Why KSG Loves Yoga

​We asked the girls, "Why do you love yoga?" Here's what they said: 

"I like yoga because we dance" Rhoda, Pre-K

"Yoga is very good because it makes you healthy. It makes you balance well and your bones become stronger and that is why I love yoga" Gloria, Class 2

"I love yoga because in yoga I learn a lot of things like tree pose, eagle pose and so on. Yoga makes me a strong woman" Lucy, Class 2

"Yoga gives me energy and the ability to concentrate in class" Exferance, Class 3

"Yoga is important because it cheers me up when I am sad. I love yoga because it makes me a stronger person" Natasha, Class 3

"Yoga helps me cooperate in class and I love yoga because it helps me be clever in class and reduces my stress" Angela, Class 3

"Yoga helps me cheer up when I am having a hard day. Yoga is important for relaxing the mind and body" Joyce, Class 3

"I love doing yoga because it makes me cheer up when I'm in blue moods" Herenia, Class 3

"Yoga makes me feel comfortable in my body. Yoga is important for women to become strong leaders" Emmaculate, Class 3

"I like yoga because it helps me to realize my dreams" Lorna, Class 3

"Yoga is important because it helps me to have a creative mind. I love yoga because it is interesting and makes my body feel relaxed" Jesinter, Class 3

"I love doing yoga because it brings back my attention and awareness" Beldin, Class 3

"I like yoga because it gives me different types of exercise that I can practice at home to survive" Margaret, Class 3

Teacher Spotlight: Pre-K Teacher Rita Malika Ayuma

When Rita Malika Ayuma first applied for a teaching position at the Kibera School for Girls, she was hesitant about teaching in the slum because of the Kibera’s notorious reputation. “When I first came, I was hiding my phone—but I’ve come to learn that’s not the way people think here,” she recounts. After two years as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at KSG, Rita understands and feels connected to the vibrant community of Kibera: “It’s a nice community, where people love each other. People are friendly and running businesses—working hard for themselves and their families.”

Teacher Rita loves teaching the Pre-K class because they make such a drastic transformation over the course of the year. “They come knowing nothing. They come when they were shy; but now they have courage.” When her students entered the classroom in January, they could not speak a word of English. Over the past eight months Rita has engaged them through songs, games, and hands-on learning, guiding them “from scrambling to writing, from noon to noon. And we are proud.”

Rita grew up in her mother’s classroom at a private school in Nairobi. “My mother was the one who inspired me,” Rita explained. To this day, Rita still spends her weekends with her mother, preparing for the week ahead. Her experience at the private school gives her a unique perspective on KSG, which stands apart from the rest of Kenya’s primary schools. “Everything is better here. Here we give students the chance for hands-on work for critical thinking. We have many materials that even private schools around Nairobi can’t afford.”

“Self-responsibility is so important,” believes Rita, and she is committed to encouraging and cultivating the students’ responsibility towards themselves and others. Though the standard mode of discipline in Kenyan schools is suspension, expulsion, and occasionally corporal punishment, at KSG “we do time out and thinking cushions.” And even though parents volunteer at the school to clean, “the girls don’t want to wait for them to come because it’s distracting…[the students] split the responsibility of sweeping, washing, collecting supplies” for themselves.   

During her two years at KSG, the students’ talents have inspired Rita. At last month’s National Poetry Competition, “Everyone was wondering, ‘which school was this?’ The girls were so impressive and well-behaved. They knew they would win because they have a unique power inside them. They don’t let opportunity pass by. They grasp it!”

Rita’s favorite part about KSG? “I have so many!” she laughed. “It’s always amazing to host visitors, especially the sponsors of our students. We practice yoga with the girls, and I LOVE the Summer Institute [the three-week summer enrichment and volunteer program, which also involves intensive professional development for the teachers]. The girls learn more and I’m learning something too!” As the Pre-K head teacher, Rita is responsible for welcoming students to KSG. From the very beginning, our students are dedicated to and excited about their own education—thanks to our exemplary teachers like Rita!

