The main goal of this life skills class was to explore the “Levels of the Heart,” a concept inspired by Ock Soo Park’s writings. This was designed to help students understand how human emotions and de…
Activity Reports
Art Class “Romero Britto” @ Korando
This week’s art class was bursting with color, creativity, and excitement as the children were introduced to a new artistic style. We explored the work of Romero Britto, an artist celebrated worldwide…
Holiday Swimming Class @ Korando
Children participated in a supervised swimming session. They were guided by volunteers and the swimming teacher, who provided instructions on basic swimming techniques and water safety rules. The acti…
English Class “Hot Seat” @ Remand Home
The Hot Seat session was organized to encourage participants to openly share thoughts, ideas, and address any questions or misconceptions in an interactive format. “Hot Seat” is designed to help indiv…
Charity Drive/Mentorship Session @ Nyatege Primary School
On October 23, 2024, we teamed up with the Brighter Future initiative for their charity drive and mentorship session at Nyatege Primary School. The event aimed to offer emotional support and essential…
Continuously Supporting German Class @ Kudho Secondary School
The purpose of these activities was to continue the current work of preparing 10 fourth-grade students to pass their final national exam in German. This included several rounds of comprehensive unders…
Art Class “Piet Mondrian” with Grade 4 @ Korando
We had an art class with the Grade Four students at Koramdo School. The class created artwork inspired by Piet Mondrian. We provided them with crayons, marker pens, rulers, and plain paper for drawing…
Personal Hygiene Session @ St. Williams
Personal Hygiene (Hand Washing)
* The importance of maintaining personal hygiene….
Art Class @ St. Williams Primary
At first, we introduced ourselves to the class by sharing our names and the countries we come from. Afterwards, we showed them the results of the previous arts class, which they really enjoyed. To kic…
Art Class with Grade 4 @ Korando
We had an art class with the fourth-grade students, and it was quite interesting. They were provided with colored pencils, crayons, and marker pens to assist with their drawings. Additionally, they we…
Art Class “Style of Klee” @ Korando
We had an art class at Korando Educational Center, partnered with the Ubuntu Family Initiative. The focus was on drawing in the style of Klee, known for his simple stick figures, suspended fish, moon …
Wellness Session @ Makini School Kisumu
The school extended a special invitation to us through our partnering organization, Jijenge Youth Organization, to hold a session with the Grade 6, 7, and 8 students. We arrived a few minutes before t…
Life Skills Session on “Mindset” @ Remand Home
The main purpose of this meeting was to help the kids with their mindset. Often, people find it difficult to think clearly because they are holding onto things that cannot be changed. This session aim…
Tuesday For Fun @ Remand Home
Today’s activity was playing different games that the kids enjoyed a lot. It was their request to have an outdoor activity today, being a Tuesday. They enjoyed the games we organized so much. We organ…
Player Profiling and Equipment Distribution @ Nyalenda Youngsters Football Club
The primary purpose of this activity was to collect the height and weight of all players in the Nyalenda Youngsters Football Club to update their player profiles. Additionally, the event aimed to dist…
Mental Health Empowerment @ Umoja Foundation Boys Camp
The Umoja Foundation Boys Camp aimed to provide a safe and supportive environment for adolescent boys from various high schools in Kisumu County to engage in personal development and mental health awa…
Mama Ngina Children’s Home and Better Me Partnership Agreement
The primary purpose of this activity was to formalize a partnership between Better Me and Mama Ngina Children’s Home in Kisumu through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partners…
Creative Arts Class @ Korando Educational Centre
This was to improve the skills of the young ones in art. It’s quite interesting to see how the young children create art when given an opportunity to. When provided with paper, a pen, crayons, and tim…
Tracing and Reconnecting with Sponsored Children
The main purpose of this activity was to locate the homes of Joshua, Bravin, and Grace, sponsored children whose whereabouts were unclear during the initial visit on August 6th. The visit aimed to rec…
Child Sponsorship Home Visits
The purpose of this activity was to facilitate a visit by Better Me staff and child sponsors to the homes of sponsored children. The goal was to strengthen the bond between the sponsors and their spon…
Life Skills on “The Importance of Education and Your Value” @ St Charles Mwilitsa Primary
The activity was held in order to teach the kids about their value and the importance of education. It was amazing to see the young ones talking about their wonderful dreams in life and what they want…
Life Skills “Being The Best Version of Yourself” @ Remand Home
We discussed “Being the Best Version of Yourself,” aiming to help the boys understand the concept of self and the importance of staying true to their values, interests, and passions. We emphasized the…
Talent Show Cultural Day @ Kudho Secondary School
The activity was talent-based. This was to help the students in their talent search. There was a variety of talents such as dancing, rapping, singing, news broadcasts, traditional dances, and eating c…
Being The Best Version Of Yourself @ Kisumu Rehabilitation Centre
In our first session with four girls from the Kisumu Rehabilitation Centre, we delved into the topic “Being the Best Version of Yourself.” This discussion was designed to help the girls understand the…
Football Training @ Nyalenda Youngstars
Increasing the player’s pace and skills….
