Internship Success Story 5: Trizah Mboya's Story

We are always proud of interns and volunteers who commit to their work and end up having fulfilling and worthwhile experiences. Meet Trizah Mboya, a 2^nd Year student at South Eastern Kenya University who recently completed her internship at Sadili and is now back to School. A beneficiary of Girl Power Clubs Africa program, Trizah has a lot of positive things to say about her experience. Here is her story:

“My name is Trizah Mboya, a former intern at Sadili Oval Sports Academy. I came to know about Sadili through their program Girl Power Clubs Africa back when I was still in class 7 at St. Michael’s Holy Unity Academy. Throughout the program I learnt a lot during the sessions that they had in the school. I have been able to learn a lot more during my internship at Sadili which has also widened my thinking and attitude on lots of things.

Throughout my stay in Sadili under the Court of Dreams program, I loved my experience with Mary Rice School- a school for special needs children. Despite their conditions, these children were so full of life. Their smiles, their happiness and positive attitude towards life were a big lesson to me. They taught me that despite any situation we maybe in life, we should always appreciate and love life. The court of dreams program has also been helpful as I engaged in data entry and also data collection which was really a fun thing to do and teaching of the daily lives. I have also been able to learn tennis as a sport which was one of the things I least expected to develop an interest in, but I have found it as a great and now as one of my favorite games. I have experienced a lot through the programs they have been conducting. The most exciting and important part is the relation with the people in the community. Although it was a challenge at first, I found it more exciting since it also gave me the tips of handling different people, accepting and appreciating the people living around us. This has made me strong and I have learnt to persevere more and also be ready to work in any environment.

Under Girl Power program I also had the chance to talk to girls like me and share different experiences of our daily lives. Women empower each other. I learnt a lot from the girls as we would talk openly of every situation we’ve faced as girls. I also admit that I learnt from the girls from their questions and answers. The different topics we’ve been sharing together like Leadership, Menstruation, Discipline and among others showed impact afterwards from the girls. I loved their company and how they will bring up one another to fight challenges.

Sadili has raised a platform in my life as I went through new discoveries, meeting new people and engaging with the community. I thank Sadili for inviting me in their programmes to work with them and gain good experiences from the programs. I am looking forward to practice everything taught here in Sadili in my daily life especially working with children.”

We value our interns and volunteers, and they return the favor with their hard work, talent and dedication.

University of Minnesota Students Visit Sadili's Girl Power Clubs Africa

Sadili’s Girl Power Clubs Africa was thrilled to start the New Year by hosting students of the University of Minnesota on 4^th and 5^th January 2017. The 10 students, accompanied by their professor, Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, visited the country with the aim of exploring how in the Kenyan culture physical activity is used as a gateway to many aspects of life and how it can empower youth, especially girls.

“Sport is a big culture in the United States, and we believe it is the same in Kenya too,” said Prof Daheia. “I hope that by the end of our visit, the students will have a better understanding of how Kenyan girls use sports for empowerment”.

The team visited Olympic High School’s Girl Power Club during the 2 days where they had open discussions with the girls. They talked about how sport has changed their lives, school, life in America and Kenya and their personal lives. The Olympic High School girls also talked about the role of Girl Power Clubs in their education and development. The students also did a bit of football exercise, danced and did yoga.

“Before the students came I coached them on what to expect since for most of them were visiting this part of the world for the first time. I am happy that they feel welcome, and that they have been really inspired by the stories they have got from the girls at Olympic High School.” 

At the end of their visit, the university students gave little care packages to each of the girls. Each package consisted of sanitary pads, tissues, toilet paper, soap, sweets and a journal. The professor hopes to be back to Sadili next year with a different group of students from the university. 

Girl Power Clubs Africa is a leadership program focused on providing girls with a chance to learn life skills and learn to make decisions that affect their lives and their communities positively.

Dance

Yoga

Football excercise

Group discussion

A gift for everyone

The Cup Effect Holds Two-Day Workshop on Menstrual Cups at Sadili Oval

Mandu Reid, founder of The Cup Effect

The Cup Effect workshop was held at Sadili Oval on Friday 11^th and Saturday 12^th November 2016, an event that saw 21 ladies from various parts of the country gather at the sports academy.The ladies included twelve Girl Power Clubs Africa staff members from Nairobi, Busia and Siaya counties as well as nine staff from Nairobi’s Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP). Both Sadili through its Girl Power Clubs Africa Programme and VAP are in partnership with The Cup Effect in a project aimed at raising awareness about menstrual cups and making them available to women and girls in low-income areas.