From the Classroom: I AM ME Poems

Our students wrote some amazing poems about themselves and their dreams. Enjoy them below:

“I AM ME” By Vanessa Irago

2nd Grade, 3/7/2012

 I am Vanessa

 I am as brave as a lion

 I work hard to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor

 I am a flower

 I make your garden full with beautiful colors

 I am the happiest girl in KSG

 Whatever I am, I am always happy because I know

 Even if I’m by myself

 There’s somebody who cares for me and loves me

 I am beautiful

 I love how I was created

 I am the Grumpy Bear

 I always know your feelings

 I make your dreams come true

 I am brave because I look forward to my education success

 I am enormous because everyone in KSG knows me

 And even there are some people around the area who know me

I am a little angel

I fly to help other people survive

I am the wind

I give you fresh air

I am the sun

I make your crops grow

I am special

I work hard for my teachers and parents

I am as brown as the sun

I am shining

I am a human being

I am the playful girl in KSG

I am graceful, hopeful, and lovely

I am the most brilliant girl in the whole wide world

I AM ME! 

“I Am Me” By Joyce Wangoi

1st Grade, 21/06/2012

I am a smart girl

I am hardworking KSG

I am like a sun

I give people the light

I am silly like my friends

I am a good girl

I am clever and strong like a rabbit

I have magic wisdom

I am a chameleon

I change colors

I am like a snake

I have many colors

I am like a tortoise

I have a big shell

I walk slowly

I am like a bat

I fly night

I am not a fighter

I am a good friend

I AM ME!

“I Am Me” By Joyce Achieng

3rd Grade, 21/06/2012

I am a famous girl

I am a genius girl

I am a moon

I give light

I am an angel

I make people happy

I am a butterfly

I make our country beautiful

I am a ball

I bound up and down

I am a lion

I am serious about my work

I am the prettiest girl

I am a clever girl

I am an intelligent girl

I am the most beautiful and hardworking girl in the world

I am me

“I Am Me” By Sheldan Mbuta 

Kindergarten, 21/06/2012

I am nice

I am an angel

I am a star

I am a fish swimming in the pond

I am as powerful as a lion

I am the king of the jungle

I am a girl

I am great

I am in school

I am a schoolgirl

I am shining

I am me

“ I Am Me” By Martha Achieng

2nd Grade, 21/06/2012

I am Martha

I am a girl

I am a fat girl

I am as strong as a lion

I am a lion

I am beautiful

I am a princess

I am from Nganza province

I am a flower

I am coulourful

I am powerful

I am a wind

I am silly

I am curious

I am from Kibera School for Girls

I am a clever girl

I am a girl who knows how to read and write

I am a lazy girl

I am a tricky girl

I am the sense of humor

I am the once who makes people laugh

I am a doctor

I am helpful

I am an angel

I am smart

I am loved by many people

I am lucky to learn in KSG

I am a friend to Emily

I am glad to learn in the Girls school

I am perfect in the whole world

I am thankful to myself

I AM ME!

KSG Mentorship Program

At the center of Shining Hope’s programs is the Kibera School for Girls (KSG). The first thing you’ll learn about our students is that they are energetic, funny, smart, beautiful girls with big dreams: they want to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists – some already have their eye set on the Kenyan presidency!

In the Kibera slum, the majority of the population does not have the opportunity to pursue higher education. Since our students have not had the opportunity to witness life outside of Kibera, they are simply unaware of all the professional and educational possibilities for their lives, including the pathways toward accessing these vast opportunities.

We want to show them everything their futures have the potential to hold as intelligent and successful women. In order to make this possible, we are looking for dynamic professional Kenyan women to join the KSG Mentorship Program.

The KSG Mentorship Program will pair each student one-on-one with a professional role model. The Mentorship Program’s goals include promoting strong academic achievement, bolstering the development of students’ self-esteem, and encouraging goal setting for our students, aged seven to ten. The mentors will be individuals who the girls can look to for advice and support about school, their personal lives, and career decisions.

The time commitment would involve a few hours once a month participating in mentorship activities (events at KSG or in Nairobi). This commitment will make a world of difference in the life of a girl. While the time every month is minimal, we are looking for those interested in building a long-term relationship with our students, as we hope mentors will continue with their mentee throughout her time at KSG - and hopefully beyond!

If you know of someone you could recommend as a dedicated mentor, please share this opportunity with her, or feel free to put us in touch with her directly. 

Contact us at mentorship@shininghopeforcommunites.org with any questions.

We are extremely excited about this program and believe that it will have many benefits for both our students and the mentors!

Thank you! 

