The annual report capture's the projects undertaken by the youth led volunteer based organization Tuwakuze Africa. It highlights some of our work and the impact we've had.
2. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Brief History
Tuwakuze Africa was founded in 2013, by a team of
young leaders who sought to address challenging cir-
cumstances that hindered access to quality education
by underprivileged children. The challenges include
lack of books, stationery, adequate infrastructure and
teachers. It is under this backdrop that Tuwakuze Africa
was formed and is currently run by passionate young
individuals who have experience in volunteerism and are
committed to use their talents, creativity and resources
for positive transformation of their society
Who we are
Tuwakuze Africa is registered as a society under the
Society ACT (CAP 108) of the laws of the Republic of
Kenya. It is a youth-led, education-based initiative aimed
at developing a reading culture, mentoring and instilling
sustainable skills among orphaned, vulnerable & under-
Our Approach
Since the Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2000 there has been commendable progress towards universal
primary education here in Kenya, however while enrollment rate has increased literacy and quality education has not re-
ceived much emphasis.
Education is the foundation of development that breaks the cycle of poverty. Tuwakuzeâs work is not only focused on access
to education but also in ensure quality, holistic learning for the most underprivileged children.
We aim to achieve our goal by setting up mentorship programs in schools, linking pupils with scholarship opportunities,
providing volunteer teacher and donating stationery among other education related projects.We also train youth on social
entrepreneurship, employability skills and engage them in volunteerism in their communities.
A passion to âadd valueâ to someoneâs life, a powerful desire to inculcate strong morals and an indomitable will to combat
illiteracy is the driving force behind Tuwakuze Africa.
privileged primary school children and the youth within the
community.
We seek to achieve our primary objective of promoting ed-
ucation in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 4: To
ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Vision
Our vision is to empower all underprivileged children and
youth in Africa through holistic education and lifelong learn-
ing opportunities.
Mission
To promote provision of holistic education to underprivileged
children through empowerment, mentorship,provision of
learning materials andcapacity building for youth.
Lifelong learning
(skills training for youth )
Youth volunteerism
Improving access
(provision of books, stationery)
Improving quality of
education
(mentorship, support for
extracurricular activities)
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3. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Our team
Joseph Muya
Executive Director
Ms. Janet Chumba
Mentorship Asst. Coordinator
Alvin Wafula
Deputy Director
Albert Bwire Jr.
Finance Director
Mr. Socrates Majune
Mentorship Coordinator
Amina Ahmed
Partnerships and Strategy Advisor
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4. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Marlyne Sulwe
Publicity Coordinator
Ms. Isabelle Akute
Programmes Coordinator
Board of Advisors
Dr. Andrew Riechi
Dr Andrew Rasugu Riechi is an accomplished researcher
and policy analyst. He has over 15 years of work experi-
ence in education administration, research and consul-
tancy, and educational development. He is currently a
lecturer at the University of Nairobi and a member of the
National Committee on Curriculum Reforms in Kenya
Ms. Irene Wambui Ndegwa
Ms. Ndegwa has practiced law for over 12 years and is
also a law lecturer at Mt. Kenya University. Ms. Irene
Ndegwa was recognized as the Economic and Social
Rights Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year (2014) by Amnesty
International Kenya,She also won the East Africa Law
Society Young Lawyer of the Year Award (2015).
Mrs. Regina Ombam
Regina Ombam is Deputy Director - HIV Investments
- National Aids Control Council She is a Board Member
of VSO Jitolee since 2011. She is also a Steering Commit-
tee Member representing East African Region at African
HIV in Prison Partnership Network that looks at HIV and
Human rights issues in Prisons settings.
Mr. Ribin Ondwari
Volunteers Coordinator
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5. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
school during menstruation, gender bias in pursuit of
certain field e.g. science, mathematics and technology
related areas.
Lifelong Learning Opportunities
Employability training
âWe believe young people can improve their lives
themselves once given the capacity.â
Our aim under this tenet is to ensure we offer em-
ployability skills to youth to enable them join the
labor market.
Under this pillar, we offer
Employability skills training; communication, presen-
tation etc.
⢠CV reviews by recruitment firms
⢠We link youth to internship and job opportu
nities through our partners
What We Do
Holistic Quality Education
Support to underprivileged children to
access education
Tuwakuze Africa addresses the barrier underprivi-
leged children face in accessing education by provid-
ing books, stationery and other learning materials
to both students and their teachers. We realize this
through an annual book drive where we provide
books and stationery worth over 70,000 Kenya shil-
lings each year to select schools. So far Victorius Joy
in Kahawa West and Besthsaida Community School
in Githurai, both in Nairobi and Bungoma Primary
school in Nanyuki have received our annual book
and stationery supplies.
