We absolutely blew off the roof!

Where: By Grace Orphanage in Kayole
When: Saturday 17 March 2012: 8.30 am-4pm

Many thanks to all who made it a monumental day mentoring high school and class eight candidates on the next big step in their lives.

Sample comments on the CSR (edited):

” We are totally blessed by this, we have never received such investment in our lives, this is better than any amount of cash”

” That was a great eye-opener, I have learned so much, my vision has never been more clearer”

” I love the books, I cannot wait to read all of them especially the one on How to make straight As”

” I feel like I have been transported into the future and back, now I can make better decisions”

” I look forward to venturing in criminology, I was totally inspired”

” You are just God-sent I have learned so many things nobody would ever be able to tell me”

” I have learned so many things today, I never thought doing business could be a bright option”

” I want to be a financial consultant, I am challenged by those ladies who are on top of their game”

” You guys have the heart of gold, God bless you”

” Now I will register only into an accredited college after school, that was very useful information”

” I will work hard to make Kenya the best place, thanks”

” Now I know it does not matter where I am from where I am going looks really good”

Arguably the best LYP Nairobi chapter CSR yet, this was a life-changing event! The major activity was mentor-ship of more than 80 students from class 8 to form 4. They just did not want to let us go.. We then went to Nyama Villa from a mouth watering nyam chom..

The eloquence of ”the good friend” Ochieng and his wife were absolutely captivating, Mbuki was just rib-cracking with his variance in intonation, Francis was frank and motivational, Stella gave a stellar performance sharing about being an account, Pauline was polite, Hellen was helpful in her advise and setting up logistics, Sylvia was sincere on what to takes to succeed, Maria was meticulous on how to make a great medical practitioner, Sam was simply awesome, Christine was charming, Caroment encouraged creativity and Seanice, she’s just nice!

I want to royally appreciate everyone who took time to invest in posterity, we may not always be able to prepare the future for the youth but we can prepare the youth for the future

Many thanks for the generous donations in cash and kind, just to acknowledge a few:

1. Dr. Morrison Muleri all the way from DC in the USA- Donating 20 copies of his inspirational book. ” The Stories of Our lives: The Inspiring Success Stories of Six Men and Women from Africa through Europe to America”

2. Maj. Moses Muheli for facilitating and ensuring we got the donations from Dr. Morrison

3. Judy Matu, Nola and Judy’s house help, all the way from Mombasa- Donating an assortment of stationery for children

4. Pauline Ragumbi- book donation

5. Festus Ouko- Book and cash donations

6. Nebila Abdulmelik- Book donations

7. Francis Mwangi- Cash donation

8. Mike Nyangi- Cash donation

9. Seanice Nabwire- Cash donation

10. Sylvia Murugi- Cash donation

11. Stella Nzioka- Cash donation

12. Sam Karanja- Cash donation

13. Donations c/o Dan through Mpesa

A special acknowledgement to the committee members who were involved in the planning, may God open the flood gates of heaven for you.. Francis, Pauline, Sam, Christine Muthoni, Christine Nyambura, Faith Kanaga..you guys are the best!

Many thanks to Japolo, Maria, Seanice and Kim who helped to transport people in their cars.

Many thanks to Josephine Kamanthe all the way from Canada for hyping the initiative..

Long live LYP..

Best,

Ouko EF

The League of Young Professionals (LYP) i take this opportunity to thank all who turned up for the Sports day event and even those who were unable to come due to various reasons and even those who took time to pray for the day, contribute to our kitty for the LYP foundation. I am happy and grateful that this Kid plus others who are less fortunate and needs our help tutawasaidia na watasoma. For those who will still need to contribute to our kitty, you can still do so through our secretariat any time.

For Mombasa guys, i am so pleased to say more and more thankyou for your time and money and even your presence in Nairobi. We value you so much and we know that LYP is the place to be and we need you and you need us equally. Special thanks to you all. You came in large numbers and even some came with LYPlets and others came by air just to be with us. May God bless you all. It was a day that we shall never forget.

For Nairobi guys, i once again say Job well done. Everyone did his/her part to make the day a success. Were it not for your commitments and passion in this family, the day won’t have been successful as it was. You even extended to accompany the Mombasa guys to Paradise lost which made them enjoy so much. They are only used to Deep waters but they found that we also have “our” waters as you rowed the boats across Paradise lost lake. I understand some were confusing the caves with Fort jesus in Mombasa but we are proud to have ours at paradise lost. More over, i am also glad that no one got lost in the paradise lost!

