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…
Activity Reports
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…
Menstrual Hygiene Talk and Sensitization among Boys and Girls @ Korando
Last week, we conducted a comprehensive educational program on menstrual hygiene, aimed at fostering a better understanding and promoting supportive attitudes among students. The initiative was divide…
English Class “He/She/It” with the Younger Boys @ Remand Home
Today, we taught the younger boys and girls how to use the present simple tense correctly. We focused on the fact that you have to add an “s” when you use he/she/it. We also explained how to create a …
World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024
The primary purpose of this activity was to commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day by raising awareness about menstrual hygiene management and providing support to young girls in the Nyangande commun…
Africa Day 2024 Celebrations in Kisumu County
On the 25th of May each year, the world observes Africa Day, a celebration of the richness and vibrancy of Africa. This day marks the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on the 25th o…
Menstrual Hygiene Lesson @ Korando
The menstrual hygiene class aimed to spread knowledge and awareness about the menstrual cycle, menstrual products, and body empowerment (pain, cramps, etc.). We started by showing the female reproduct…
English Class “Crosswords” with the Young Ones @ Remand Home
Today, we taught the students how to do a crossword puzzle. We started off with a simpler one about words in the past tense. After the students finished, we explained one-on-one how they had to do the…
English Class “Grammar” w. Older Boys @ Remand Home
We started the class by showing the corrections to the students. We explained the meanings of different words. After that, we began explaining the zero and first conditionals to the students. We taugh…
Life Skill & Outdoor Activity @ Remand Home
Life Skills class: first-aid class about injury and infection. With images and drawings, we explained the different layers of the skin, how to clean a superficial and deep wound, and the different ste…
Football Donation & Community Engagement @ Kisian Rangers Football Club
In response to working together with the community football clubs, we formed a bond with Kisian Rangers football club to support them with necessary skills, especially when we have volunteers who can …
English Class (Older Boys) @ Remand Home
First, we corrected the exercises that were done last Friday (in the previous lesson). After that, we handed out two exercises: one about synonyms and one about opposites. The students completed these…
Reintegration of William (Remand Home Case)
After Spending more than 9 months at the Kisumu Children’s Remand Home. It was time to reunite William* with his family. The intention was to take William to his mother’s new residence and facilitate …
English Class with Older Boys @ Remand Home
First, we started with a grammar exercise. Anna explained the comparative and the superlative to the class. After this, they started the exercise. When the students finished, they got a vocabulary exe…
English Class with Younger Boys @ Remand Home
We started the lesson by introducing the new topic to the class, which was homophones. We gave the students different examples of homophones, and they tried to explain the meaning of each word in Engl…
Sunrise Hike to the Korando Hills
Today, our team, along with our dedicated volunteers and friends from Penn State University and Homeless of Kisumu, embarked on a refreshing sunrise hike to Korando Hills. The primary goal of this act…
YUMP Session (B) @ Ken Obura Secondary School
We conducted an introductory YUMP (Youth Unleashed Mentorship Program) session at Ken Obura Secondary School. The primary focus of this session was to introduce the program and discuss the first topic…
YUMP Session (A) @ Ken Obura Secondary School
To introduce YUMP to Ken Obura Secondary School and support the school’s guidance and counseling department….
International Day of Families 2024
The International Day of Families is observed on May 15 each year. It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 to reflect the importance that the international community places on…
Spelling Made Easy- Younger Boys and Girls @ Remand Home
Teaching English spelling and word puzzles to younger boys involves starting with the basics. We start by teaching them how words are put together and how to spell them correctly, which helps them und…
English Class A2 Reading – Older Boys @ Remand Home
We started off the class with a comprehension and reading exercise at an A2 level. Everyone read a few sentences out loud, then they had a few minutes to complete the exercises regarding the text. Aft…
Psychological Support Activities for Displaced Children in Kisumu, Kenya
The primary purpose of the psychological support activities was to address the mental and emotional well-being of children who had been displaced by the floods. By providing group counseling sessions …
Flood Relief Food Distribution w. County Gov., Rotary Int., Chandaria Foundation and United Millers
The purpose of the event was to provide relief to individuals displaced by floods in Kisumu County. Better Me, in collaboration with partners such as the Chandaria Foundation and United Millers, aimed…
Quote Exploration “One dies of thirst just when the palm trees appear at the horizon” @ Jijenge Youth
In our recent discussion with a group of youths, we embarked on a captivating exploration inspired by the evocative quote, “One dies of thirst just when palm trees appear at the horizon.” This quote s…
Life Skills: First Aid Lesson “Choking” and Outdoor Sports @ Remand Home
We divided the students into two groups so that each student could attend both the first aid lesson and outdoor activities. The first aid lesson focused on choking. We began by explaining the situatio…
Life Skills & First Aid Training @ Mama Ngina Children’s Home w. Kenya Red Cross
The visit to Mama Ngina Children’s Home in Kisumu County was aimed at providing support and engagement to the children and staff through team-building and motivational learning activities. Additionall…
English Class “Tenses” With The Younger Children @ Remand Home
In the last class, the students enjoyed the word puzzle as it helped them jog their minds before the class, and they requested to have word puzzles in every class before starting the actual lesson. We…
Team Wellness Session: Family Shields
Family shields serve as a powerful tool for team building by providing a visual representation of shared values, heritage, and aspirations within a family or group. These symbols not only instill a se…
English Class “Preposition” with the Small Boys and Girls @ Remand Home
The class started with us, the facilitators, explaining what prepositions are and providing examples to the class (e.g. in, on, under, behind). We then proceeded to do a preposition hunt, taking the b…
English Class “Prepositions” with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
In the recent English classes, we have been building on a curriculum where the boys can progressively follow and understand the topics of study. Usually, the previous topics handled inform the next to…
Kuungaanisha – Meaningful Teens Program with Students from the Community.
This is a recurring program that has been running for the last year. It involves local high school students and other international high school students, especially from the United States. It acts as …
English Class “Verbs” with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
The facilitator started the class by introducing a new topic to the students. We discussed the different types of verbs in English grammar. First, the facilitator explained the “action” verbs to the s…
Children Advisory Committee Meeting
The Children’s Advisory Committee is a body established under Section 41 of the Children Act 2022 to regulate, coordinate, and oversee children’s services. The Council is also mandated to advise the G…
Art Class “Works of Magritte” with Korando Kids
The purpose of the art class was centered on exploring the works of Magritte. The activity aimed to introduce children to the world of art, nurturing their creativity and imagination. Moreover, the ac…
Life Skill Lesson @ Remand Home
We had a life skills lesson with all the kids combined. The topic of discussion was mindset. Before we introduced it, we reviewed what we had learned the previous Wednesday, as it had some correlation…
English Class “Clauses” with the Big Boys @ Remand Home
We started the lesson by writing an examination about the previous topic, which included the knowledge about using idioms correctly. After finishing the exams, we went over to the topic “Independent a…
Chapati Festival @ Sitotwet Children’s Home Kericho
Chapati Festival is a social protection program organized by Better Me and Jijenge Youth Organization to promote Corporate Social Responsibility among CSOs and companies. The festival provides a platf…
English Class with big boys “Idioms” @ Remand Home
Today’s topic of discussion was Idioms, which are used figuratively in a sentence to convey a new meaning. The purpose of the class was to educate students on the use of vocabulary to enhance their En…