Thomas Barnardos

January/February 2009 Diary

It has been a busy start to the New Year at Thomas Barnardos House. Many visitors have been to visit and the children begun their new year at school.

School Starts

First term commenced on January 6th 2009 with a lot of enthusiasm for both the primary school goers attending Jonathan Gloag Academy and the older children in Boarding Schools away from home.

Teens Volunteer and Community Service

As a show of Valentine on Saturday 14th February the teens at TBH took up different chores around the home to show gratitude to their mothers. They did a great job and left the compound looking clean and sparkling and their mothers were very happy.
House 6 and House 2 visited children’s homes for community service on Sunday 15th February. The objective was to help our children realise that there are other people in society that need help. They were able to contribute to the home by helping out with work and they took some of their own clothes to donate to the children.
Among the many groups that have visited us we had students from Braeburn School visit on the 7th February. They spent the day with the children and brought donations. Thank you to all involved.

Football

On TBH grounds we hosted a friendly football match between male staff and the students from Tool Bench. It was good fun for those involved and those watching. The end score was 4:2 to TBH staff members. Congratulations!
A friendly match was held at Riara school on Saturday 14th February for our football team. This was a Saturday treat which included mixed children from Jonathan Gloag Academy There were two matches with under 12’s and under 14’s. Well done to all those that were involved!

Mid-Term Break

On Friday 20th February the children were sponsored to travel to the Ngong Hills. They had a great time hiking up five of the seven hills enjoying the magnificent views and spending the day in the sun. The brave and adventurous children hiked until they could go no further. They walked into a forest where they saw a small lizard that was big enough to scare them back up the biggest hill. After the hike was over the fun continued. The children played games on the hill top with a beautiful view of The Great Rift Valley. All in all the children had a very active day, which both the children and the house mothers enjoyed. They all deserved a good sleep that night.

Expansion of Kitchen

We are very excited for the expansion of our kitchen which has been under construction over the past month. It was previously a small space for our cooks to work in but now with Balcraig Funding the expansion will enable much more space for our workers.

Turkey’s First Lady

Saturday 21st February was a big day for the children and staff at TBH. The First Lady of Turkey, Mrs H Gull made a very welcomed visit to the home. On hand to meet her and accompany her for the visit was Mrs Ida B Odinga wife of the Prime Minister and Board Members. The first Lady was given a tour of the grounds where she met the children and visited the babies in the nursery. At the end of her stay the older children at the home did a wonderful performance of dancing and singing. The first lady kindly donated clothes to the children, and they look very smart in their new outfits. We were delighted to have her visit us.

The final months of 2008 were busy ones at Thomas Barnardo House, as children and staff got ready for the festive season and the end of the school term.

Out and about
The kids of TBH were lucky enough to be invited out for a number of treats. They swam at Splash pool and Sadili Sports Centre, went to Mamba village at the invite of Apollo Tours and Travel, as well as Belleview Cinema for at the invitation of Mr. Gilbert, a parent at JGA. Tamarind restaurant treated them to lunch at Carnivore, where they also enjoyed dancing and games. Thanks also to Mr Harishan who invited kids from TBH,as well as those from other children's homes in Nairobi, for a day of fun in the Aga Khan area of the city. Entertainment included horse and camel riding, and a bouncing castle. The children who remained in TBH over the Christmas holidays went to Nairobi National Park for a game drive.

Guardian’s Day and holidays
In November, some of the children went for two weeks to visit with Jonathan Gloag Academy parents who had kindly offered to take them for the holidays to their homes. The kids returned on December 5th, and the next day some children went home to stay with known guardians for the Christmas holidays, returning on December 28th in time for New Year. Thanks to all those who looked after the children during the holidays. It was a time to re-establish roots.

Suswa school building opening
On November 10th, Dr Ann Gloag officially opened the new school building at Soila Masai Girls Rescue Centre, in Suswa. The project was a joint effort between Rotary Mission Challenge, including Rotarians and friends from throughout the UK, and Balcraig Foundation. The building will cater for approximately 200 pupils. Thank you to staff and pupils at Suswa for making the opening such a memorable occasion.