From the Classroom: Student Stories

A Trip to Upcountry

By Christian, 2nd Grade

One day we woke up very early in the morning. we went outside to wash our faces and brush our teeth. We wore our Best clothes and packed all the things we need such as clothes, food, drinks and shoes.

Our mother walked with us to the road we went to olympic our mother told us to eat our food after eating we rested and then our mother told us to stand up so that we can border for a bus.

When we reached the busstop we entered the bus many people were there they were making noise that made me close my ears. my mother told me to find a seat. I got a seat somebody told me to move on my sit she was a big person. So i moved on the chair and let her seat.

I went to the other seat i saw tall building the conductor said it is time to eat we ate the food that we had now the bus had stopped and we had to border for another bus my mum told us to move. We moved in the bus we went to another type of bus. The bus went fast as it can.

I Saw many people and family back where many people were in the family back they maked a line and the were traffic lights the light was colour red so the bus stopped until it continued going we were going to reach the conductor.

My Doll

By Joyce, 3rd Grade

My doll is called Francesca. She is four years old. She lost her family then Arna took her and went with her to her house. One day Arna decided to come with Francesca to Kibera School for Girls and meet a new friend. That’s how she came and met me. She is beautiful and polite. I like her very much.

I met friend outside hear our clinic. I saw her shivering, very hungry and she was crying. She told me that she is feeling cold and hungry. I took her to our class and covered her with my sweater, than I gave her food. I love her very much and she loves me too. I love her because she has good abilities. We feel happy together and we appreciate each other.

She is a great doll and kind. On Sunday, we went to church and saw many things and from there we went to the store and we bought a lot of things like shoes, clothes, etc. We also bought some food like eggs, kales, fruits, and snacks. We went home, cooked and ate then we took a small nap. I never forget my adventure with Francesca. She is a happy girl and likes playing a lot.

THANK YOU

Little Red Riding Hood

By Marion, Kindergarten

The Red Riding Hood went to bring some Apples for his Grandma then she meet the wolf. Then the wolf told her where is your house then the Red Riding Hood Said there is our house then the wolf ran to there house then the Red riding Hood come back then she start saying what big teeth do you have then the wolf start saying I have big teeth to eat you then the Red Riding Hood said what big eyes you have then the wolf said I have big eyes to see you!

From the Classroom: Poems by KSG's Teachers

The following poems were written by our teachers when our students began studying family dynamics in social studies. They are memorized and recited by the students for visitors, parents, and the community. Most recently, "Battered Woman" was performed for International Women's Day.

I am Tired Mama  - translated from Swahili

I am tired mama!

Tired of choking in the storms of sand. 

Tell me mama!

Were you ever a child, did you sing and dance?

Did you dance in the rain and slide down the valleys or were you suffocated in this storm of sand? 

I am tired mama!

 And I long for Canaan, take me to Canaan, take me to Canaan where children are children, playing by the pool side, splashing water, where laughter is laughter, excitement is nourishing and giggles rock the air.

Take me to Canaan where birds sing the morning dew away, pick and peak their chosen bits, in the whispering wind of the Jordan River. 

Take me to Canaan mama will you?       

Battered Woman

Battered woman

When are you going to learn?

He doesn’t love you

You are on your own

The beatings hurt, the scars have gone

But sooner or later you are sorely beaten

What is it going to take for you to just leave?

Why just stay there until you can’t breathe?

Battered woman

I know what you’re thinking

It’s your fault for what he’s doing

You blame yourself

Over and over again

You ask yourself “will this abuse ever end”

He’s going to keep doing it.

It’s all up to you

You just have to get the courage to move on to something new

It’s not going to be easy.

Take it one day at a time.

They have to subside and you will finally have a peace of mind.

International Women's Day

For International Women's Day on Thursday, March 8th, Shining Hope paired with a number of local organizations (Sita Kinya, CREAW, Kibera Women for Peace and Fairness, NSF, Liverpool VCT, CareKenya, WEL, Women's Empowerment Link) for a celebration of women in Kibera. We had a huge showing for speeches, performances (including poems and a fashion show by the girls at KSG), and dance-offs. The theme was Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures.

First graders present a powerful poem about spousal abuse:

Battered woman

When are you going to learn?

He doesn’t love you

You are on your own

The beatings hurt, the scars have gone

But sooner or later you are sorely beaten

What is it going to take for you to just leave?