For those who got fatigued like me and others, poleni sana that you need to be enrolled to Gym classes and not admitted to hospitals or beds due to exercises. GMO products have really ruined our health but its my trust that, lets watch our diet as we eat and live. Do lots of exercises so that we love many years.

Before i conclude, i wish also to that those people who did quite well in the sports especially athletics like Madam Naomi from Nairobi, for winning the 8000m, Francis Francis Mwangi Chege, for winning the same race and various groups that won various games. Your certificates are being prepared and you will receive them in due course. Kudos very much and may be i hope we shall even feature in the world one day during olympics.

Lastly, the evening was fantastic. I have no words to explain this. You all streamed in numbers and enjoyed our meals at Gazhebo restaurant in upper hill. the meal was very delicious and fingerlicking. Some like Erustus Festus Ouko, Daniel Nyutu, Japolo En Sirkal, jaccy moh had to take 3 plates. Thanks since chakula haiwezi potea.

others like Pauline Ragumbi, kayuney yunee, Dr. Matt, Allan Allen Kamunde, josephine kamanthe, Rues Shuma, Carolment, jackie mureithi, Owen, and others, enjoyed and flowed with the music. Your Danced to the tune as if it was a dancing competition. Your report form is being processed to be awarded during the coming Galanight.

For those who missed or shyed off on this day, especially watu wa Nairobi becoz of locality, Mombasa is a bit far. Gala night is here with us on 19th of November 2011. Don’t be left out as we prepare to go on Vacation in Mombasa. If you know you will be with us for the Gala night, start preparing early and forward you name to me soonest. The logistics of the day and others shall be released soon. Dont miss to check on me later and soonest once Mombasa LYP team is set. It will be one of the best Gala night ever happened in the past in kenya. Its open to even non-LYP members. So you are all welcome.

For those who behaved like Paparazzis and they are not, we need those photos sana sana. i know you covered the most entertaining sessions of the day. Dont keep the photos to yourselves. Twazingoja!!

I can’t forget to send my heartfelt grievances to en sirkal. He met with hijackers or call them thieves as he was at his gate. He lost his property including, wallet with thousands-surprisingly no coins, his expensive phone:do i say, car Radio cover: wonder whether he had insured the radio, Car keys: good that he had spare keys. I am so sorry for him since he also received some ngumis on his face. He lost his nose to the gang. His nose was shattered like glass but thanks he shall get an artificial one like that of Michael Jackson:rest him in peace. If you come across any of the above items, pls report to the nearest police station or drop them at his gate. Pole sana Japs.

For those who got injuries like the bridegroom aka Kinyua, Amos Kinoti etc, though you received first aids, pokeeni uponyaji. you will feel better.

Also for those who woke up early to receive the guest, Bonniement Kijana Mzuri and Owen (woke up at 4am) Mike Nyangi, (woke up at 5.30am) Nabwire (woke up at 6.00pm) Asanteni tu saana.

SPECIAL THANKS

Mombasa Team, Nairobi Team, New visitors, Railways Grounds Management, Brighton Hotel, The Djs, Luna park hotels, those who provided and fueled their cars without complain-Antony Odhiambo, Henry Kimathi, Seanice Nabwire, Dr. Matt, Josiah Wacira, Mike Nyangi, Josephine Kamanthe, Jackie Mureithi, Bonfire ventures, Ouko Festus, Liz wanjiru, etc mubarikiwe tu saana.

Guys have a good day.

Yours in Spirit

Bonniement Kijana Mzuri

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

We shall be honoured to host Pete K. Muraya, CEO of Suraya Property Group as our Guest Speaker. He shall talk to us on “Property Market in Kenya” as well as sharing with us his success story.

About Pete Muraya
6 years ago he could not raise even 1 million shillings to do business. 6 years down the line he is doing projects worth in excess of 8 billion shilling.