Party time
The Christmas Day party at TBH was a great success. The volunteers decorated Sorsbie Hall for the children and staff, who tucked into an excellent lunch of sausages and chips and ice cream for dessert. Special thanks to Nairobi Intercontinental Hotel for kindly donating a Christmas cake. Santa Claus arrived to hand presents, gifted by Catriona Sibbald, to each child, and there was also face painting and a bouncy castle.
In Kibera, Dr Ann Gloag and her family hosted the Christmas party at Mashimoni Squatters School. In the classrooms the children played games including bingo and pass the parcel, whilst outside they danced and competed against each other in races. At the end of the busy day, each child took home a bag of gifts. Earlier in the month Toshiba also hosted a Christmas party in the grounds of the TBH, as did Kenindia Insurance.

Happy New Year!
On December 31st, the children of TBH danced late into the night to celebrate the arrival of 2009. Once again the hall was decorated with banners and streamers and dinner served. Various activities including a dance competition kept the kids busy until the clock chimed midnight, when a firework display lit up the sky. Exhausted by the celebrations, the younger children went to bed for some much needed sleep whilst the older kids had a special treat and camped in the grounds of the home.

Outings and visitors

September and October were busy months for the children of Thomas Barnardo House.
A Talent Show took place on September 1st, where the children sang songs, performed skits and poems and took part in a fashion show.
On September 6th, 20 children went to Phoenix to watch a play, whilst another group was rewarded for good character and performance with a swim at Village Market.
Kwetu Home of Peace invited the children to spend the day on September 20th, and Kariobangi Youth visited the home. Helen Mtawali and her team have also been visiting on Tuesdays to teach the children some songs and dances.

A day at the Arboretum

On October 10th, all the children enjoyed a visit to Nairobi Arboretum, where they played games including football and skipping, enjoyed a walk around the grounds and had a picnic. The sun was shining as they tucked into a tasty lunch and sodas with staff and volunteers.

Swim time!

The children were lucky enough to enjoy another trip this month, this time to Sadili Oval in Langa'ta on October 18th. Once again the sun was out and the kids had great fun swimming and playing. The lunch treat was greatly enjoyed after a tiring day in the water! Thanks to Catriona McLean and David Taylor for organising this outing.

Giving thanks

October came to an exciting close with the 5th Annual School Thanks Giving Service and Prayers for Candidates. The service, which is held in the third school term of Jonathan Gloag Academy every year, saw the Pre-Unit pupils (five to six-year-olds) graduate to Class 1. They were awarded certificates. Prayers were also said for the 42 Class 8 candidates, and thanks given for the year’s blessings. There were 69 graduands this year, and the class 8 pupils were commissioned as the 5th group of Jonathan Gloag Academy Ambassadors. The Presiding Minister was Reverend Ken Kimiywe, of Nairobi Pentecostal Church.

New school building in Suswa

In the past few months, we played host to five Rotary Mission Challenge teams who came from overseas and participated in the construction of a school building for Soila Maasai Girls Centre, in Suswa. The school is nearing completion. The project is a joint effort between Rotary Mission Challenge, including Rotarians and friends from throughout the UK, and Balcraig Foundation.
Final touch-ups to the building should be completed by November 25th when the last Rotary Mission Challenge team will return to the UK. Special thanks go to team leader Harry Nash for all his hard work and organisation.

Guests and volunteers

Many visitors have taken the time to see around the home and meet some of the children, including employees of KLM and Carolyn Glover and friends, from Canada. Thanks to them for their kind donations and interest in the home.
A number of volunteers arrived at the home from all over the world including Canada and Ireland, and the then-host, Nick Milligan, returned to Scotland at the end of September after doing a great job for four months.
One of our volunteers from Bank of Scotland, Ricky Munday, along with friends Ally Maclay and Ian Mackay, organised the ‘Kilts 2 Kenya African 3 Peak Challenge’ to raise money. They climbed Mount Stanley, Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro in 3 weeks. Their blog and photographs from the trip are at www.kilts2kenya.com. Many thanks for their impressive fundraising efforts.

Holidays!

Being August, all the children were on holiday, enjoying day after day of clubs, games and other treats. Our older children who attend boarding schools were back and it has been great to see them all. They worked around the home every morning, helping staff in the kitchen, grounds, bakery and thrift shop to name just a few. They have really enjoyed doing this and have a good work ethic!