Swimming Lesson with the Kids @ Korando
Teaching the kids how to swim….
Life Skills “Politics” @ Remand Home
In this lesson, Jake introduced the topic of “politics” to the boys, covering things such as what politics is, why it is important, how to think about politics, and political participation. Ruth provi…
Life Skills on Drugs Awareness, Effects and Substance Abuse @ Korando
Partnering with Jijenge Youth Organization, who are currently implementing a project on drugs and substance abuse, and working as the Focal point of African Union on drugs and prevention in partnershi…
Wheel of Life @ Friday’s for Wellness
For the last three Fridays, we’ve been participating in a wellness program called Friday For Wellness with other community practitioners. It’s a supportive platform where we can learn, network, build …
Life Skill Session on “Sportsmanship” @ St. Williams Primary
The activity was meant to help the kids improve their sports skills and teach them about the importance of sports. During this lesson, they also learned some skills such as resilience, persistence, an…
Virtual Art Class with the Ubuntu Family Initiative @ Korando
The purpose of the activity was to help the children become better artists and to support those with a passion for art to perfect their skills for life. It also aimed to help the children relax their …
Family Reintegration for a Girl from the Remand Home
Activity Purpose:
The primary purpose of this activity was to help reintegrate a girl from the Kisumu Children Remand Home back into her family and community. This involved not only physically taking …
Life Skills Session on “Sportsmanship” @ Remand Home
Explained the benefits of playing sports in life, the importance of sportsmanship, popular sports, and the variety of sports. After the lesson, the kids were taken outside to play a variety of differe…
Swimming Lesson – Mixed Grades @ Korando
Many children were away at sports games today, so we had a mix of ages and skill levels come with us to the pool. Students practiced floating and breaststroke technique….
Ubuntu Art Class “Leonardo Da Vinci” @ Korando
This activity was designed to help the children improve their art skills and learn to draw better. It’s not just a lesson, but also a great opportunity for the children to bond and share some good mom…
Swim Lesson with Grade 8 @ Korando
Practiced essential skills and swimming with students!…
Friday Wellness Session with Our Partners
The purpose of this activity was to help individuals find themselves, as the topic of stress and depression was the main focus of the day. People go through a lot of things and face different problems…
Visit to Mama Ngina Children’s Home
On Friday afternoon, the Better Me team visited Mama Ngina Children’s Home, located next to Kibuye Market, to explore potential partnership opportunities. The institution primarily cares for children …
English Class “Daily Routines” with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
The topic of discussion was daily routine. The purpose of the class was to enlighten the students on the importance of having a daily routine, how to come up with it, and key elements to consider when…
Wellness Session at Kisumu Fire Station
The wellness session held by the Better Me team on Friday, 12 July 2024, at the Kisumu fire station aimed to create a supportive and positive working environment for firefighters. This session was des…
Swimming Class with Grade 3 @ Korando
We decided to go with grade 3 today. We divided the group into two again and continued practicing swimming on their backs correctly. After this, we started to learn how to swim on their stomachs facin…
Circle Training with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
After a brief explanation of what we had planned to do in class, we went outside and started with a quick warm-up by doing some stretches. That activity was followed by a circuit training consisting o…
Life Skills Lesson on “Truth” @ Remand Home
Discussed the concept of “truth” with the children in class, then we did an outdoor activity for fun and to symbolize the importance of telling the truth….