Some of the completed projects are Rosslyn Heights & Roselyn Gardens located along Road Gigiri. They comprises 55 exclusive 4 and 5 bedroom units. Currently Ongoing projects are Fourways Junction – a state of art suburb with a mix of Cluster Houses, Apartments, Office Blocks, A Shopping Mall, A 3 Star Hotel, A BPO Park (Business Processing Outsourcing), A Nursery, Primary/Secondary School, A Retirement Home and fully fledged country club. Others projects are Tiara Gardens Estate, a gated community of 48 Villas in Karen, Loneview Estate comprising of 250 apartments and 78 Masionates and Spring Valley office Park.

How he has done it, is a talk you can not afford to miss.

Venue: Marble Arch Hotel at 6 pm

The journey to Malindi started off well on Friday 1st July at around 9.00pm where the crew met at a restaurant in town to have a bite before the journey, it was a moment to laugh catch up quickly and also to meet the new members that were joining an LYP funky for the first time. Not long after that we headed to the departure point, Modern Coast (which l feel the need to applaud the team for being cautious with our dear lives) we boarded and our journey to Mombasa started at around 11pm (most of you must have been safely tucked in bed) and we arrived safely Saturday morning 6ish.

The LYP Pwani team never fail in planning and keeping the Nairobians on their toes. One Amos (thanks Amos) who always keeps a smile on his face picked us up and led us to Cool Breeze a motel where we were to freshen up and have breakfast courtesy of a lovely LYP lady l met for the first time Jacinta who works there (thanks girl), meanwhile other arrangements were being made by the Pwani team to have a stroll around town since we were meant to leave for Malindi around 12.30pm.

The beauty of this trip is that the Pwani team made sure we ate and traveled like Kings…personal cars/shuttles were at hand to ferry us from one point to the other..wakatupeleka the famous Fort Jesus and Mama Ngina Drive and as usual the Nairobi team took as many photos as their digital cameras could take.

There after we headed for early lunch (gosh! l had just had a filling breaky meal talking for everyone here). Tukaelekea a joint that cooks pwani dishes and boy did some of us eat… on the menu was Kuku Biryani, Biryani Mutton, Wali Mbuzi etc personally l could not walk after this and thank God my prayers were heard because shortly after, we were allocated cars to take us to our final destination Eden Roc Hotel Malindi, l think it took us kido 2 hours to get there and voila! EDEN ROC HOTEL we were.

Now please note, it was first week of July and there we were looking all hot, in shorts, short dresses, stylish shades and our hair let down (speaking for the ladies) as we found our way to the hotel reception one by one checked in and wah! HEAVEN IN JULY! As we headed to the suites my oh my the view of the private beach all blue and shinny caught my eye and l could not wait to freshen up and head there straight!

The rooms were well furnished and the rates hmm! (nitafute nitakuambia). As the sun set while strolling at the beach we knew we needed to store some energy for the night to be because…..wacha tu!.

The theme of entertainment that evening was Karaoke and guys were gearing up to sing the night away. Lets just say as usual the LYP ladies were dressed up for the evening mostly short black dresses (a lady’s must have) the night was magical under the stars and yes l will not let you forget the sound of waves from the ocean, karaoke was fun we danced in between and the Dj kept interrupting our dance moves on the floor by getting us back to singing. Summary Honey Hanie won the price for the best lady singer.(Congrats! girl though l don’t know what you got for that beautiful performance)

Way passed midnight LYP’s being fun oriented, went out of the hotel to sample some of the clubs namely Stardust and Club 28 hood and we were not disappointed at all FUN TILL WE DROPPED! truth is most of us did not sleep a wink.

Come Sunday morning breakfast and later lots of water aerobics in the pool and later some more team building activities and more splendor at the beach. We had lunch and not just lunch LUNCH! (my clothes still can’t fit days later) and well it was time to leave and the highlight of our departure was that we left a foundation for LYP Malindi and we will soon be back to launch after we met a few professionals that enjoyed the networking and family closeness that LYP’s demonstrated.

Our journey did not stop there we had a stop over and marveled at the Sabaki River and later at the KWS Marine Park and some of us that were bold took a boat ride it was already 5pm and we still did not want to leave. We traveled to Mombasa and for those of from Nairobi we boarded our bus at 10.45pm and yes l know what you are about to ask..we were working Monday morning but with all the memories in our head l do hope that you all gave your employer 100%.