Mashimoni

The pupils at Mashimoni Squatters School in Kibera enjoyed two weeks of craft sessions taken by the volunteers Doris Watt, Pauline Stephens and Puffin Hepworth. The sessions included mask-making, paper sculpture and much more and were enjoyed by all the children and volunteers who were very impressed by the children’s enthusiasm.

Music Boost

Starting Thursday 7th, we were visited by musical director and dance choreographer Hellen Mutawali for a three day instructional course, regarding our children’s music and dance moves. She worked a lot with the choir and taught them to improve their musical production, vocal skills and moves.

Tour to the Town

On Sunday 10th our teenagers took a trip to Nairobi city centre, by public transport to familiarize themselves with the Central Business District. This has taught them some life skills for when they leave KCH. The tour was lead by two of our children who are now through the transitional phase and work in the city. The trip ended with the chapel youth concert: a great treat!

Suswa Sports Day

On the 12th of the month, the Solia Masai Girls Centre held their annual sports day. It was an amazing day, and the 57 girls at the centre were joined by a bus full of helpers and participants from KCH, including 15 girls from Thomas Barnardos House. The races were a great success, they have great athletic abilities! Races included the relay, the dressing-up race, the blindfolded race, tidying up race and many others. The parents and staff also took part in a relay and a tug-of-war. After all the hard work, everyone was treated to rolls and sodas at the centre. All left very happy and impressed!

SALT and church Events

On Tuesday 15th, the SALT group of students from Nairobi University who attend Mamlaka Chapel visited KCH for a three-day event with the children over ten years. They taught very meaningful teachings through playing and having fun. By co-operative games the children learned to share and enjoy each other’s company while serving God. Then on Thursday 14th, Nairobi Baptist Church came to KCH and held a Sunday school event, involving playing games and interaction with each other. The universal peace federation church initiative also placed our children among many children from different children’s homes, a whole day of fun and talent in our Sorsbie Hall. The children had great fun despite the cold weather. On Sunday 31st, all children went for a concert at Don Bosco church. It was put on by the youth of the church and was an excellent afternoon!

Outings

Once again, a group for KCH was invited to watch the Phoenix theatre group perform, this time a comedy. It was very humorous and the children appreciated the outstanding irony of the play. And on the 28th House three went swimming at Sadili Langata. This was possible as it was a donation from Teresa Mwihaki’s sponsor who gave a birthday treat. They had great fun!

Freedom from Fistula

On the 22nd around one hundred children took part in the Freedom from Fistula walk, raising awareness about a week long camp at Kenyatta hospital which was offering free Fistula repair treatment. The event was joined and opened by the Assistant Minister for Health, Mr Mungutana and was a very fun day! All the children really enjoyed the experience and their participation in an event for such a good cause was greatly appreciated.

Adoptive Parent’s Meeting

There was an Adoptive Parent’s Association launch on Saturday 23rd which was a great success. It was even featured on Kenyan national television news! It was a well arranged event that shows the commitment of our very effective adoption society. The director of children’s services, Mr Ahmed Hussein graced the occasion.

Prizegiving

On 29th August, the prizegiving for term two was held, rewarding hard work and achievement from the past few months. Prizes were awarded for improvement in exam marks, good work in the houses, homework, those who received the pizza reward the most often and for the highest performers in the end of term exams. Those who received three or more prizes were invited for a special prize – an outing which they are sure to enjoy after a hard term’s work.

Teenager’s Trips

Also on Friday 29th, our teenagers went on a clean-up of Nairobi River in the morning. It was an activity meant for cleaning up the environment and to raise awareness that people should avoid dirtying and littering the river in future, as it is a health hazard. In the afternoon of the same day, the teens and those who were actively participating in August’s events went to the Bomas of Kenya for the debut of a drummer, at the invite of AMREF. The following day, our teenagers visited Kwetu Children’s Home where they performed community service and were very satisfied by the end of it. The importance of helping others was the point put forward to them as they are growing older.

As you can see it was a busy holiday but very enjoyable!!

Football
These are the winter months of Kenya. We have had to fill in with a lot of participation in events. Three football matches were played recently with other local groups, with results as below.

KCH 0 – 2 Pearls Youth Group (6/7/08)
KCH 4 – 2 Mary Immaculate (8/7/08)
KCH 1 – 1 Legi Ndgo (26/7/08)

The matches have been enjoyed hugely and well done to the team! There will be more soon and we wish KCH success!

