10 years is worth a book

I spent 11 years working on finance for projects and linking a lot with NGOs on how best to acount for funds they received. Some NGOs are so keen on acounting for every cent and others are keen on 'eating' as much as possible. Others have leaders who have no idea what finance is all  about and leave it all to the Accountant to figure it out - others have all the details in their fingertips and even direct finance on where savings can come from, negotiate for budget modifications etc. I loved the mix of people. But all in all, the best were those community groups that received modest grants and now the training is about them selecting one among them who is literate and we go through how to record and expenses....the very very basics!!

I was motivated to write about it but got caught up and shelved the idea

Now that am back to writing, i should also revive this!

Getting readers to my blog....

So there was this day I read a blog and the guy is talking about where his audience is from...and am thinking, that sounds cool....I didnt realise that even my simple blog does keep stats of where the readers are from. I promptly took a screen shot and sent an accusing message to my siblings....how come i cant see good numbers here yet i know which countries they are tucked in!

It worked....and just today i got more page views for all my lobbying!! modest...but its a start....hehehehe....i can be shameless sometimes...but am told hizi blogs can get me some mullah so why not!

Falling through the cracks

The Class 8 results are out and many students have been lifted sholder high for having performed very well. They are those of whom this was expected so were treated with various interviews in various media on these young ones giving out wisdom on how the managed to 'conquer' the exams. Things like obey your parents, obey your teachers, study hard is what they said looking all wise. Nice

So my main concern is for that group that after all the hype, are called to these prestigious national schools and boom...it dawns on them the sheer amount of funds they have to cough up for their child to realise their dream of joining said national school. for some their parents and family will ensure that they get there...for some these foundations that have thankfully sprouted up will take on the burden of fees....but there are still those that will indeed fall through the cracks....those that they may not get picked by the foundations...or county/ constituency bursaries....and just like that their dreams are no longer valid...

But should this be the case?? I dare say that for any child who has been called to a national school, the headteacher should ensure that they join the school else have proof that the child has opted for another school before giving out the slot. These children in my view should qualify automatically for government support! It can be done....it should be done!

Black Beauty..

So am at church and in the pew ahead of me, a small girl around 2 years has decided the top of back rest is where she will perch herself....she was not noisy...but kept sliding down for her mum or dad to catch her....what I noticed of course was her clear dark skin...even toned and exquisite!

Reminds me of an infant that I met in the hospital...see when I got my first born in early 2006...this new experience was so exhausting that I slept through the first night and the baby was washed by the time I got to the nursery. so when I finally made my way there a little girl was the one being washed and the nurse invited me to watch her wash her so I learn how to wash my own baby.What struck me was the dark skin this lil angel had - incidentally her name was Angel (or did the nurse just call her that since thats what they call all the babies...Malaika...anyways)....the skin tone was even and as she calmly looked at the nurse giving her a bath (these nurses know how to wash a child and no screams from them!!)..I hoped that she would grow up to be very proud of her complexion!!

Because I am a girl

Because I am a girl

There is an advert that was doing rounds on the ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign by Plan International. Ironically, this resonates with me so much yet I have never personally faced discrimination as regards education because I am a girl. When the reality of what other girls face hits me in the face, I feel for them straight from my inner core – since it feels so unfair!

When did this begin? I was minding my own business sometime in early 2005 when a young cousin came to stay in my mothers’ house and in the process look after my nephew who was a toddler then. The girl had finished class 8 and was hoping to get into secondary school but this was not part of her parents (my Aunty and her husband) plan at that moment because of financial constrains. She stayed on for a couple of months and then it dawned on me, do they really want to take her to school? And how much is school anyways?? I searched around for suitable schools and discovered the price ranges to be a wide as from here to China. I settled for a modest secondary new school near Machakos town and got her admission to start in January 2006. Her parents may have been under the impression that they were to pay for the same and so they said that her older sister has to finish Form 4 first before she can enter form 1! And that time her sister was going into 3^rd form!! I clarified that I was to make the payments and they need not worry. I didn’t think that 4 years was a too a long a time for me to commit and probably break a young girls heart if I can’t go through with it. By Gods grace, the funds became available and before we could blink several times she had cleared her form 4 exams in November 2009. How fast the 4 years passed!!! Needless to say she is now clearing her Diploma in Early Childhood Development and am glad to have contributed to her dream since she is a gem with young ones.

This experience made me realize that it’s possible to change things one girl at a time. If I had the resources I would sponsor many at a time but for now, one at a time is still good enough!!

KPIs....how best to track?

Trying to do my own KPIs for 2016 and got to reading some interesting material online... one article clearly put it that non profits are 'notoriously lofty and vague' in the way they write about what they plan to do and actually do!! That was funny - and they way I thought we were pretty clear!!

I think i will do a paper on KPIs for non profits in Kenya!! That would make for interesting research - let me give myself till August to write a paper on this!!

So thats my challenge for 2016 - so help me God!

Nutty dreads!

Looking at this lady with her long luscious locks and makes me long for dreadlocks again!!

I had them for about 4 years and loved them....was a bit of a challenge at the beginning getting them to lock and everytime I went to the salon and they were washed, they completelty untangled - leaving me with a big fro to start afresh. Finally they got their act together and I had locked locks! J, the guy who used to twist them for me was so excited when I wobbled into his salon when expecting my third born...he said that now they would grow very very long!!

Mixed reactions from people who saw me in locks - some were against them, others loved them....one person asked me what I was rebelling against!!! imagine that...me...a rebel?? ....I laughed it off. You see for me it was a very convenient (and safe) style and it solved a myth I have had in my head for so long - once long long time ago...as a young impressionable girl...when I became aware of chemicals that transform kinky hair (perms)...a lady I knew had a perm done and her face broke out in bad marks like she had suffered bad burns...I was shocked!!!....and this image always stayed with me....I was actually scared that when I if I was to get a baby the chemicals would find their way to the baby I was carrying so.... in with the dreadlocks...and sure enough...after I got S in late 2012, the dreads came off (said barber reacted like I had betrayed him! not been able to go back to his salon since then!)

Now after 4 years of battling nearly every weekend on what to do with my hair...and tempted to cut it off several times...I think am ready for the locks once more!!

Its a New Year!!

2016 here we are!!

Its exciting to be in a new year....it spells new and fresh things!!

I just heard over the radio -Waumini FM - that its a good idea for families to set joint goals for the year...this we had not done before, but now since the kids can be able to make demands for various things, then they can also make plans for 2016 and we see how best we can jointly achieve them!! exciting!!

Vision Board!!

So I heard (our very own) Lupita in an interview say that her mum had a vision board when they were growing up and her aim was to put up all the destinations she wanted to take her children....and i had an aha moment!!

I immediately made an order for a good notice board where i would put postcards for nice destinations we always talk about as family,,,now its up....but alas, it has more notices of what i should remember to do ie bills and etc as opposed to postcards

Launching Operation Take Back the Vision Board!!

My little shadow

My kids generally have socks on even if hot....so long as they are in the house...

So when they walk around the house, you can't actually hear them....and soon you turn abruptly and a little person was right there and you almost topple them

This is the beauty of having tiny tots around you. The love is underconditional; so long as you are within the house they follow you everywhere you are...your little shadow... and i mean everywhere. It can be overwhelming sometimes but you must remind yourself that soon they will be too big to carry; and too opinionated to answer to your every call

I love this stage!!

So let me savour the moment!