Why just stay there until you can’t breathe?

Battered woman

I know what you’re thinking

It’s your fault for what he’s doing

You blame yourself

Over and over again

You ask yourself “will this abuse ever end”

He’s going to keep doing it.

It’s all up to you

You just have to get the courage to move on to something new

It’s not going to be easy.

Take it one day at a time.

They have to subside and you will finally have a peace of mind.

The Kindergarten class strutting their stuff on a catwalk. 

A Playground in Kibera

Announcing a new first for SHOFCO – we now have a playground on the roof of the Kibera School for Girls! Participants on a service trip organized by Africa Yoga Project spent five days in Kibera at Shining Hope for Communities building a playground for KSG, a community toilet, and new furniture for the school. AYP’s service trip is aptly called Seva Safari - seva means selfless service in Sanskrit, and safari means journey in Kiswahili. AYP’s Seva Safari brings individuals from the US and Canada to Kenya to practice yoga, visit AYP’s projects throughout Nairobi, and engage in a service project. 

We are lucky enough to partner with AYP, whose amazing instructors teach yoga once a week at KSG. Last year, AYP’s Seva Safari participants built Shining Hope’s new community centre. The project was such a success that AYP chose to come back to Shining Hope again this year. In order to build a playground in Kibera, AYP engaged the help of Playground Ideas, a nonprofit that assists underserved communities in building safe, beautiful playgrounds from locally sourced materials. Their focus on a child’s right to play is one that resonates deeply with Shining Hope; we see development through play as an important part of a child’s overall growth.

Shining Hope is so grateful to AYP, Seva Safari participants, and Playground Ideas for the amazing gift they have given the current and future students at KSG. The positive energy, enthusiasm, and dedication of these volunteers has been palpable – how else could they have built a beautiful playground in just five days? A big thank you to everyone involved!

Seva Safari's first day on KSG's roof. John, from Playground Ideas, explains the playground design

Painting tires

A view of some of the playground from one end of the roof

Developing an Engaging Math Curriculum

Marty and KSG teachers

When Shining Hope’s cofounder and COO, Jessica Posner, was in eighth grade, she received math tutoring from Marty Caplan, the principal of her middle school. Years later, when Marty read an article about Jessica and her work with Shining Hope in the Denver Post, he immediately contacted Jessica about supporting the organization. Marty, a math teacher and curriculum specialist, and his wife Arna, a dedicated pre-school and elementary school teacher, volunteered their extensive experience as educators. Both have retired from teaching and were looking for a way to contribute their knowledge and skills to a meaningful cause. Between the two of them, they have 70 years of experience!

Jessica jumped at the opportunity to have these veteran teachers assist in the effort to create an exceptional math curriculum for the Kibera School for Girls. Marty, who now works as a math program consultant for Denver schools, was the perfect solution! He arranged for the school’s purchase of the curriculum ‘Math in Focus,’ which is based on the Singapore education system. It starts with very concrete methods of learning through physical manipulatives (like blocks, scales, paper money) before advancing to abstract concepts.

For the past two weeks, Marty and Arna have been in Kibera training KSG’s teachers. Their visit has been well received by teachers and students alike; the students have been surprised at how fun math can be, and the teachers are thrilled with the new tools for their lessons! Marty and Arna have led intensive workshops for the teachers, facilitated lesson planning, and assisted with general preparation for the year.

In addition to the math curriculum, Arna is implementing a reading recovery program for those students performing below grade level. This program involves daily individual tutoring for those students. It’s based on the belief that reading and writing are inextricably linked and that the lessons should be specifically tailored to the student’s abilities—in order to avoid frustration and to effectively encourage their progress in learning. The program involves reading at exactly the student’s level, having the student create sentences of their own, and then scrambling the words in the sentence for the student to put back in the correct order. This method develops the critical thinking and engagement necessary for building a strong foundation of skill in reading and writing.

Marty and Arna hope to come back next year to implement an equally extensive reading program as well as continue the math curriculum training. The experience has been rewarding for everyone involved and Marty and Arna have been amazing. In their own words, “we have fallen in love with the Kibera community. The teachers are bright and very receptive to learning new methods. The children are so impressive. Working with them cannot help but make us smile.”

Arna presenting dolls created by women4women-knitting4peace and gifted to KSG students.