Outings
On the 20th June all the children visited the Kenya Wildlife Service Park. They enjoyed the day, where they were able to see many of the animals in the park and relax in its natural beauty. It was a busy time of year and the chance to have this kind of trip was appreciated by all. The next day, twenty of the children visited Nairobi Chapel for the Bible Olympics where they came second out of seven teams based on quizzes, recitals and art and design activities. Well done to the Kenya Children’s Home team!

Pearls Youth Group
Pearls Youth Group, based in Kibera, have been great supporters of KCH and on the 28th June they visited to perform some songs, plays and poems. Afterwards they had some fun playing football with the children. A great time was had by all!

Happy Birthday!
On the 29th June, all the children were invited to the birthday party held by kind donors of the home, Mr and Mrs Khamis. This took place in the Sorsbie Hall after choir practice, and all had a great time at the party which involved lots of singing and lots of cake for everyone! An excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Shopping Spree
On the 4th and 5th July we conducted a Shopping Spree in ten Nakumatt supermarkets. For this event we collected kind donations of food, household items and cash from shoppers which, once valued, came to over 500,000 kshs! Also we are conscious that awareness about Kenya Children’s home was raised by the event. Many people were involved, including drivers, loaders and of course the volunteers who gave their time and effort tirelessly to help at the event. We thank all who were involved massively!

Dinner and Dancing!
We were lucky this year to have another group from Kelvinside Academy, Scotland, visiting this year. Their presence and help was very much felt by everyone, and we thank them for all they did. On the 6th July all the children took part in a barbeque and dance in the Sorsbie Hall, courtesy of Kelvinside. It was a fantastic evening, enjoyed hugely by all who attended. Kelvinside were duly impressed by the children’s dancing skills and went home very happy and exhausted!

Visitors
We have had many visitors in these months, and all greatly appreciated seeing the home. All the children who met them really enjoyed spending time with them too! We have also seen the arrivals and departures of many volunteers, notably our hostess Claire Dunlop who worked at Kenya Children’s Home for over a year, who left on the 12th July to return to the UK. She is being missed already.

Sports Day – JGA
The Jonathan Gloag Academy held their annual sports days on the Kenya Children’s Home field on Friday 11th July. This of course involved a large number of children and staff from the Home. The day was a great success with Mount Elgan (red) house winning the day. Parents participated as well and won the tug-of-war. It was a great way to have fun before the pressure of exams that started at the end of July. However don’t worry – term ends on the 31st July and all the children will have a well-deserved month of holiday!

Theatre Trip
On the 26th July the children once again saw the Phoenix Theatre Group in performance. Our trips to see this group have always been very popular and everyone enjoys the excitement of the theatre. We are sure the children will continue to enjoy the plays of the Phoenix Players!

Back to school
All the children returned to school after their April break.
Those who attend Jonathan Gloag Academy were welcomed back with a busy first week, which included them taking some exams! We are sure they all did very well and will continue to work hard throughout this next term.

Rewarding hard work
Just before all the children started school, there was a prize giving ceremony to celebrate and reward those children who have not only improved in school work but also behaviour within their houses and homework. The children were presented with the awards by Mrs Kiraithe (the home’s chief administrator), Linda Hopper (a friend of the home from the UK) and Irene Njeri (the main instructor at the home’s new project – Kelvin Kraft).
Many prizes were handed out and those who had 2 or more rewards were taken for an extra treat on the 17th. Mrs Kiraithe took this party of children to the cinema where they enjoyed watching a film and munching on snacks.

Outings
Some of the children were once again invited to see the Phoenix Players. This time the play followed the writers of a murder mystery that started to play out for real!! Definitely kept up the interest.
Much fun was had by all.

Sports Day - KCH
Well, another year, another sports day!
This year was slightly different. Not only did we have teams from within the home but we also had teams from Mashimoni and the Gloag Foundation House. So everyone was even more competitive than usual!!
The victors on the day:
• The house competition was won by Houses 6, 7 and 9. Well done those houses!
• The competition between the older children was very fierce and ended with the Thomas Barnardo House children coming out on top with the Mashimoni children 2nd.
• The staff competition was also very competitive between Office, Kitchen, Guards, Mothers and Mashimoni. The winners for the men were the Thomas Barnardo House office; we didn’t know some of them were Olympic standard!! The winners for the women‘s team was the Mashimoni ladies team.
We would like to thank everyone involved for making the afternoon such a success and keeping the competition healthy!!