Holiday Swimming Lesson @ Korando
Continue to develop the children’s swimming skills, provide physical activity, and have fun….
English Class “Hospital Things” @ Remand Home
Jake taught a lesson about hospitals based on a sheet of paper that Vivian and I had designed. The paper contained a hospital, ambulance, doctor, x-ray, pharmacist, medicine, and bandage (graphic and …
English Class “Simple Past” with Older Boys @ Remand Home
After the last class on regular verbs in the simple past, this time we shifted our focus to irregular verbs. The lesson began with a quick recap of our previous work, followed by a worksheet on irregu…
Solving English Puzzles @ Remand Home
This is to help the children improve on how to identify English words from a group of different letters and also to learn how to form English words from scattered letters….
English Class with Older Boys @ Remand Home
The topic of this English class was the simple past tense. We introduced this topic to the students by explaining how and when to use it correctly. After this, we collected different verbs on the boar…
Life Skills Lesson on “Fear” @ St. Williams
This activity was meant to help the children overcome their fear that prevents them from doing things perfectly. It’s good to help them understand that fear is not a bad thing, but to see it as a good…
Life Skills on “Emotional Health” with Grade 5 & 6 @ St. Williams
The topic of the lesson was emotional health, with a focus on what to do depending on how you’re feeling. The kids were able to learn about such a serious topic through games like hangman and charades…
Fun Swimming Class with the Korando Kids
Due to the demonstrations, we couldn’t hold our usual swimming classes. As a result, we took half of the kids from the boarding school to the swimming pool (the other half went on Tuesday). During thi…
Facilitator Empowerment blended with Art Wellness Therapy ( Fridays For Wellness) @ Jijenge
We had an opportunity to interact with other facilitators from the two organizations (Jijenge Youth Organization and Soulevement ) and discuss the role of art in therapy. We talked about how art provi…
Stretching Class with the Older Boys @ Remand Home
The class started with a theoretical part on the importance of stretching before doing sports, led by Tess and Catharina. It was followed by a practical part consisting of a full-body stretching and s…
Life Skills Lesson on “Fear” @ Remand Home
The main purpose of the meeting was to teach the children how to overcome their fears and how they can always work their way around it. Fear is a barrier to many things in the lives of these children….
Watercolor Painting with the Kids @ Korando
The kids were provided with paper, watercolor paint, brushes, and water! They expressed their creativity by painting whatever they wanted….
Grade 3 Swim Lesson @ Korando
During the swim lesson, the third graders focused on strengthening the basics of swimming as they practiced streamline, kickbacks, and floating….
Empowering Youth: SRHR Session @ Mbaga Orphaned Children Center
On the 29th of June, we were invited to conduct a sexual reproductive health rights session at Mbaga Orphaned Children Center (MOCC). The session aimed to initiate a conversation around fundamental hu…
English Class with the Younger Boys @ Remand Home
We began the class by introducing the new topic “simple past.” Then we explained when and how to use this tense. After that, we did an exercise together with the kids. We finished the lesson a bit ear…
Art Class with the Ubuntu Family Initiative @ Korando
This is meant to help the children know and learn how to draw well. Some of these children would love to grow up to become good artists and maybe earn their living from it. Apart from learning from it…
Team Building: Korando Teachers and Better Me Team
We recently organized a team-building session for both our own staff and the staff of the Dolfine Korando Faith Foundation, our main partner, which includes teachers and support staff. The purpose of …
Life Skills on “Self Awareness” @ St. Williams Primary
This is to help kids understand and learn more about themselves. This will help them handle the everyday challenges they face in life. Sometimes, kids argue with each other simply because they may not…
Swimming Class with Grade 4 @ Korando
We started the swimming class with a 5-minute playtime to give the kids a chance to get comfortable in the water. They had a blast making big splashes and blowing bubbles underwater. After a few minut…
Creative Arts “Self Portrait” @ Korando
There is a lot of joy when practicing art. It’s a way to express yourself through drawing an object or anything of your choice. This is where children get to learn how to draw and express their talent…
Swimming Class Grade 5 @ Korando
During the swim lessons, we worked on water confidence by improving basic swimming fundamentals. The kids practiced the beginning streamline position, starts, kicking technique, and kickbacks….
