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The
Soweto Clubhouse staff 2007 (from left):
Fredrick
Omole - "Kwame", Maria Kioko, Frederick
Oguttu - "Fred", Julius Kinoti, Esther
Apunda (volunteer), Marianne Haldimann Mydland, Florence Mkala,
George Mbugua (volunteer, from Maisha Mema Children's Home),
Letisia Karimi (volunteer), Elizabeth Mutheu (volunteer) and
Florence Kibicho (social worker).
The picture was taken after a nice staff
lunch at Java Junction, December 2007. We feel it is
important to grow together as staff, and will prioritize such
events every now and then.
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Florence Mkala
– “Aunty” (born 1968)
was the first to be attached to Maisha Mema’s work in Soweto
all the way back in 1998. Her main obligations in Clubhouse are
teaching kids (presently Pre-Unit to Standard 4) and being in
charge of letter-writing, art & craft. She is also the
secretary for staff meetings, and usually in charge of taking
visitors to homes of the children. She has also organised
some mothers into self-help groups. Florence has also taken
upon herself to pray especially for the organisation together
with four of the mothers once a week. And she is a member of
Blue Cross Kenya, also being assistant treasurer to the
National Board. She started a secondary school Blue Cross
club in February 2006. Her hobbies include singing, dancing,
travelling, making jokes and doing hand work.
Julius Kinoti
(born 1974) has been attached to Clubhouse in Soweto since
1999. He says that “I’m at home with children of all ages,
and have gained a lot of experience in this field. Apart from
teaching the kids, I am also involved in
music, dancing, drama
and acrobatics with them. Every passing day I learn a new
thing about children. It has been wonderful”.
Julius has initiated several things in Clubhouse, among others
acrobatics and choir. And he is being trained by Dr Jim
Farquharson from Canada in homeopathic practice. This has, by
the way, greatly reduced Maisha Mema’s medical expenses in
Soweto and with good results! His hobbies are reading real
life stories, writing songs (text and music), singing and
learning new songs.
Fredrick Omole
-"Kwame"
(born 1973) has been with us since 1999 in Clubhouse. Kwame
says: “An important part of my work is to teach the children
so that they can be conversant and also have an advantage over
other children who go to school only. When our children come
to Clubhouse we teach them using the public school’s syllabus.
I also find it very important to provide love to these
children as some of them lack love and affection – especially
the “fatherly love”. We think holistic, and counsel them to
grow in all areas of life, i.e. physically, emotionally,
mentally and spiritually. I am also in charge of the girls’
soccer teams and started in January 2006 also a girls’
basketball-team”. Kwame adds that “It is my joy and
fun to se the children change and become responsible persons
in the community”. He is also the main organiser of
Blue Cross in Nairobi, and is the assistant Youth Leader
in the Board of Blue Cross Kenya. Prevention work against
drugs such as alcohol and bhangi (the local
variant of hashish) has been the main area of
operation in the Nairobi area. His hobbies mainly concentrate
on sports, and he had a stint on the National team in handball
some years ago. He also likes travelling and meeting new
challenges.
Maria Kioko
(born 1973) is our latest attachment to the staff in Soweto,
and began in January 2006. She is married with two kids. She
says: “I am very happy with my work with the kids and their
parents in Soweto. To me this work is like giving back to
society. I was brought up in absolute poverty, but some
people went out of their way to assist me. My education was
sponsored all through to high school, and for that, I feel I
can never out-give the society and God. I love it when people
share with me about their problems and challenges in life,
hence my very big desire to become a fully trained and
qualified counsellor and social worker. I want to learn about
human behaviour, especially kids”. Her hobbies are
travelling, singing, watching movies and reading.
Fredrick Onyango Oguttu
– “Fred” (born 1977) has been attached to Clubhouse in Soweto
since 1999. His personal ambitions in life are 1) be a
farmer, 2) being involved in charitable work, and 3)
practising as an architect. So far, even though he is an
educated architect and comes from an agricultural area
up-country, it is the charitable work through Maisha Mema that
has been the ambition fulfilled… He has been in charge of
some of the Maisha Mema football teams – three junior
(Top-Notch, Flossmode and Mekaddishkem) and two senior (G2G
and Battle-Axe). He comments that it is a “hostile soccer
fraternity / world, but okay though”. Presently, he is also
in charge of the Standard 8 tuition in Clubhouse. He has two
main slogans or work philosophy: “It is only human to be
humane” and “I will be there for you!” Hobbies include
playing, watching and coaching soccer, travelling, singing and
listening to diverse forms of music, and reading inspirational
and motivational books. |