First Holy Communion
On the 25th, two of our children were fortunate enough to be able to take part in their first Holy Communion at Don Bosco church. They both looked very grown-up and even had a treat after the ceremony. We thank all involved for enabling the children in what has become a very important day for them.

Walking: good for all
The 24th saw some of the children take part in walk to raise awareness of The Mater Trust – a trust which raises funds for children with heart problems, supported by Dettol. They left Thomas Barnardo House to begin the walk at the Nyayo Stadium and walked in one large circle (around 10km) till they arrived back there around 1pm.
Well done all of those who took part and to those who supported them throughout.

Visitors
One of the many visitors this month was Harry Nash from the UK. He comes from the Rotary of Banff (in Scotland).

Deceased
We are sad for losing Teacher Teresa of Mashimoni who was the class teacher in Class 1 following a short illness. We will miss her and share the family’s grief.

Music festival
The Suswa girls participated in the annual district festival. They attained first position in the zone and second in Kajiado District. Well done Girls!!

Holidays!!
We started the month off with the schools closing for the April Break. The older children came back from boarding school. It is so great to see them, especially those that had been to boarding school for the first time.
So starts the holidays!! Lots of fun to be had, chores to do and of course the ever important holiday homework.
Some of our children attended a holiday camp at Jonathon Gloag Academy. This involved them learning and revising lessons from the term but in a more fun and hands on way. They got to test their cooking and camping skills, along with many other fun activities. The children enjoyed themselves immensely.

New Intake!
At the beginning of the month we admitted 20 new children. These children have come from families which were affected by the post-election violence. Despite what they have been through, they seem to be adjusting to life at TBH well and everyone has been very welcoming in order to enable this difficult process.

Shopping spree
On the 4th and 5th April was the first of our tri-annual shopping sprees. This is where volunteers, mums and children ask the members of the community to help Thomas Barnardo House. This time we were at the Uchumi supermarkets in and around Nairobi.
We received a lot of food, soaps, and all sorts, along with monetary donations. We had a really great time and raised a lot for the home, not just in material things but also awareness of what we do and who we do it for.

Visitors and helpers
Throughout this month we had many visitors from all over, to name but a few from the UK:
• Anne Spresser came with her friend Sheila on 7th April. They were such a great help, especially at Mashimoni, helping with the holiday clubs there.
• Linda Hopper visited us again and this time she brought her husband, John, with her.
• Some first time visitors were the family of Warren & Emma & their son Nate, who came from London for a week.
• Catriona Sibbald and one of her daughter’s, Laura, also visited us for a short while. They brought presents for the children, which they were very happy to receive.
• And last but not least, we would like to welcome back Carissa and Claire. They had to return home in January due to post-election violence, but are back. They have both hit the ground running. Welcome back ladies!

And now to mention some of those in Kenya:
• On 12th April, we had a very exciting visitor! Miss Kenya graced the home. She and her band of models spent time in the nursery, cuddling babies and also interacted with the other children of the home.
• Also on this day, we had a motivational talk for the teens and pre-teens facilitated by Mrs Sally Karago, wife to one of our governors, Mr Joe Karago. The talk on self-esteem was very educational and spurred a positive change in the children in attendance.
• The 2nd group of mentors for TBH children was launched on Tuesday 8th April. This is a scheme set up for not only the children at Thomas Barnardo House but also the staff. Each member of the team has been allocated a child to be-friend, talk to. They take time out of their busy schedules to get to know the children. This helps to encourage the children to have positive role models and feel they have someone they can talk to rather than feel like they’re bothering their mums.
• Pastor Jan from the Nairobi Chapel continued her monthly talks with the house mothers and aunties
• A group of around 30 helpers from St John’s Ambulance came to play and interact with the children.
• A youth group from the Christ King Catholic Church in Kibera visited the home. They helped around the home and they sang songs and presented us with some plays they had prepared.
• On the 19th we were lucky enough to have some Fathers from Don Bosco Catholic Church come to preside over a mass for us.
• Also on the 19th April some of our young people were invited to Phoenix Aviation, just across the road, at Wilson Airport. They had a very interesting tour of the firm, which specialises in air-craft maintenance and hires. The trip was of great benefit, especially to our very own David Kiruthi of House 3, who has been given an opportunity for industrial attachment at the firm.
• Juhudi Children’s Club very kindly invited our children on an outing to the National Museum of Kenya on the 22nd. We had such a great time.
Thanks go to all these visitors and more for their energy and aid.