Swimming Class with Grade 6 @ Korando
The main goal of the class was to practice and improve their swimming skills. We achieved this by doing different exercises, and we also had the swimming noodles as a support for the kids. At the end …
Life Skills “Wounds of the Heart” @ Remand Home
This was meant to teach the children how to handle the problems they face in their day-to-day life. It’s always important to address the challenges we encounter because they can affect us emotionally….
Swimming Lesson with Grade 7 @ Korando
We began the lesson with 5 minutes of playtime for the kids to boost their confidence in the water before starting any exercises. This also gave the kids a chance to have fun in the water together bef…
English Class “Nouns and Types of Nouns” @ Remand Home
The purpose of this English class was to make the learners familiar with nouns and the different types of nouns. This is just to help them become fluent speakers of English and enable them to express …
Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA) Training
We recently attended a comprehensive training session on Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (OCSEA), organized by the Kisumu West Children’s Office in collaboration with Pamoja Community-Based…
Life Skills Session “Decision Making” @ St. Williams Primary
The purpose of the activity was to help the students make the right decisions in order to set themselves up for success. Making wrong decisions can lead to a lot of challenges and consequences that th…
Commemoration of the Day of the African Child 2024
The Day of the African Child is an annual commemoration aimed at celebrating the realization of the rights of African children in accordance with the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the C…
Swimming Lession with Grade 5 @ Korando
Swimming lessons for the children….
Swimming Lesson Grade 2 & 1 @ Korando
It was the first time for a lot of the kids in the pool, so our main goal was to encourage the kids in the water at first and build up their water confidence. We spiced up the lesson by giving the kid…
Eco-Therapy Hike and Nature Walk with Jijenge @ Korando
We have been conducting group dialogue in our Thursday sessions on mental health and wellbeing. Over the last few weeks, we have organized physical activities, such as playing football together. Last …
Swimming Class with PP1 & PP2 @ Korando
We split into three groups, allowing the volunteers to focus on their own group. We started the swimming session by giving the children time to adjust to the water. We did this by splashing around and…
Life Skills on “Principles, Power and Triumph” @ Remand Home
This was just to give the children an understanding of principles, power, and triumph. It is important for someone to have their principles in life in order to create some standards for oneself. When …
Swimming Lesson with Grade 3 @ Korando
We had a swimming class with the third grade, so we all headed to the nearby swimming pool together. It was the class’s first swimming lesson, so we split the group into beginners and advanced swimmer…
Joint Clean Up Program @ Jaramogi Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital Kisumu
We received a last-minute invitation to participate in a clean-up activity at level 5 hospital in Kisumu, in partnership with the National Youth Service, Kisumu County Government, and International Yo…
Swimming Lesson with Grade 4 “Water Confidence” @ Korando
We met with the whole class at the Korando educational center and then we walked to the swimming pool. Everyone changed into appropriate swimwear, and then we divided the class into two groups. Lucy s…
English Class with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
In our recent English classes at the remand home, we focused on the topic of phrasal verbs to help the boys improve their ability to create and understand these expressions. The session was designed t…
Swimming Lesson with Grade 5 “Water Confidence” @ Korando
First, we walked the 10-minute stroll to the nearby swimming pool. Upon arrival, everyone changed into their appropriate swimming attire and took a quick shower. Once ready, we divided the kids into t…
“Wounds of the Heart” – Thursday for Wellness with Jijenge Youth
We had a valuable opportunity to collaborate with our partner, Jijenge Youth Organization, engaging in an open discussion about emotional wounds and social challenges, which are critical psychological…
Swimming Lesson with Grade 6 @ Korando
First, we tried to build up their water confidence by starting with the sea star exercise. They had to lay on their back and spread out like a sea star. This exercise is meant to teach them that the w…
“Be a Champion” Life Skills Session @ Remand Home
Yesterday, we had an enriching life skills talk with the boys at the remand center, centered around the concept of “Championship.” Together, we explored what it means to be a champion, discussing the …
Day 2 of Psychological First Aid Counselling Session with Red Cross and Volunteers.
