a new project including training university students in Nairobi to act as MHM ambassadors providing information to young girls about MHM and the options available, as well as acting as role models. This is a very important issue for us and after continuing our research and creating a structure to complement our other projects such as the mentorship program) we will look to roll out a pilot project.

Today and everyday roughly one in seven of the women you see will be on their period. This is an issue that affects half of our population personally, and should be of concern to us all. #menstruationmatters

Laura, Patricia and George
(Kite Nairobi committee)

All Aboard the MentorShip

Hello from Nairobi!

It’s now been a week since we arrived here, and we have had a productive and insightful time working on the mentorship project. We have also started research on another project, but more to come on that in a further post! Many matatu rides, late night brain storming sessions and many ‘asante sanas’ later we have managed to achieve a lot of progress on the mentorship scheme especially working closely with the Kite Nairobi committee which has been an absolute pleasure. We have met with potential partners and discussed future expansions of the scheme. One of the main highlights of our trip however has been the special activity day to the Bomas of Kenya with the mentees, mentors and teachers at Uhuru Kenyatta.

The special activity day is a termly event that take the mentees out of the usual school setting enabling them to engage in fun activities. The days further their understanding about life after school, careers and future pathways. It also acts as a motivation for the mentees to attend the mentorship scheme at school if they then get to partake in such an exciting day trip that the mentees look forward to. On Tuesday we got to join the second term special activity day to the Bomas of Kenya, a hub of rich Kenyan traditions. The day went as follows:

7.30 a.m.

We (Oxford committee) arrived at Uhuru Kenyatta school to meet with the Nairobi committee and discuss final logistics. The students and mentors then started to arrive. It was great to introduce ourselves and start talking to everyone. We got the chance to catch up with some of the mentees about their experience of the scheme and the feedback was very encouraging.

We asked the mentees to fill in a mid- year survey to self-assess their personal development. We will then be analysing them to compare to the original base line survey and the end line survey they will complete in December once the pilot project is over. It also offered the mentees the chance to give us feedback on things we can improve going forward with the project. The surveys are an opportunity to measure the impact of the scheme.

10 a.m

We all piled into two buses that had a buzz of excitement about them. I felt like I was back in my own secondary school ready for a school trip surrounded by so many smiling faces in school uniform discussing the day ahead! The Nairobi morning traffic allowed for an opportunity to have a great chat and really get to know some of the students on the journey!

11 a.m

Once arriving in Bomas the whole group got to explore the traditional home steads of different Kenyan tribes. There were some great instruments at the end of the tour that everyone got to have a go with!

1.00 p.m

Lunch time! After an energising lunch we played some team building games with James from CoWA. An intense round of ‘James says’ and the most upscaled game of rock paper scissors that consisted of acting out wild animals got all of the mentees and mentors working together in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

2.30 p.m

Show time! Bomas provide a daily cultural show of traditional music and dance that was thoroughly enjoyable. We even had some of the mentees go up in the interval and showcase some of their dance moves! It was great to see their confidence levels! However, one of the most entertaining events of the performance for everyone else was when one of the performers picked on me to go on stage to try and join in their traditional dance… it did not go too well but I gave it a good go, and everyone had a good laugh! I won’t be forgetting that experience any time soon!

4 p.m.

Back on the bus to Uhuru Kenyatta for the students to go home. What a day!

After reflecting on the busy day at Bomas, it has affirmed our aspirations for expanding the scheme in the future to other schools around Nairobi. We met with Amani Kibera where Ben showed us around the local area and the community centre project they have been working on after the destruction of their original offices due to the road construction displacing approximately 30,000 families.

We also got to visit Babadogo to see the MOHI school and talk to students and parents in their homes about the schools impact on their lives. We have been thinking about possible expansion sat Uhuru Kenyatta with our existing partners CoWA.

All in all it has been a very productive week looking at the mentorship scheme and we are excited about the future of it after the positive feedback we have received. Now we need to start doing a bit more research into possible new schools and begin thinking about a second round of mentor recruitment and training. We would like to extend a special thanks to the Nairobi committee especially Patricia who has been fundamental to the running of the mentorship scheme.

Laura, Pia and Joe

(Oxford committee)

Message from Musanda

It’s been several weeks since Camille (Project Manager) and I arrived in Musanda, where we have since been joined by Sarina, who arrived two weeks ago. We have now gotten stuck into the busy community of our partner organisation and are enjoying every minute of it.

A tractor tire, perfect for shoe soles!

With this in mind we started our project by reaching out to cobblers and akala (Kenyan tyre sandal) makers in Musanda and Mumias, creating valuable contacts that we hope to learn from and potentially incorporate into our project. Community engagement is key to the success of our project due to differing views in the community of the social, economic and environmental factors influencing the severity of a jiggers foot infestation as well as our limited understanding of the community needs from our UK perspective.