Just to finish this off, on behalf of LYP Nairobi we say a big thank you to LYP Mombasa for the warm reception and amazing weekend holiday. Asanteni! For those who missed out hope the above made you ask yourself why you missed out…and yes you are welcome to join us on all our activities in the future

Always,

Judy Kaiguire

1. Josephine Kamanthe – Club administrator
2. Judy Kaiguire – assistant club admin
3. Kelvin jayanoris – 2nd assistant

All the fields are required. Thank you for your time.

Our journey began to the Paradise Lost and Francis Mwangi and Charity Njoroge were there to welcome us. They were so punctual, kudos guys. The fire was ready and things were set. We got to cleaning up as we waited for the Nairobi guys to check in. Minutes later the place was full.

Guys were chatting up and helping where required. The men came together to make sure the meat was well cooked. As for the ladies well, we were there to ensure that every one was well fed.

After hours of preparation everything was ready. The men in charge of the meat did a great job and they used a new method of roasting, one that most of us got to know of on that day. Ladies in charge of the food you did an incredible job.

As the ladies were finishing up, introductions were taking place… guys were getting to know each other. Then we all sat down for the feast. Thanks Charity for the chapoz. I’m sure many can agree with me that she’s a great cook.

When we were all done it was time to hit the football pitch. The guys put their best feet forward in the pitch, so to speak… the ladies who knew a bit of football got involved… The rest of us made good cheering team.

After an hour of football that ended up in penalties we went to explore the great caves left behind by the mau mau veterans. Just before we got there…We were welcomed by a waterfall and experienced the rushing torrents, while we let our excitement flow freely as the cool waters. Quite a spectacular and one- of – a kind scenery and there, we captured the moments that will always be with us.

The caves are prehistoric… people once lived in them, or so the story goes… The caves are well lit to guide our journey … we all wanted to see where the road leads. The ceiling would get quite low at some point so crawling was necessary, though it needed a little physical fitness. Thanks to our camera guy Francis, he made sure every moment was captured.

Next stop,  boat riding.  You can call it the highlight of the day. Guys went in fourz. Thanks Judy, Magiri, Francis and Mutai for the lots of laughter and tears we shared together on the boat ride. Here’s the funny part, we all had no idea on how to row the boat… meanwhile as we were stuck there, going round in circles, we were making jokes about how that moment could have been the last, you know the part where they say that your whole life flashes before your eyes…  But finally we managed to move from point A to B (well, point B wasn’t exactly the other side of the dam). As we approached the shore, we were kinda sad since the day had come to an end.

This event would have never been a success without you all who attended and made sure we had so much fun as a group. I hope as you said your goodbyes you left as friends and not as strangers.

Photos available here on our facebook group

Luv yah all

Irene Mbacha

Club Administrator

LYP Nairobi

It all started very yearly in the morning at 8:00AM, with the task forces meeting at Various places to execute the morning chores,

• Jackie, Jessie and Josephine, the members tasks with getting food items.
• Brian led team, to Mama ngina for a Tree planting and cleaning session.
• James Kinyua and the members assembling at our meeting room by 10:ooam

Then the journey to TomMboya school for the Celebral palsied Began, slowly but surely as the separate task forces started… First the  foor item s, then the Tea room group and lastly the team from the Mama Ngina Tre planting camp.

AT TOM MBOYA

We arrived to a Team of children and teachers who were all waiting for us. The program was a 2hr activity filled, starting with brief welcoming word from the school head Teacher, Mrs. Kisaka. Then preparing snacks and feeding the 10AM tea break to the children, all the members present fed each a child among those that cannot feed themselves and this is where the learning started, and appreciating the really special needs of the children came out. I think everybody experiences here was different.

We then had a play session, PE as they call it, it was also a very unique, fun filled and energy filled event. Seeing the children really giving it their best, others crawling to a run because then cannot stand up to walk, but still smiling is beyond description.

Then the short speech sessions to understand the needs of the school, and who the visit team is, and a unique representation from our Guest LYP visitor  who had very touching words for the events and even gave, some domestic items to the school…

Finally we formally presented our items, quite a subscial effor t(unga, rice, suger, tissues, beans, cooking oil, powder soap, teal leaves juices, long life milk, snacks) . Led by Chairman Reuben Shuma and members to the school, A few photos with the children and we went for a walk to the physiotherapy unit.

