Hatua staff train in Financial Literacy

Last week some of Hatua’s staff were trained in Financial Literacy and also in how to train others in Financial Literacy. The sessions were held by Solomon Odupoi from the SOS Family Strengthening Programme, Omariba Harun from CREDO and David Kaindi from Nyali Beach Entertainment.

Winnie, our Mentoring and Career Guidance Coordinator, arranged for the training, with the aim that we can train our students in Financial Literacy during the school holidays before Christmas.

The training was very interactive, and a range of learning methods was encouraged; structured games, dancing and singing made the training fun and memorable. 

At the end of the training, participants were given the opportunity to practice what they had learned, presenting short training sessions to the rest of the group.

The training course was called Life Poa Financial Capability Training, which was developed under the YouthSave Project by Save the Children Canada. Life Poa means a prosperous life. The YouthSave Project is an international initiative to study youth demand for savings and to satisfy the demand by developing commercially viable services in conjunction with local financial institutions.

The course gives young people a foundational understanding of how to manage personal finances, as financial literacy is an important factor in achieving life goals.

The course involves presentations and group discussion about money habits, understanding where money goes and thinking practically about money towards realizing our dreams, good and bad spending, the importance of saving and personal goal-setting. There is a module about Banking services, which explains how to keep money safe, how banks work, and can involve a tour of a local bank. 

“The training was so good, and it gave us a new sight about finance,” Winnie says. “We are going to teach our children the discipline of saving money and starting their journey to Life Poa.”

See photos from the training on our Facebook Page.

Hatua Likoni AGM 2012

Hatua's Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday at the Likoni CDF Hall. Guests, students, teachers, parents, partners and supporters attended, filling the hall for a great morning in celebration of Hatua's achievements over the past year.

Two very special guests, Mr and Mrs Fondiller, attended, having come to Kenya from America for the week. Mr and Mrs Fondiller, Gabrielle's parents, play a very important role in Hatua's history and growth as they were our first donors and have continued to give ongoing support.

Mr Mwakio, our Board Chairman, opened the meeting, followed by speeches about our programs from Hatua Director Gabrielle Fondiller, beneficiary Peter Makau, Mentoring and Career Guidance Coordinator Winnie Muthina and Resource Center Coordinator Evans Omondi. Representatives of community initiatives supported by Hatua, Festus Said from the Likoni Youth Agenda and Kevin Odhiambo from the Likoni Community Football League, also spoke.

David Ogal from the Ministry of Youth Affairs, who we share our office building with, spoke about the strong partnership between Hatua and the Ministry. Mr Ngombo spoke as Chairman of the Likoni Primary School Head Teachers Association and a representative spoke on behalf of Likoni District Commissioner, Mr Kinywa. Likoni Chief Suleiman Babu also addressed the audience.

Between speeches, the audience were entertained by a two-part comedy drama from the LICODEP Youth Group, a performance poem by Hatua Students and sung poetry from the Likoni Culture Group.

Peter Kwame, Hatua Programs Coordinator, closed the meeting with a Prizegiving for exceptional performances by Hatua Scholarship Students. Mr and Mrs Fondiller were also presented with gifts of appreciation from the Board Members.

Attendees of the meeting then congregated in the Likoni Community Library for a delicious lunch of pilau.

Many thanks to all the organizers, speakers and attendees for making the event such a success!

View more photos from the day on Hatua's Facebook page.

Hatua is hiring: Communications Coordinator

Hatua Likoni is currently accepting applications for the position of Communications Coordinator.

This is a full-time, paid position starting 10 December 2012, responsible for implementing a communications strategy targeting foundations, corporations and individuals that will build support for Hatua Likoni and enable the organization to grow its programs.

Qualified applicants are passionate about improving quality of life in Likoni through education for youth, they also possess excellent English writing skills, have experience of social media and online communications, are fully able to take a creative and leadership role within Hatua Likoni, are very hard working and self motivated.