Rites of passage – Suswa
Continuing from the success of the first ceremony last year, the time has come again for our oldest Suswa girls to graduate. 12 Girls graduated at the alternative Rites of Passage Ceremony at Baraka Ontoiye School in Kiserian on the 27th April. It was such a great day and even more so when we think of what these girls may have been subjected to instead. We applaud everyone for their very important work with these special girls.

Giving back
At the end of the month the teenagers visited the St Theresa Missionaries of Charity Home in Otiende where they helped in cleaning and feeding of the physically and mentally challenged children. They enjoyed giving service to the noble mission and will be keen to visit again next holiday.

Thomas Barnardo House – FAMOUS!!
On the 17th April Citizen television channel came to film us! It was all in aid of their children’s television programme called Club Kiboko. They filmed the children while stories were being told and since then we have been on 3 times! The children have enjoyed seeing themselves on TV!! Thank you so much to Citizen for giving the children that fun opportunity.

Continued gratitude
Lastly, we would like to thank all the contributors and donors of the home for their continued support and encouragement. It is all so much appreciated.

The months of February and March started on a rather hopeful note with all anticipating a positive outcome to the Annan led mediation talks. A good result was realised and news of a coalition government received with a sigh of relief by many.

Activities at TBH were back to normal with children who had not reported back from their rural homes coming back ready for catch up on school work. They had a positive attitude that came in handy in their readjustment back into the school and home routines.

Donations & Visiting groups
Walk in donors continued to trickle in mostly over the weekends with a majority showing keenness is spending time with the children and helping out with chores. We had three big group that visited in the two months on varied days namely; Daystar University Students, Staff from Schindler company and students from Kiine Girls Secondary School in Central Kenya and PCEA, Langata. The groups engaged in community service and spent time playing games and socialising with the children. They also donated food items and clothing.

The Bata Shoe Company once again brought good tidings to the home. They donated 126 pairs of school shoes for the children. The presentation occasion was graced by Mr. Giathe the firm’s Public Relations Manager who pledged to continue supporting the home in future. The kind will sure go a long way in bringing a saving to the home’s uniform / school supplies kitty.

In a show of solidarity and concern to us after a trying post election situation, the home benefactor and Jonathan Gloag Adememy founder Dr. Ann Gloag flanked by Bette Gibb, Linda Hopper and Ramsey all from Scotland visited for a couple of days. Also the David Sibbald family from Glasgow as well as David Taylor from the Bank of Scotland took time to visit the TBH family for a few days. The gesture by all is much appreciated and meant a lot to the staff and children of TBH / JGA.

Invitations/Outings
Children received invites as follows:

House of Grace Church fun day and Trailblazers club launch – 16th February
Over 30 children aged 9 years and over accompanied by house moms had the opportunity to attend a fun filled event that allowed the participants a mingling chance as well as a time of engaging in debating contests, recitals, bible quiz lessons and talks on real life issues that affect peer groups. The organisers promised to invite the children to a similar event in subsequent months.

Japanese Embassy – 29th February

20 children went to the Japanese embassy where Japanese cultural items were showcased. The children also got to learn Japanese and interacted with Japanese Children in play and origami making sessions. They were also treated to some Japanese cuisine. This was organised by Juhudi Children’s club.

Phoenix Theatre 15th March

20 youngsters went to watch ‘Creeps’, a play by Lutz Hubner. This was courtesy of Phoenix Players. The play featured 3 very different girls short listed to be auditioned for a brilliant new music show that needed a youthful, dynamic, fun, cool and fashionable person.

It was a show of talents, blunders, rage and loyalty…only one could be the presenter of Creeps!.

Splash Swim – 24th February

All the children and housemothers were treated to an afternoon out at the Splash water world. There was no better way to beat the scorching afternoon sun than this!. The water slides and pools side games were a great attraction for the children. All partook in a snack party at the end of the day that left the children craving for more. The treat was courtesy of David Taylor from the Bank of Scotland. Asante Sana David.

