Kenyan Education Act and School Sponsorship Challenges
Here is what Francis and Victoria had to say regarding the recent developments. We will be able to provide a clearer assessment of the situation after our meeting on September 1st.
Nuru Kenya
Nuru’s Poverty Intelligence Network
It’s been some time since we’ve posted about Nuru’s Poverty Intelligence Network, but rest assured it’s very much alive and continuing to shape the way Nuru understands aspects of community life. I’m Nathalie Collins, Nuru’s summer intern working alongside the foundation team here in Kuria. Unlike program managers in each of Nuru’s core areas, my …
Detailed Water Data Recording on Google Maps
Expanding to Nyamaharaga So we just finished our baseline survey of Nyamaharaga, one of the new areas that Nuru is expanding to. Want to know where Nyamaharaga is? Well feast your eyes on this Google Map. The locations with numbers (ie 391) are places where people are currently getting there water (“Nymaharaga Pr” is a primary …
The Bureaucracy of the Kenyan Ministry of Education
Yesterday I went to Bhavini’s, the local grocer, to pick up a few things. While I was waiting to pay, I watched as the man in front of me laid all the school supplies his daughter needed for the coming term on the counter. He was asking Patel, the proprietor, how much each item cost. …
Health Worker’s Sickness Gives Perspective of the Poor
A Taste Of My Own Medicine Not only do the Benidictos (see last post) of the developing world inspire me to do my job daily, but motivating also is having the opportunity to take a ride in our community members’ shoes. For those of us who have grown up with the understanding that the flu …
Borrowing to Save: Savings-led Microfinance Part I
The Community Economic Development program is established on savings-led credit and good financial planning. To that extent, we have programs that encourage saving and financial planning before taking out a loan. It is a reasonable path for individual economic development. But design thinking teaches us to profile “the extreme user”. Design thinking is described as …
Dangers of Unprotected Water Sources in Kenya
Moheto Stagnant Springs We just started a baseline survey in one of the new areas called Moheto (read here for info on what a baseline is), and the needs there are tremendous. In the other areas that we’ve surveyed, we at least see some protected springs, in which (relatively) clean water that pops up from …
Should Kids Make the Rules in the Classroom?
The other day the education team was huddled around the table at Nyabikaye discussing school management best practices and drafting a plan for our school. The topic of the hour was how to set and enforce rules effectively. Sabora was sharing his thoughts on how teachers around here typically maintain order in the classroom. The …
Uniqueness of Community Health Worker as Servant Leader
Nuru’s Secret Weapon One of the main factors that sets Nuru apart from other organizations fighting extreme poverty is that that all operations are founded upon a ‘Service Leadership Model’ that calls for a humble, growth-focused, feedback driven, selfless approach to designing and implementing programs. For Nuru, possessing qualities of a Service Leader is crucial …
Creating a Measurement and Evaluation Document to Publish
In December of 2008 and December of 2009, our CEO did a deliberate and good job of reminding us that the end of the year is just a spot on the time/space continuum, it’s not really the end of any particular task or piece of work, nor does it actually signify any accomplishment we have …
Water and Sanitation Leaders Training Improves
Learning Lessons Our Field Managers have gotten the water training sessions down to a science. They are now completely responsible for running the trainings in our new locations. They schedule and coordinate amongst themselves to ensure that everything is prepared for all 5 locations. It’s pretty tricky considering these locations are all about 45 minutes …
Creative Problem Solving for an Education Program in Rural Kenya
The time for creative problem solving has come. Last week the education team’s progress was interrupted late Wednesday night by a letter from the Salvation Army, the current sponsor of Taragwiti Primary. The letter stated that the proper higher-ups at the Salvation Army had not been made aware of Nuru’s intention to sponsor Taragwiti Primary …
Power of a Brand Builds Trust in Rural Kenya Community
What’s in a Name? Apparently a lot here! Coming from the land of mega-brands, excessive advertisement and title obsession I was fascinated when I learned that in rural Kenya, where product choices are considerably limited and luxury superstores are nonexistent, Kurians are extremely brand conscious. This fact was brought to my attention by Janine’s research …
Revamping Nuru’s Organizational Structure
Jake, our founder and CEO, has returned to the States for a rotation on this side of the Atlantic. We domestic staffers are very pleased that this is the case. It’s nice to have his strategic direction at our disposal a little more readily than it is when he’s in Kenya. Of course, this is …
Gaining Perspective in Poverty Eradication
Army ants are aggressive predatory ants that forage in huge groups called raids. I didn’t know this until Friday night; I had always called them “face-eating ants”, but I will spare you that story. So, Friday night we followed a line of ants in the bathroom outside to discover that the Nuru staff house was …