Hatua Likoni is a community NGO working to reduce poverty and unemployment in Likoni, Kenya. Through scholarships, mentoring and career guidance, Hatua helps Likoni’s top students gain the skills, credentials and networks they need to contribute to and benefit from Kenya’s growing economy.

Responsibilities:

• Attending and reporting on all Hatua events and progress of the organisation (including taking photos and video)
• Updating the blog and website
• Compiling and sending out quarterly e-Newsletter
• Compiling quarterly and annual reports
• Sending updates to student sponsors
• Managing Hatua’s social media presence (Twitter, Facebook and Youtube)
• Creating material to build relationships between Hatua and corporations in Mombasa

Requirements: 

• Degree in a relevant field or Diploma and minimum of 2 years work experience
• Demonstrable strong writing ability in English
• Prior work experience in media and communications
• Strong computer skills
• Understanding and experience with social media (Twitter, Facebook and Youtube)
• Strong work ethic and able to work with minimal supervision 

To apply:

Email communications@hatualikoni.org with your CV, a cover letter explaining your interest and qualifications and an example of your writing (maximum 500 words). 

Alternatively, bring these documents to the Youth Empowerment Center & Library at Flats, Likoni, open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-5pm at weekends. Please leave your application and contact details with the librarian on duty.

The deadline for applications is Friday 30 November 2012. 

Interviews will be conducted the week 3-7 December and the successful applicant will start on Monday 10 December.

We strongly encourage Likoni residents to apply.

Urban farming training for the Hatua Women Group

This week, the Agricultural Officer of Likoni and her assistant did a training session with the Hatua Women Group to demonstrate urban farming methods.

The Hatua Women Group, which was started by former Hatua intern Regina, comprises eight women, who are mostly mothers of Hatua students. The women, who are unemployed, were brought together to learn, share and set up ideas for income-generating activities in Likoni. So far, the women have set up a small vegetable nursery near the Likoni Community Library.

The first demonstration was on an urban farming technique called Balcon Farming which makes efficient use of space and minimizes labor in a limited environment. By making use of the vertical walls of a tall circular structure, many crops can be planted in a small space.

The women were shown how to create such a structure, which can last for two years. First, they sewed together durable sack cloth to create the structure's exterior and then were shown how to carefully position a central column of rocks surrounded by a mixture of soil and chicken manure. This ensures even and efficient distribution of water to all the crops.

The women were also trained in how to set up a small-scale mabuyu (Baobab sweets; very popular with school kids) business. They were shown how to prepare and package the sweets, and how to keep accounts of base costs, input expenditure and profit.

This is an activity that the women can do individually from their own homes with minimal set-up costs.

 Check out more photos from the day on Hatua's Facebook page.

2012: A special year as Hatua students head to college or university

2012 marks a special year for Hatua as a number of our students head to college or university for the first time.

Earlier in the year, Hatua students Mpime Matamu, Regina Mwenda Benson, Seif Reje Maalim and Victor Kasololo left Likoni for Eldoret to begin their university careers studying for degrees in Communications and Journalism, Education, Business Management and Economics respectively at Moi University. Lizzie Wakesho also began her diploma in Clearing and Forwarding Computer Systems at Mombasa Aviation, and Stency Akinyi began her diploma in Mass Communications at Mombasa Polytechnic.

More recently, 6 further Hatua students left Likoni to follow their chosen career paths.

In September, Hamisi Juma Gushe and Abdallah Mbwana traveled to Nairobi to enroll at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology; Hamisi is studying Marine Engineering and Abdallah Computer Science. Sherryl Osano began her degree in Economics and Statistics at Chuka University College, and Sophie Idriss traveled to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology to study for a diploma in Public Relations and Creative Advertising.

This month, Rai Isuma commenced his diploma in Social Work and Community Development at the Mombasa Technical Training Institute, and just last week Caren Ojiambo left for Moi University, Eldoret to pursue a degree in Counselling Psychology.

We are so proud of our students for their achievements so far and wish them the best of luck as they settle into their new environments and new studies.

The range of subjects chosen represents something of how dynamic the Hatua student body is - it has been a pleasure working with these students to date and we are excited to see where their lives take them!