Staff events

As a reward for emerging tops in a staff performance grading exercise, the Abandoned Baby Unit Aunties were treated to a day’s outing at the Paradise Lost amusement park where they had a great time together. They enjoyed game sessions, boat rides, nature walks and picnic. All came back to the home raring to go for another win. Housemothers and volunteers worked in the Nursery on the day.

Customer Care Training
Close to 20 members of staff attended an invigorating customer care training session facilitated by Mr. Robert Foulser on 26th March. Emphasis was on improved public and interpersonal relations aimed at upholding the home’s image with lots of focus on Children being the main customer.

Pastor Jan of Mamlaka Chapel continued with her monthly training for the Housemothers. This assists our mothers with insights of parenting with a Christian foundation.

Friendly Football Matches

Two matches; Tool Bench Centre students and staff versus TBH staff & TBH staff versus Goal Kenya Staff were held in mid march. The TBH team won in both matches giving the opponent teams an even greater challenge to practice more for a win in future tournaments.

JGA Prize Giving Day

14th March played host to the 4th Jonathan Gloag Academy Prize Giving event. Dr. Ann Gloag as well as Mr. Wachira, the Personal Assistant to Starehe Boys School Director graced the event that was filled with pomp and glamour. The invited guests and parents who turned up in large numbers were entertained by the school pupils and awards presented to many pupils. The event saw a good number of TBH children receive awards.

Easter Holiday

The children went to church for good Friday and Easter Sunday masses. A special programme was organised at the home for songs, skits, and bible memory verses presentations by houses. The housemothers, Office staff also sung Easter songs. The staff present were impressed by the children’s confidence and creativity. This spoke volumes of the talents the children possess. Mr. & Mrs Daniel Ogol shared ice cream with the children as appreciation for their wedding held here in December.

Children had time to party, dance and treasure hunt.

All children resumed school after four days of rest. They are now preparing for the end of terms exams in earnest.

January Web site update

January started on a sombre note for all at Barnardo’s owing to the tension that arose after the disputed presidential election.

Most of the children were away visiting their relatives during the December holidays and were expected back on 29th December for the New Year celebrations which turned out to be low key, since many children had not been brought back owing to paralysed transport and insecurity situation.

January, as usual is a busy month at TBH since children are moving a class upwards, some are joining new schools. All these activities and general home operations were affected by the post election chaos in the following ways:

Delay in children being brought back to TBH from their holidays; this led us to advising the guardians to take a temporary measure of getting the children admitted into nearby schools till the situation calms down.
Delays / postponements in school re-opening for first term
Delays in students reporting back to school
School transfers owing to insecurity in areas such as western Kenya where some 7 tbh children were schooling.
Some staff were unable to report to work leading to some staff taking on added responsibility and shifts to cover for the affected ones.
Cost of foodstuff, transport and other essential supplies skyrocketed over the period calling for more operation funds.
A nosedive in the number of local walk in donors
Outings and other social activities for staff and children were curtailed.

With the foregoing, it is evident that it has not been business as usual. All the same, the situation is now relatively calm and majority of children reported back to school in the month and have settled well. Weekend activities took place with children having renewed energy for sporting and choir. There was an invitation for 20 youngsters to the phoenix theatre for a hilarious play ‘Pull the other one’ a farce by Normal Robbins about a typical case of the ‘mother in law syndrome’.

We continue to pray for our country so that the mediation talks can succeed for peace and normalcy to return.

With the assistance of Balcraig foundation, we are managing to issue bread and floor donations directly to camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Nairobi and directly to Red Cross.

Through the Government vetting system, we anticipate an increase in requests to admit newly orphaned children.

In contrast to the slow month of September, the month of October had many exciting and varied happenings.

On 13 October, 20 children from Thomas Barnardo’s were sponsored by the Juhudi Children’s Club to take part in the annual Boogie Train Ride organized by the same. This was a ride on the famous East African Railway and educated the children about the importance of rail travel and transport during Kenyan history. Scenic views were also abundant and the ride was full of sights many of the children had never before had the privilege of experiencing. One of the grandest spectacles was during the descent into the Great Rift Valley from its towering escarpment to its vast floor. During this descent, the panoramas of distant mountains and unending plains were broken by majestic Mt. Longonot and the oasis of Lake Naivasha. This trip also offered a platform for the TBH children to interact with others from outside of the home. As if that were not enough, the children were entertained en route by several musical and cultural performing groups.