KSG 2011 Graduation

Pre-k showing off their diplomas

This week marked the graduation ceremony for the students of Kibera School for Girls! The ceremony took place in the new school and proved what a terrific venue the large multi-purpose room can be! Parents were invited and the turnout was terrific. The girls were all smiles as they were presented with their diplomas and told by Anne, the headmistress, to look their parents in the eyes and “show them with your face how you are feeling.” How did the girls appear to be feeling? Very proud and happy!

After the ceremony, parents were invited to the school library to see and hear about student projects. For the cultural diversity unit in social studies the girls learned about their own and their classmates’ heritages. Each class created numerous art projects on the subject.

2nd graders Natasha, Lillian, Idah, and Velma in front of their projects

Movin, kindergarten, behind a model of a traditional Luhya village

Students also performed songs, dances, and poems they had created for their parents. Family in attendance loved the performances and frequently danced and sang along.

 It was a fantastic day enjoyed by all and we are extremely proud of all our students.

Shining Girls

Following up on our significant Girl Effect Challenge win comes an interview with the leader of Shining Girls, Emily. Emily grew up in Kibera and knows firsthand the challenges that exist for adolescent girls in Kibera. When asked why Shining Girls started, Emily responded simply, “So girls here in Kibera won’t waste their lives.”

Shining Girls started two years ago as a way to keep girls in school through the provision of sanitary pads and other material goods, as well as life skills knowledge. They meet every weekend to talk about issues pertinent to their lives and to empower each other to stay in school, even when it’s difficult. “Many of these girls miss school because they don’t have sanitary pads. Some go to school for a week, then miss many days when there is no money for school fees. Here in Shining Girls, we help them,” Emily explained.

Emily knows that Shining Girls is important because the group motivates these girls to think about their future, to examine where they are coming from and where they can go. Many of them look badly upon their pasts, a feeling Emily can relate to, and are able to discuss those feelings and how to move past them. Emily smiles when she says that teaching positive thinking is both necessary and powerful for these girls.

Shining Girls helps the girls think positively because it gives them something to look forward to, and helps them discover their talents. Emily most enjoys helping the girls experiment creatively, with poems, theatre, and dance. Emily’s passion for what she does is clear, “Watching them make poetry is overwhelming, hearing them find a way to say their experiences through expressing their feelings…it’s so good. And then knowing they will share that with other girls, other people in the community; it’s a good feeling.”

Emily believes recognition is important for these girls to feel confident that, despite their impoverished upbringing, they have something significant to offer the world. When asked what she would love to do with the group, Emily responded that she dreams of making a full length documentary to teach about Kibera, about what these girls face in their lives, about the good and the bad and everyday life as it is here. She believes something like this would help with recognition, for these girls, for Kibera, and for slums in general. Emily smiles excitedly, “It would give them a chance to have their stories heard everywhere, all over the world. Imagine!”

Cultural Diversity at the Kibera School for Girls

The current unit in social studies at the Kibera School for Girls is ‘family’. The family unit has been approached in a very comprehensive way, with students discussing who makes up a family, types of nontraditional families (including KSG students who live at Margaret’s Safe Place, our boarding facility), and how to celebrate differences between families. Part of the focus on celebrating differences has been through a discussion of Kenyan ethnic groups.

Growing up in Nairobi, especially in Kibera with few resources, means that KSG students don’t have strong ties to or knowledge about their roots and their ancestral villages. This focus on cultural diversity is a way for students to experience their cultures, traditions, and roots, and learn about each other’s. In this way, students are learning to appreciate and value cultural differences and the diversity that exists within Kenya. As our headmistress Anne says, this unit is an opportunity to teach “unity through diversity.”

Kindergarten class, performing a traditional Luhya naming ceremony, with Jane holding the 'baby.

Students have learned about cultural practices, both good and bad, and have had debates about the merits of contested practices such as wife inheritance. They have learned songs from different ethnic groups and what traditionally occurs at naming ceremonies, births, weddings, and in mourning one’s death. The students have interviewed their parents about family ancestries, parents’ childhoods, and name meanings. This unit will culminate in an amazing show for parents, with the students performing poems, dances, songs, and skits, demonstrating all they have learned about Kenya’s diverse ethnic groups.

Pre-k all decked out in traditional fabric, kangas, with flour paste used to decorate their skin, as happens in ceremonies across numerous ethnic groups