Mwalimu Bora â Volunteer Teaching
This is a program aimed at providing a solution to
schools with a severe shortage of teachers. Tuwakuze
volunteers are availed an opportunity to transform lives
by giving their time to teach the children for a period
ranging from one week to even a year, depending on
their availability. We are currently working with two
schools, Bethsaida Education Foundation in Githurai
44 and Victorious Joy Educational Centre in Kahawa
West, Nairobi. These schools have a total of less than
ten teachers available to teach the whole school with
230 children from Standard One to eight, which is less
than the required ratio. Providing resources in terms of
teachers ensures that the children receive the attention
they deserve and hence quality education.
Nikuze (Mentorship)
Project Nikuze is a mentorship program that aims at nur-
turing the children we work with into holistic individuals
and global citizens. Tuwakuze facilitates this by running
various programs including;
Career Fairs-Arranging a minimum of 3 career fairs a year
after each quarter and inviting professionals
from different industries to talk to the children about the
different career paths they may choose.
Embassy visits- Facilitate visits to at least one Embassy a
year to provide international exposure to the chil
dren.
Girls mentorship; this project launched during the Interna-
tional Day of the Girl Child in 2017, is aimed at addressing
unique challenges girls face includiing self-esteem issues,
lack of adequate sanitation items to enable them remain in
60%
of targeted schools
supported in 2017
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6. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Annual Book Drive
The annual book drive this year targeted Bungoma Primary School in Laikipia County which has approx-
imately 900 children. The support the school received isnoât adequate to cover the overwhelming needs of
children who majorly come from underprivileged backgrounds. Tuwakuze also facilitated the painting of
some sections of the school. The school acknowledged Tuwakuzeâs support as displayed below:
Key achievements in skills development:
⢠Existing youth capacities were strengthened, i.e. partici
pants reported improved CV and cover letter writing
skills
⢠Participating youth were provided with information
on the labor market dynamics and skills required in
different sectors which enabled them to plan their skills
development through volunteering and internships with
participating organizations.
⢠A talk on the labour market expectations and what skills
youth need to gain was given by Human Resource Man
ager, Golden Africa, Mr. Salim Ibrahim. This empowered
participating youth to make informed decisions and bet
ter prepare for their careers.
⢠Soft skills session: Communication, behavioural traits
time management, presentation was Generation Ken
ya. Consequently some participants joined Generation
Kenyaâs training program, one participant has secured a
job after going through the training.
⢠CV Clinic for participating youth on CV writing tips was
offered by Brighter Monday who promised to offer the
much needed services again on a no charge basis.
⢠Career advice was offered by the recruitment firm Ka
maKazi whose CEO, Ms. Deborah Beaton personally
gave career planning and job hunting tips, KamaKazi
proposed the possibility of providing internship opportu
nities via their partners.
⢠A talk on use of digital media for business and job cre
ation was provided by Afrom Media Founder Stephen
Machua who encouraged youth to sharpen digital media
skills to get a competitive edge and create jobs for them
selves.
⢠NTV Business Anchor Lanab-Cliff Onserio gave a talk
on opportunities in the media sector and emphasized the
global and regional opportunities that are available to
Kenyan youth.
Project Highlights 2017
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7. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower
quality of jobs, greater labour market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. That
is why education and training are key determinants of success in the labour market. But unfortunately, existing
systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people, and surveys of learning outcomes and
skills show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement.
During this yearâs World Youth Skills Day in line with Tuwakuze agenda of providing lifelong learning opportuni-
ties for all, we convened different actors in youth development, recruitment firms and human resource persons to
provide employability skills training through CV clinics, talks by HR and links to organization providing suitable
opportunities. Youth who complete formal education have knowledge but they lack employability skills and more
so soft skills this is the gap Tuwakuze Upskill project sought to fill.
