Diaspora Kenyans have opportunity to make difference at home

Calling all Kenyans! Many of you have lamented the fact that you don’t feel that you can make a real difference in Kenya. Well here is an opportunity to do just that. Cuso International an international development organization that works through skilled volunteers to share skills and build the capacity of partner organizations and beneficiary groups in Kenya, is currently implementing a project called Diaspora for Development (DfD); which is a livelihoods-development initiative co-sponsored by USAID and Accenture. Under this project they are looking to place Kenyan diaspora professionals based in US in a variety of capacity-building roles in Kenya, respectively, for 3 months.

Volunteer in Kenya

The goal of the project is to help equip their beneficiaries in Ethiopia and Kenya with skills that will enhance their access to employment and other livelihoods opportunities. Cuso International is looking for professionals with skills in enterprise development, small business management, microfinance, youth and women’s economic empowerment, market development etc., to lead volunteer placements like this one, or this one.

In order to recruit volunteers, Friends of Cuso International will be hosting an Information Session in their Washington, DC office on Thursday, May 9th at 7pm . This event will serve as an introduction to the work of Cuso International and, more specifically, their upcoming diaspora volunteer opportunities in Ethiopia and Kenya. The event will be led by Shelina Gwaduri, the US Advisor for Cuso International and a six-time Cuso Returned Volunteer.

When: Thursday, May 9th 2013 at 7pm
Where: 1101, 15th Street NW 3rd Floor, Washington D.C

You can register for this event online or by calling 202-833-1169.

Curtis Osano – Wimbledon, UK

Born in Nakuru, Kenya, Curtis Osano moved to England at the age of nine, when his father joined the British army. He started playing football at the age of 13, as a student at Collingwood College in Camberley. Around this time he also became involved in athletics, representing Surrey in the English Schools Championships, winning silver in the triple jump. He eventually rose through the ranks at Reading as a defender under the guidance of current Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and was involved with the English youth set-up, though failed to make a league appearance for the Royals.

Curtis Osano

Osano joined Rushden & Diamonds for the 2007–08 season for work experience then officially joined Rushden on a two-year contract in July 2008 following his release by Reading. He scored his first career goal in a game against Altrincham in November 2008.

Osano subsequently signed a six month contract on 29 July 2011 after his performances in two pre-season games. Luton Town extended his contract till the end of the season after a strong showing. Manager Gary Brabin said of Osano “Curtis has been excellent for us. He’s a great athlete, has bags of enthusiasm, is a hard-worker and loves to get forward.”

On 28 May 2012, Osano left Luton to sign for League Two side AFC Wimbledon, where he once again linked up with former team-mate Will Antwi. Osano had an unfortunate start to the 2012-13 campaign when he picked up an ankle injury that prevented him from taking part in the first 8 games of the season. He finally made his debut for AFC Wimbledon as a late substitution in a 2-1 loss against Accrington Stanley on 29 September 2012.

You can keep an eye on his stats here.

Atieno Williams – Washington DC

Atieno Okelo Williams is Co-Owner of DC Buzz, one of the most exciting new real estate companies in Washington DC.

Atieno Williams

DC Buzz provides Real Estate Brokerage services. They help people find the home of their dreams or to sell their current home. Their focus is on educating the community about the process of purchasing or selling their home, and making sound financial decisions during this process. In the past few years, theyhave expanded to include rental property management, renovation services and property development.

She received  the Jones New York Empowerment fund award in 2011 and plans to use it to establish a curriculum and a series of ongoing workshops that will help homeless women and women in transitional housing to reach the dream of housing independence by teaching them financial basics and then by building on that foundation of knowledge. She plans to use her non-profit arm, Buzz Hopes to achieve this goal.

Follow DC Home Buzz on Facebook  and visit their website to find out more about home ownership. So proud of this Kenyan Jewel!

Flora Terah-Igoki – Lachine, Quebec, Canada

Trained as a social worker, Flora Terah-Igoki worked as an HIV/AIDS trainer and women’s rights advocate in her native country of Kenya. As a victim of horrible violent acts, the need for peaceful solutions is never far from her thoughts.

YMCA Peace Medal Awards – Flora Tehra Igoki

She has combined her experience as a grassroots organizer, an educator and as a women’s right defender with experience as a survivor of violence to become a powerful role model for non-violence and bullying in Canada and around the world. Since arriving in Canada in 2009, she has been active in a number of Canadian organizations sharing her expertise and participating in public education campaigns on violence that women and bullying children face. She has continued this advocacy with the Stephen Lewis Foundation, Jean Sauve Foundation, Brian Bronfman, McGill University, York University, Carlton University, Canadian Lawyers Abroad, among others.