To the benefit of the children, Unity School of Hair Design and Beauty came with over 40 hair and beauty specialists and donated their time to cut, style, and braid the children’s hair in a lively day of music and high spirits.

Students from Faith Ventures Academy came for an interaction visit with the house toddlers and the babies in the nursery. The older students in the group were very keen to help with the feeding of the babies which they were allowed to do under close supervision. It was quite an eventful afternoon. They brought donations of food stuff and clothing and had a pleasant time.

Then, on October 10 (which is Moi Day in Kenya, in remembrance of the former president Moi, of Kenya), the former president himself, His Excellency Daniel Arap Moi, paid a surprise visit to the home! The Barnardo’s choir was at their best as they performed for him. He donated food stuff and gave an address where he encouraged Kenyans on the virtue of sharing with the less fortunate of society. That Moi day was one worth talking about and remembering! The press coverage was great.

October 11th was a rousing day at Soila Masai Girl’s Center during their annual sports day. The day held many great laughs while parents, teachers, and students alike competed against each other. The event was very well attended by parents and community members. .

60 children and 11 minders went for a fun day on 21 October at Ngong racecourse at the invitation of Brookside Dairy. Children had a fantastic time and they came after drinking much milk and participating in fun filled activities.

Jonathan Gloag Academy held its annual prayer day on Friday October 26, where class 8 KCPE candidates were prayed for and pre-unit class was graduated to class 1. Pastor Kepha Omae from Liberty Christian Center presided over the service. Many songs were sung and prayers offered. We gave thanks for the pre-unit graduating class and offered supplication to God for the success of our KCPE candidates.
Courtesy of Balcraig, the school has a bigger library under construction. This will, on completion, offer a better reading environment for our children.

The aunties who had been in mother training graduated this month during a joyous ceremony at which Board members and other esteemed guests were present. The new mothers received certificates and happily pledged commitment to their new responsibilities. Pastor Jan Ryder from Nairobi Chapel is continuing to provide further education for our mothers and has been very instrumental in the fostering of ever-better parenting skills

The month was also a busy time for volunteers and visitors from Local universities. Most notably, St. Paul’s University and the United States International University deployed many students for community service. We are always grateful for the assistance provided by dedicated and conscientious volunteers

Barclay Card organized an event on Saturday the 27. They were celebrating “Make a Difference Day,” and came to make a difference here. They extended eager helping hands in various departments such as the kitchen and the grounds before preparing a sumptuous meal for all the houses. After that, they played and interacted with the children and then planted trees around the home.

Then, we also were presented with handmade pillow cases from Ascham School of Australia. The pillows cases were done by the children and truly speaking they were beautiful. The children had also done very nice cards and sent photos of them working on the pillowcases for our children. It was a kind gesture indeed from across the miles. The coordination of the school’s visit was done by Lizzie Hartley who is a good friend of Barnardo’s. Some of the children from the school have spoken with their parents about the possibilities of sponsoring some of our children.

The month was very busy with visitors from overseas. We saw quite a number coming in from Scotland. Among the friends who came were David Sibbald, Callum Patterson, and a group with Alan and Allison McKenzie that included Meg Duncan, Margaret McIver, and Robin Hay. Joe and Garreth from the Wood Group of Scotland visited Suswa and the projects in Mashimoni. And, Helen, Ruth, and Allison Williams (family of Anne Williamson, current volunteer) graced the home as well, even accompanying the children on the aforementioned Boogie Train Ride. Catriona McLean, a former volunteer, returned for a visit, bringing with her David Taylor of the Bank of Scotland. Together these two organized for the children to have a fun day at Splash Water Park where young and old enjoyed the refreshing pools and slippery slides. The principal of Craig Clowen School and his wife, Mike and Angela Beale, happened to be in Kenya and were kind enough to visit. On the 28th of October, staff from Virgin Air came to the home. After touring, they expressed interest to come again. It was indeed a great pleasure to host all these friends and guests, and we hope that theirs was a fulfilled visit. .

We are extremely grateful for the love and support shown to the children of Thomas Barnardo’s House throughout this month. May those friends, supporters, and well-wishers be blessed beyond bounds, and may they know and believe that this home and it’s children’s lives are indeed better because of them. Many thanks.