Brighter Monday team review CVs
during CV Clinic Sessions
NTV Business anchor Lanab-Cliff Onserio
Mentors Youth on Careers
Participating Organizations
⢠Tuwakuze Africa
⢠Generation Kenya
⢠Kenya Red Cross Youth
⢠Kamakazi
⢠Brighter Monday
⢠Golden Africa Limited HR Manager (Salim Ibrahim)
⢠Nation Media Group Journalist (Laban-Cliff Onserio)
âAm glad that this opportunities
exists that we would never get in
a class settingâ
Charles Kiprono,
University of Nairobi
âThank you for coming up with
such an informative initiativeâ
Monica Ondari,
Institute of Human Resource
âI found the forum quite
useful having travelled from
Kisumu to attend, please have
more motivational speakers in
the next such forumâ
Johnstone Gitonga, Great Lakes
University of Kisumu
Participantsâ Feedback
World Youth Skills Day & Tuwakuze Upskill Launch
15 July 2017
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8. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Participantsâ Profile
Fields of study
Aviation
Communication (Marketing)
Psychology
Education
Law
Commerce - Procurement and Supply Chain Manage-
ment Option
Statistics and Programming
Applied Physics and Computer Science
Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics
1Business Management( Purchasing and Supplies Man-
agement)
Community Resource Management
Diplomacy
Disaster Management
Economics
Economics & Finance
Economics and Finance
Electrical and Telecommunications engineering
Finance
Institutional affiliation of participants
Global Business Roundtable
Great Lakes University of Kisumu
Institute of Human Resource Management of Kenya (IHRMK)
INUKA CORPORATE
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)
Kenya Methodist University
Kenya Red Cross Society Youth
Kenyatta University
Law Society of Kenya
1Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
Multimedia University of Kenya
One African Child
Peace Ambassadors Kenya
Saraphil Foundation
Tujijenge Youth Initiative
Tuwakuze Africa
University of Nairobi
United States International University - Africa (USIU-A)
Young Entrepreneurs Network Africa
Geology
Horticulture
Human Resource Management
Information Technology
International Relations; Peace and Conflict
IT and Business
Journalism
Law
Lifeguard/Aquatics Safety
Procurement
Project Management and Planning.
Public Health
Science/ Chemistry
Social Work
Statistics and Computer Programming
Statistics and IT
Telecommunications Engineering
Theatre Arts and Film Studies
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9. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Angazia Dada
International Day of the Girl Child - 14th October 2017
On the 14th of October Tuwakuze Africa held an event in celebration of the international day of the girl
child, at Bungoma Primary School in Laikipia County, Nanyuki sub-county. The event dubbed âEducate
girls, save the worldâ was modelled after the 2017 theme for the day of the girl child which was âThe
Power of the adolescent girl: Vision for 2030.â An event geared towards realization of Tuwakuzeâs long
term vision and mission of ensuring all children have equal access to educational opportunities.
The main objective of the event was to contribute towards efforts made by various organizations, gov-
ernments and civil society to initiate a dialogue on the importance and the role of the girl child in the
socio-economic and political development of nations. To this end, âAngazia Dadaâ was launched â a
program that will explicitly focus on the girl child.
In line with our vision, which is directly linked to SDG 4, the program was designed to empower the
students of Bungoma Primary School, particularly girls. Through mentorship sessions, football and other
activities main objectives of the event listed below were realized:
1. To encourage girls to be bold in expressing their needs sharing their views on issues of impor
tance to them.
2. To encourage the students to pursue education as an avenue for development, poverty reduction
and wealth creation.
3. Initiate a dialogue surrounding all aspects of the girl child through the âAngazia Dadaâ program
Sustainability Plan
In line with our overall strategic vision, that all Tuwakuze projects have a sustainability plan which is
important for the success of any long term program, and also a key requirement in monitoring and eval-
uating the impact on the beneficiaries, the program structure will incorporate the following activities and
time frames:
iv. Monthly mentorship and counselling sessions in selected schools
v. Developing informational pamphlets for distribution in the selected schools
vi. Recruiting patrons in each of the schools to ensure that constant support and guidance is avail
able to the beneficiaries
vii. Creating writing competitions designed to target issues affecting the girl child, at the same time
providing an opportunity for the girls to express their views on such matter.
viii. Supplying sanitary towels, for at least two months, to all the selected schools.
Key Achievements
⢠The outcome of the sensitization sessions
uncovered deep underlying issues that
require additional and continuous guidance
for the students.
⢠Board members initiated discussions with
students and the school on putting in place
structures to address sensitive issues such as
sexual assault.
⢠Most of the boys expressed a need for guid-
ance with regard to careers and development
and addressing adolescent challenges such
as peer pressure that interfere with academ-
ics.
⢠Board members (males) were able to do dis-
cussions on challenges they encounter and
ways to address them.
⢠Female volunteers and board members
mentored girls and gave them tips on how
to deal with self-esteem issues and other
gender related bias in education contexts.
⢠The need to also bring in organizations
that focus solely on the boy child and their
development, was also discussed at length
among the volunteers and board members
and it was recommended that reaching out
to our networks to get such organizations
would be in the best interest of the pupils at
the school.
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10. Tuwakuze Africa Report 2017
Alvin and Tabitha after hiking Mount Kenya
show off their Tuwakuze Membership