A lot of what she has done is deemed motivational, and supports her desire to end violence and bullying toward women and children, thus creating peaceful environments locally and beyond borders. Terah-Igoki has spoken in several high schools around Canada, showing children that they cannot take their privileges for granted. She was the recipient of 2012 YMCA Quebec International Peace Medal in November 2012. Terah-Igoki has addressed meetings attended by the world’s influential leaders like the late Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Mathai, David Suzuki, Paul Martin, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Governor General Michaelle Jean.

Flora currently needs your vote to receive the 2013 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants award. You can vote for her online at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25. Another Kenyan Jewel,  James Atebe won in 2009.

Nairobi Half Life fights to stay alive for more than one night

Today, the Embassy of Kenya in the U.S. announced its support for Nairobi Half Life, a Kenyan film screening today as part of the Feature Film Project. As part of The Project, presented by Manhattan Short, Nairobi Half Life will screen in cinemas across the country tonight for one night only. Audiences at each venue then vote on whether the film should receive one week’s theatrical release. In the U.S., 150 venues are participating.

Nairobi Half Life

“I congratulate the filmmakers of Nairobi Half Life on the success of this film and for advancing Kenya’s contribution to the arts in the U.S. and around the world,” said Ambassador Elkanah Odembo. “It is exciting to see this film receive international recognition. I encourage all those who view the film today to vote for it and bring this contribution of Kenyan filmmaking to a wider audience.”

The Feature Film Project designed to discover, market, and promote one feature film through established cinema networks that might otherwise not get discovered. More information on The Project is available at http://www.thefeaturefilmproject.com/.

Nairobi Half Life has received international acclaim and in 2012 became Kenya’s first ever submission to the Academy Awards when it was submitted in the Foreign Language category. The film also won awards at the Durban International Film Festival, the AFI Film Festival 2012 and Film Africa 2012.

http://www.kenyaembassy.com/pdfs/PressReleaseNairobi-Half-Life50-Cinemas.pdf

Please folks.  Go out there and show your support for this movie!  We have an opportunity to help it get a wider audience.

Isaac Mbiti – Dallas, Texas

Isaac Mbiti is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics of Southern Methodist University. His research interests are in economic development, labor economics and demography.

His research has examined a number of issues related to African economic development, including the impact of primary education and the diffusion of mobile phones, mobile money, and other new technologies. His publications have appeared in the American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Journal, and Journal of African Economies. He completed a B.Sc. in economics, summa cum laude, at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and an AM and PhD in economics at Brown University.

Isaac Mbiti

Mbiti and Jenny C. Aker, Tufts University, wrote about the phenomenal growth of cell phones — and their impact — in the March/April 2010 issue of the Boston Review.

Dr. Mbiti was based at the The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) from 2010-2011. This center within the Economics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology aims to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is based on scientific evidence.

J-PAL was founded on the belief that there would be enormous potential to improve the effectiveness of poverty programs if there was more and better evidence on the most cost effective approaches for tackling poverty. Partnering with governments, private companies, and nongovernmental organizations, J-PAL researchers answer key policy questions using the most rigorous scientific methods. J-PAL’s work also goes beyond the evaluations themselves, seeking to change the way that poverty policy is made—making it more evidence based and more effective.  Dr. Mbiti was nominated for this fellowship by Professor Esther Duflo.

Mbiti wrote a policy review for the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya in May 2011 titled ” Access and Quality in the Kenyan Education System: A Review of the Progress, Challenges and Potential Solutions“ with Rachel Glennerster, Michael Kremer, and Kudzai Takavarasha.

TakeOver DJs set to permeate the Atlanta soundwaves

The TakeOver DJs have announced that they will be on V-103, The People’s Station, Atlanta’s urban radio station with African Ciity Group.

Their ‘Passport Saturdays‘ at Cream Lounge in Atlanta, have been extremely popular, with the TakeOver DJs spinning their trademark Afrobeat, Reggae, Soca, Hip Hop, House & 90′s with such skill that it makes it difficult to sit down. Many patrons end up spending half the night on the dancefloor. This has peaked the interest of V-103, resulting in a live-broadcast of their show.

As DJ Fully Focus put it in an interview with Jaguda.com, “What makes our broadcast special is the playlist, it’s the first time ever that Afrobeat, Reggae, Soca, Hip Hop, House & 90′s will be live in ATL radio. So we are making history, U.S. radio history! What this could mean is if the ratings do go up during the broadcast & the listeners like what they hear & write in or call in to the station, we could possibly see some of your Afrobeat artists get added to rotation which could turn into major U.S. record label interests.”

So Kenyan artists in the Diaspora, now is the time to get your music out there. Let one of the best DJ outfits in the industry put your music on blast and showcase just how talented you really are.