Here the needs still continued to come up, with very few physiotherapy equipment it is a challenge to attend to the health needs of the school. A lot is to be done and we invite donors if tyou can afford an item, you may just be enabling a child to be able to recover an lead a near normal life.

We went to the classes experiencing the development plan, and we observed that the classes are sparsely equipped with furniture, a project we are trying to see how we can assist. Again if you can do something, why not do it? We had our good member Reishi promising to do IT support for the computers that have been declared dead due to lack of expertise. That is the spirit!!!

Lunch

Members proceeded to a biriani get away at Old town, island dishes and took the moment to recap, relax before embacking on our plan 2 of the day Social Activity.

Bowling Event

This was initially to be at GO Kart but due to the weather, the place was closed. However this could not deter members, we made a stopover at carnival restaurant, to think of a plan B. it turned out to be BOWLING at Nakumatt Cimemax, of which half the team never knew how to play, but by the middle of the game, all had their adrenaline rushing and minds strategizing how to hit a 10. It was great Day and the winner of the day was……………. Well, that is the power of a left hand!

Congratulation and a big thank  you to all members who participated, in one way or another, your donations, your time… this couldn’t have happened without your presence. And that it the spirit of LYP!!!

NB: Treasurer will follow-up this report with the financial aspect.

–
Best Regards
Josephine Kamanthe

aha, the ball, delayed, so what? we proceeded to get one from the enterpreneurs around! talk of  identifying opportunities,  and within a few minutes, the team is set and the warm up is rolling

About 5minutes of warm up and we were ready for the first match.

We were all armatures, and so there were very little rules i realized that running from one corner of the pitch to the other is not so easy,  we start appreciating the footballers and the effort they make…. these people must be very fit!

After 10 minutes… everyone is panting and sweating and without talking, people start going for water, its automatically 1/2 time…

we rest catching up , looking at the breeze… why not swim??? we have been here one hour.. and that is how swimming starts.

Meanwhile, the strong,  those who didnt have costumes and the members that came abit later constitute another team for round two of the football team……everyone is busy for the next one hour, …………………………

We are alerted by the dwindling tide,  and the setting sun an d the mass exit of people from the salty, warm water.  Its time to call it a day, we assemble over a drink or two by the beach restaurant as we wide up the days event……… mmmmmmmmmm that was an afternoon well spent.

Talk Higlights:
The X factor is that extra thing that makes one stand out from the crowd. It is mostly an attribute that one may have and may know or may not know about it. It however provides the more than usual requirement needed to land in the job.
Manifestations of the X factor include:-
• Strong personalities : talks in a crowd, others simple are too quiet
• Individualism: initiative and ability to think for yourself
• Sense of artistry: ability to learn a situation and change/adjust very fast.
• Timelessness: time consciousness, it epitomizes organization
• Appeal: Ability to attract and retain interest,
• Etiquette: acceptable behaviors or norms in front of people/ societies
X factor manifests itself in two settings: professional and business setting; its therefore importance to understand the background one is coming from.

Potential areas for excelling include
Professional business
Experience exchange Recycling
NGO’s Renewal energy sources
Telecommunications Metal crushing
Distribution Cabro paving
Entertainment Transport
Construction
Tourism
Bevarages

The X factor may miss for the following reasons
• Fear of the unknown
• Resource constraints
• Obsolescence of skills
• Lack of vision
• Peer pressure

In all these its important to acknowledge that you become what you think of.

Techniques used to overcome negativity
• Suppression
• Dominance
• Compromise

Coping with stress is very necessary. This can be handled in the following way:-
Personally Organizationally
Yoga training
Exercise Flexi hrs
Massage protocol observation
Electro therapy Expression of feelings
Humor clarification of roles
Pets Autonomy
Talking Open Door Policy
Counseling Time management
Resigning from stressful jobs participative management
Fault thinking Motivation
Improved working conditions
• Its important to look out for guides. People who have made it and to learn from them,
• As a growing professional, we should exercise caution in the development. As one bad step may cause a bad image that doesn’t contribute to highlighting the X factor in you.

Ingredients to success and standing out
Discipline
Purpose
Positive thinking
Aggressiveness
Network. And keeping in touch with the network
Going Digital. Updating and keeping in touch
Research
Versatility – multi tasking.
Learning, unlearning and re-learning