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Mathare Foundation

Mathare foundation in the press – a news roundup

2020

Dec 22, 2020

Eric from Mathare Foundation shares his story

Dec 22, 2020

Eric from Mathare Foundation shares his story

Dec 9, 2020

Switch on Mathare

2019

Mar 15, 2019

Mathare Foundation is changing the lives of youth in Nairobi

2018

November 10th, 2018

One Young World Interview with Caroline Mutoko


Feb 5, 2018

A day at Mathare Foundation

2017

September 10th, 2017, on The East African

Beyond Skills

The new project which starts on the 17th of September. Thank you The Pollination Project for the grant.
This is the way to go as Mathare Foundation shines yet again at the international level. Eric Omwanda and James Ndung’u and team are changing the Narrative about the slums

Aug 5, 2017

Kwa Sauti za Watoto WOH & MF

April 13th, 2017, on youtube.com

The Scoop 130 with Eric Omwanda


We could not disagree anymore, Mathare Foundation is going places.
Wow if we could only listen to this piece and ask ourselves what are we waiting for!
This is a project worth supporting. Keep it up. Thank you The Scoop.

Eric Nehemiah (Kenya), the co-founder of Mathare Foundation, which has supported over 100 young people in Kenyan slums to channel their talents through providing training in photography and art.

2016

Nov 28, 2016

#MotivationalMonday with Eric Nehemiah, Mathare Foundation

November 2016, on youtube.com

Commonwealth Africa Youth Worker of the Year speaks to BBC World News

We have gained international audience as Eric Omwanda Nehemiah talks about the work of the Mathare Foundation. This is incredible, the insights and how the Foundation has changed the lives of young people is without any doubt commendable. Take some few minutes to hear this first hand.

Feb 26, 2016

kids festival +254 on flash

2014

Sep 4, 2014

Mathare Foundation Football Tournament

Commonwealth awards Mathare Foundation Co Founder Eric Omwanda the Commonwealth Youth Worker Africa Region Winner 2016

On the 10 of November 2016 , Mathare Foundation Co Founder, Eric Omwanda, received the Commonwealth Youth Worker Award for the Africa region. Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards was established 4 years ago with the purpose of appreciating and awarding exemplary people who have dedicated their live to serve young people. Last year Eric Omwanda was a regional finalist and he promised that he is going to become the Africa winner this year. He has lived to achieve this. His contribution to youth work in Kenya is exceptional. He is an inspiration to other young people across the Commonwealth countries and specifically in the Africa.

Eric Nehemiah (Kenya), the co-founder of Mathare Foundation, which has supported over 100 young people in Kenyan slums to channel their talents through providing training in photography and art.

Mr Nehemiah said: “Society depends on young people, so if young people do not get a good foundation then our society will be in a mess. Being recognised as the overall winner for the Africa region is not something I take for granted – it’s not about me, however, it’s about the other 60 young people that I represent. With or without recognition, we as youth workers should keep on pushing

– See more at: http://thecommonwealth.org/media/press-release/social-enterprise-founder-named-commonwealth-youth-worker-year-2016#sthash.y8rSnajm.dpuf

 

http://thecommonwealth.org/media/press-release/social-enterprise-founder-named-commonwealth-youth-worker-year-2016

Mathare Foundation Featured On CNN

Kids photograph the slum they call home

By Will Worley

(CNN) The Mathare network of slums is perhaps the most notorious in Nairobi. Boasting a population of 500,000 — jammed into roughly half a square mile — Mathare is the second-largest slum in the Kenyan capital, and infamously tough. Marked by widespread poverty, unemployment and a high crime rate, it’s not the easiest place for children to grow up, though many do. It is also not an easy place to get an education, as school fees are a luxury many families in Mathare cannot afford.

Eric Omwanda, co-founder of the Mathare Foundation, is hoping to change that. Himself a Mathare native, Omwanda understands the challenges faced by those who call the slum home. As one of the slum’s success stories (he earns a living as a freelance photographer and football coach), he is working with some of Mathare’s youth to teach him a skill that has brought him endless inspiration: photography.

“I feel a connection with the kids,” notes Omwanda, who was a 2015 finalist for Commonwealth Africa Region Youth Worker of the Year.

“Although I come from a humble background, I felt the need to give something back to my community.”

With a handful of volunteers, Omwanda provides local children with cameras and teaches them the basics of photography.

“We try to relate the photography training to what the kids know already,” says Omwanda. “We teach in three stages: theory, where they learn about the basics like the f-stop and exposure; practical, where they learn how to handle the cameras; and fieldwork, where they go out and shoot.”

His students depict their home with a mix of tenderness and criticism, showcasing both what is good and bad about Mathare. Mainly, notes Omwanda, the photos demonstrate and exceptional use of skill.

“They take amazing photos,” he says. “They take photos that even myself, I just think, ‘this is great.'”

A student is walked through the basics

Some of the photos reflect the use of ‘Chang’aa’ — a notorious homemade brew — in the slum, with users passed out cold in the mud. While this is not reflective of all of Mathare, notes Omwanda, Chang’aa and its harmful effects can certainly be found in certain areas.

Other shots are more cheerful, showing siblings embracing, or kids enjoying a game of soccer.

The program has already generated its own success stories. In 2014, the Mathare Foundation collaborated with Canon, which donated 30 digital cameras. One of the foundation’s volunteer teachers, James Otieno, also was a runner-up in theCanon Kenya Photography Awards.

Children play with one of the Mathare Foundation’s cameras

The Mathare Foundation’s work is not without its challenges, and inevitably, funding is a consistent problem. They are dependent on the generosity of donors.

Despite this, the Mathare Foundation endures, and serves as a chance for children from the slum can meet like-minded people. “It is a second home for the kids,” says Omwanda.

Omwanda is also hoping to organize the Slum Kids Festival, a week-long event that not only would celebrate the work of his students (and award scholarship prizes), but to ward kids off the various dangers prevalent in Mathare: drugs, crime and alcohol abuse.

His ultimate hope is that his students can use the skills they learn to secure a job, perhaps in a newsroom or freelancing. At the very least, Omwanda wants them to be positive role models, and inspiration for other kids in the community.

“I want them to become ambassadors of peace,” he says.

Original article found here.

eric award

Mathare Foundation Co-Founder Eric Omwanda Gets Commonwealth Youth Workers Award

Youth workers from eleven countries – Australia, the Bahamas, Fiji, Ghana, Jamaica, Kenya, Malta and Nauru, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uganda – were named as the National Finalists of the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards..

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj, who presented the award, stated: “The Commonwealth Youth Worker Awards recognises the achievements of youth workers, who often work in difficult circumstances, have very few resources and yet make a big difference to the lives of young people. Every youth worker named today should feel justifiably proud of their efforts, for they are national heroes.”

Among the National Finalists was the founder of  Mathare Foundation, Eric Omwanda  based in the Mathare slums of Kenya. Eric inspires the  young people with a mechanism to channel their talents through photography and divert them from crime, alcoholism and prostitution.

 

 

 

See Full Article here:

http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/national-finalists-2015-commonwealth-youth-worker-awards-announced

 

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Mathare Foundation Featured on QTV Kenya

QTV Kenya came to the Mathare slums to cover the story of Mathare Foundation. We talked about the goals of Mathare Foundation, the importance of the community working together, and our efforts to keep children away from vulnerable situations.

The story was aired December 19th, 2015 on QTV at 11:00 a.m. and was repeated that night. We would like to give Special Thanks to Maureen Muketha, Jane Ngige, Kris Darlin, and host Potash of QTV.