This summer we are completing the research and development for another Oxford-based charity’s ‘Shoes for Africa’ project, partnered by Kite Oxfordshire-Nairobi, a new sustainable social shoe manufacturing enterprise targeted at reducing the incidence of Jiggers foot infestations (google if not squeamish) in the local community (particularly schoolchildren) with the additional benefits of local employment and skills development. 

Jigger Treatment Clinic

For this reason, we interviewed many head-teachers from local schools as well as conducted two focus groups with parents, gaining a greater insight into community shoe wearing and purchasing practices as well as attitudes towards jiggers prevention. Additionally, we have attended a jiggers removal clinic that has deepened our understanding of the pain of those suffering from the condition as well as strengthened our determination to provide a long term sustainable solution to the issue that may be replicable in other communities.

Focus Group with Guardians in Musanda

From our initial research, we are considering ways to revise the initial business model of the social enterprise to be more efficient and effective in jiggers prevention for vulnerable kids. This has included consideration of a more holistic approach to reducing jiggers through an educational campaign and proposed projects that will seal floors and maintain clean home environments. In the following weeks we will continue conducting research including market surveys and contacting government officials to build upon our model.

As always please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like more information.

Michael (Marketing and Product Development Director)

About our mentorship scheme

10/08/2019

The mentorship scheme is Kite’s first project and incredibly, is coming up to its mid-year stage! This means there is lots of evaluation to be done, a key pillar of Kite’s model. In case you haven’t heard or seen about the project: here is a summary in 2 key points.

What is the Mentorship Scheme?

The mentorship scheme is a weekly mentorship programme run by University of Kenyatta and Nairobi student volunteers who act as mentors, to 68 mentees at a high school in Nairobi. Mentees and mentors meet once a week throughout the year, with each term focusing on a specific area. In the first term, the focus was on building the relationship between mentees and mentors and developing academic skills, amongst others. In the second term, careers and college pathway awareness was covered. Next term will be a group project, decided by the mentees to build positive peer to peer relationships, and one-on-one sessions between the mentors and mentees.

Why the scheme was developed?

Research highlighted that there was a serious issue of a high rate of high- school drop outs, with students leaving with minimal or no qualifications. Alongside this, baseline surveys on the mentees highlighted that less than half knew where to find careers advice. The mentorship scheme is able to utilise university students who act as role models, with recent experience of challenges faced by the mentees.

Our plans!

This trip will be a busy week of researching new ideas for projects, meeting potential handover partners and evaluating the mentorship programme at its mid-year point.

Evaluation

We have written and will be collecting surveys in from all the mentees. The aims of these will be to a) compare statistics such as percentage awareness of careers advice, with the baseline surveys b) measure any developments in student’s self – assessed soft skills. This is key for informing the next steps of the project, building into the sessions topics the mentees have found helpful and those they would like more help with.

Alongside this, we will be meeting all the mentors to hear their feedback on various areas such as the support Kite offers them, the time commitment, session content. The mentors are themselves delivering each session and are best placed to inform us of how we can build upon and improve the mentorship scheme, in these relatively early days.

Handover

Meetings will take place with potential handover partners and charities working in mentorship programmes already. This will be a chance to share experiences and to look to the future in a year’s time where we hope to work with a charity to handover – watch this space!

This trip should be a brilliant chance to really see and hear from the Nairobi committee how our first project has been going. Mentors, mentees and schools will all be able to help us to inform the next steps and ultimately, scale up effectively!

Pippa
(Oxford committee)

New Blog and Nairobi Summer Trip

09/08/2019

Hello everyone!

Welcome to our new blog! We will use this blog to keep you updated on our projects and to share with you news, impressions and exciting developments!

We are excited to announce that we are visiting our partner committee in Nairobi this month! From the 7th to the 21st August, we are travelling to Kenya to meet with Kite Nairobi, our partner NGOs and with participants of our projects. During this trip, we aim to evaluate the progress on our current mentorship scheme and assess possible opportunities for improvement and expansion of the scheme. Together with Kite Nairobi, we will also spend several days discussing ideas for new projects! Lastly, we will make a 2-day short trip to Kakamega County to meet with our partners at a local NGO regarding our social entrepreneurship project. Our social entrepreneurship team is already in Kenya, as they spend several weeks travelling in order to prepare the implementation of the project. We are excited to meet up with them as well and will keep you updated on their journey!

We are happy to see our partners at Kite Nairobi and looking forward to a great and productive time together! We are especially looking forward to joining the mentorship scheme on their special activity day and we will share with you on social media the daily news about our trip, so stay tuned (for example, by following our new Instagram page @KiteOxford)!

Joe, Laura and Pia

(Oxford committee)