Visit Cream Lounge every Saturday night from 10pm to 4am and enjoy the best mix of Afro-beat, Reggae, Soca, Hip Hop, and Top 40 Hits by DJ Fully Focus (Kenyan), DJ Kash (American), DJ Shanetalon (Caribbean) along with DJ Dyme (Kenyan) and King Ola (Nigerian) and hosted by Osei “The Dark Secret”.

Listen to a sampling of their music on Soundcloud.

In a side note….DJ Focus will also be hosting the birthday party for Dikembe Mutombo’s daughter (her sweet 16).  Couldn’t be prouder of this Kenyan Jewel.  Thanks for paving a way for others to follow. He said he would treat it like a business, and he has!!  Follow them on Facebook  and visit their website for more information.

Obama issues advice to Kenyans for elections.

President Obama released the rare country-specific message in a YouTube video in which he used Swahili greetings — the common language in Kenya — to open and close his message. He urged Kenyans to reject intimidation and violence, to allow a free and fair vote, and to resolve any disputes “in the courts, not in the streets.”

Obama to Kenyans

“This is a moment for the people of Kenya to come together, instead of tearing apart. If you do, you can show the world that you are not just a member of a tribe or ethnic group, but citizens of a great and proud nation,” said Obama, who has several relatives in the country, including half-siblings and a step-grandmother.

As Kenyans head toward elections (some with apprehension) we hope that peace and an honest election will be the goal of all those that get to vote this year on March 4, 2013.

Here is the speech in it’s entirety:

Penina Lam – Ontario, Canada

Dr. Penina Lam has a heart for educating girls.   Her organization, African Education Resource Center (AERC), provides scholarships for girls in Kenyan high schools. Their scholars, once funded, enjoy a full scholarship covering all official school fees, school uniforms, books, room and board (for boarding schools) and small stipend to cover transportation costs to and from school.

Dr. Penina Lam

She holds a Ph.D. in Leadership & Organizational Development from the University of Louisville, USA. As a scholar-practitioner in the field of HRD/OD, she has served as an Assistant Professor and as an Educational Developer at major research universities in North America.

In 2003, she co-founded AERC and currently serves as the AERC Board Chair. Penina has a great passion for promoting education and is committed to developing people’s unique talents.

Her research interests are leadership development and social innovation/entrepreneurship. Her works have been featured in various professional conferences, book chapters, and journals. She co-authored The Management of Adult Education Organizations in Africa, a UNESCO project.

As a consultant and coach, she specializes in Organizational Development, Leadership Development and Social Change initiatives; working with clients internationally on projects to strategize, design, implement, and evaluate programs.

Benson Karanja – Atlanta, Georgia

An immigrant from Kenya, East Africa, Dr. Benson M. Karanja attended Beulah Heights Bible College in 1987. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree, he continued his education at Brenau University, receiving a Master of Business Administration.

Dr. Benson Karanja

He furthered his studies at Clark Atlanta University earning both a Master of Library Science and a Doctorate in Education degrees.

In 2004, Dr. Karanja became President of Beulah Heights University, making him the first African immigrant to become President of an American college. Under his tutelage, Beulah Heights University has become a multicultural institution whose students represent over 45 countries.

Dr. Karanja is a servant for meaningful change. He acts as a mentor to migrant ethnic leaders in an effort to close the cultural gap introducing them to Christian leaders and business people in the United States.

His global non-profit organization, the Africa Resource Group (ARG) strives to promote and encourage mutually beneficial partnerships in the nation of Kenya based on leadership, integrity, transfer of skills and knowledge, and ethics. He also founded African Resource Foundation (ARF) with a mission to equip and develop leaders in an effort to create sustainable entrepreneurial opportunities. He has served on the East African Business council linking American business people with business and investment opportunities in East Africa.

As coordinator of the Association of African Consortium Theological Studies (AACTS), Dr. Karanja has been instrumental in uniting 16 professionals from Kenya and increasing their understanding of the power of partnership. Dr. Karanja is a distinguished member of several boards including Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), Calvary Leadership Institute, Gospel Magazine, AFG, ARG, and Moi African Institute. He was honored with a Head of State Commendation from the President of the Republic of Kenya and for his outstanding humanitarian effort by the Georgia House of Representatives. (Source: Beulah Heights University)

Other achievements

Received Presidential Award of Honor from President Mwai Kibaki for services and support to the country of Kenya

Received invitation to serve as a distinguished guest on the 2006 African Presidential Roundtable in Johannesburg, South Africa, which included several former African heads of state

Ambassador for various projects and initiatives in the continent of Africa

Established the Center for Leadership in Nakuru, Kenya