We held a second day of Psychological First Aid with a second group of Red Cross first responders staff.
1) We again used speed dating to try a cathartic method of emotional release. From yesterday’s …
Swimming Lesson with Grade 7 @ Korando
We started the swimming lessons with grade 7 by trying to build the water confidence. An important part of water confidence is to learn that the water will carry you and that you need to stay calm. On…
English Class with the Younger Boys @ Remand Home
We started the class by reviewing the present continuous tense. We explained how this tense is formed and when it is used, providing signal words such as “at the moment,” “now,” and “next weekend.” Af…
Psychological First Aid and counselling session for the First responders at Red Cross branch in Kisumu
We had an opportunity to offer counseling sessions for Red Cross volunteers and staff. We held a 1-hour session of speed dating, just to give them a chance to get to know themselves better, understand…
Back to School day for William – Remand Home Case
After reuniting William* with his mother, the next step was to find a school for him to continue his education.
*Name changed to protect the child’s privacy…
Swimming Lesson Rules with Grade 6 @ Korando
To prepare the students for their practical swimming lesson, we visited the 6th grade to explain the essential swimming rules. It’s crucial that we adhere to these rules to ensure a safe and enjoyable…
Swimming Lesson with Grade 8 @ Korando
We met with the entire class at the Korando Educational Center and then walked to the swimming pool. Everyone changed into appropriate swimwear, and we divided the class into two groups. Lucy supervis…
Life Skill Session @ Paul Wanjigi Alpine
After being welcomed by the school administration, we had our first session as a panel discussion. This was led by Laura and Jule. They explained the difference in education systems between Kenya and …
Psychological First Aid/ Well-being Session @ Kisumu Fire Station
We have been holding sessions at the fire department occasionally, and they have made a formal request to have a monthly session on the last Friday of every month. To kick it off, we are ending Mental…
English Class with Younger Boys @ Remand Home
We started by reviewing the simple present tense. We went over when to use it, how to form it, and the negative form. Then, we introduced the present continuous tense, explaining when to use it and th…
Life Skills Session “Self-Care Routine” @ St. Williams
The topic of discussion was self-care routines among young people, with a particular focus on both physical and mental self-care. The session aimed to address the common tendency to prioritize physica…
Case Conference @ Remand Home
Recently, a case conference was held at the remand facility, bringing together a diverse group of partners to discuss and review the ongoing cases they are handling. The main goal of this meeting was …
Theory Swimming Class with Grade 7 & 8 @ Korando
This theoretical lesson about swimming was a preparation for the practice lessons, which are starting next week on Monday. During this lesson, we gave the students a little overview of what is going t…
Mental Health Awareness Month 2024
To commemorate Mental Health Awareness Month with the theme “Making Mental Health and Wellbeing a Global Priority,” we organized a team bonding and wellness session with our partners Jijenge and Homel…
Self-Care Routine @ Remand Home
The dedicated topic of discussion was self-care routines among young people, with a particular focus on both physical and mental self-care. The session aimed to address the common tendency to prioriti…
Life Skill Session on Discipline @ Kudho Secondary
The school requested that we do a topic on discipline, so we developed questions to handle the session. First, we aimed to understand what discipline means, the difference between discipline and punis…