Rachael Ouko, Programme Coordinator for Femme International Kenya

This highly experiential and educative workshop was facilitated by Mandu Reid, the founder of Cup Effect, and partly by Rachael Ouko, the programme coordinator for Femme International, Kenya. Mandu also brought with her cups that were distributed to all participants.

Topics such as the female anatomy and the menstrual cycle were discussed. Mandu clearly explained the history of the menstrual cup, its advantages and how it is used. She noted that cups have been in existence since 1935. They are safe, comfortable, reusable and each of them lasts for up to 10 years!  She added that they are made of safe medical-grade silicone (NOT rubber as is normally misconceived) and allergies are therefore rare. A cup can be used for up to 12 hours before it is emptied and reinserted during menstruation.

A few of the ladies who have been using the cup, including Mandu and Rachael who have been using the cup for eight and six years respectively had a lot of positive things to say about it.  “When my sister first introduced me to the cup, I thought she was crazy as it appeared too big,” said Mandu. “It took me two months to get used to it, and now I find it very comfortable and convenient”.

Rachael on the hand took four months to get used to it. “It wasn’t easy at first, but these days I insert it and forget that I have it inside my body. It is that comfortable,” she said. 

Mandu and Rachael both emphasized on the need for practicing patience by those who intend to use the cup. “Some people take just one month to get used to the cup, others take two, three or even eight months to get used to it. You therefore need to be very patient with yourself,” said Mandu.

Menstrual cups for everyone

It was remarkable to note the fact that the average woman will menstruate for 3000 days in her life, which equates to an incredible 8 years. She will use up to 12,000 pads, tampons or other disposable items resulting in significant amounts of waste.

Group photo after the workshop

The workshop was meant to prepare Sadili and Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP) staff to go out and raise awareness about menstrual cups and distribute them to at least 500 girls and women in low-income areas.

Sadili's Girl Power Cubs Africa uses Sports to Celebrate Peace One Day

It is common knowledge that sport as a universal language can be used as a powerful tool to convey a message of peace. In honour of the 2016 International Day of Peace, Sadili’s Girl Power Clubs Africa on Saturday 17^th September held a sports day that saw 62 Girl Power Club members from St. Catherine’s and Nazarene Primary schools assemble at Sadili grounds to play, learn important life skills and celebrate peace.

With the theme ‘conflict resolution’, the day started with an insightful and interactive 3 hour forum that was led by Ms. Everlyne Sigilai, Mr. Kevin Ayuko and Sr. Gloria Ozuruoke who are social educators at Sadili. In this forum the girls learnt about the history of Peace One Day and its relevance in today’s world.  The forum also provided a platform for the girls to freely discuss the types of conflicts they have found themselves in, how they resolved the conflicts and the steps they have taken to avoid such situations. The girls also presented attention-grabbing short skits on conflict resolution that kept everyone entertained and engaged. At the end of the forum, the girls recited non-violence pledges. One of the pledges read in part “…I promise to say I’m sorry and mean it when I have hurt another person, to forgive others when they have hurt me, and to keep from holding grudges”.

The forum was followed by sports, where Sadili staff joined the girls in playing soccer and rugby.

“It has been a wonderful experience. I now have a better understanding of what peace means to me as an individual, what it means to my relationships with friends and what it means to the whole world. I can’t wait to share what I have learnt today with my family when I get back home,” remarked Yvonne Atieno, a pupil at St. Catherine’s Primary school. “The sports have also been so much fun, just the way I had expected!”

This sports day was just one of the many activities that Girl Power Clubs had planned for this year’s celebration of Peace One Day. On the week of the Peace Day (Monday 19^th-Friday 23^rd), Sadili staff visited Girl Power clubs in schools including Olympic High School on 19^th, St. Catherine's Primary School on 20^th, Nazarene Primary on 21st (which was also the official Peace One Day) as well as Karama Academy on 23rd where the same message of peace was spread under the theme ‘conflict resolution’. The social educators put a lot of emphasis on the fact that peace begins with an individual and that everyone should take the responsibility to stand for peace. By Friday 23rd September, Sadili staff had reached more than 150 Girl Power Club members with the message of peace.

Sadili Oval Sports Academy strongly believes in the power of sport to promote peace and understanding by bringing people together across boundaries, cultures and religions. Girl Power Clubs Africa, a program initiated in 2007 by Sadili’s director and head professional Dr. Liz Odera , focuses on providing girls with a chance to learn life skills and learn to make decisions that affect their lives and their communities positively.

Below are a few photos from our celebration of Peace Day with Girl power Clubs. Enjoy!