Drama, Dance, Music, & Sport for Kisumu Youth

The 2014 Vybez Awards once again saw the Manyatta Youth Resource Center's sponsored recording studio, Starbell Records, recognized for its achievements in music production in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. Our studio's lead producer, Malique, was awarded Best Producer of 2014 and a song produced at our studio won Best Social Awareness Song of 2014.

Starbell Records began in 2010 in a room made of mud and tin in the middle of the Manyatta slums. Dogged by unreliable electricity, with only a donated computer and a microphone, youth were able to begin recording their music for the first time and young producers were able to learn how to capture aspiring artists’ talent. The music production element was the first program within the Performing Arts section of the MYRC's sponsored projects. From there, the Performing Arts section has grown to include drama and dance as well as visual arts which include video production, digital photography, graphic art and handcrafts. Starbell Records built a more modern studio in the MYRC main office building in 2012 and this is where our Vybez Award winning artists and producers now work on their projects.

The MYRC soccer teams continue to play in the Kisumu Youth Football Association (KYFA) youth league as well as in the adult district league. The district league has offered our youth tough competition and this will surely make them stronger players in the years to come. Many of these players have played for MYRC teams since they were 14 years old. Now they are playing as young adults in a highly competitive league. Participating in this league is a huge undertaking for the MYRC mainly because the costs of travel for the games are so high. The MYRC wants to help nurture youth talent from a young age into adulthood and our district league team is the first step towards building professional players raised at the MYRC. Your support will help us move closer to achieving this goal.

The MYRC is committed to giving youth opportunities to explore their talents and is continuously growing to support the many interests of the youth living in our community. Still, one of the most important ways the MYRC can support its youth members is by finding them education sponsorship so they can finish both primary and secondary school. This is an extremely challenging situation because the need far exceeds the MYRC's capacity to find adequate support for the large number of our youth who are in jeopardy of dropping out of school because they can't afford to pay the fees required to attend school in Kenya. Young girls are most in danger of dropping out before they finish secondary school. Your support of just $200 can support one of these youth for the school year.

The year 2014 was challenging for many people across the globe, but through these challenges the MYRC has continued to move forward as best it can and produce positive results for youth living in Kisumu, Kenya. As the year comes to an end, the MYRC must plan ahead and make sure we will not let our youth down. The number one challenge for Equip Manyatta is making sure that we have enough funds to keep the MYRC projects running and our youth active. Your support has meant so much in the past and with your continued help the foundations being laid now will allow these young people to grow to wonderful heights.

Thank you so much for everything and we wish you a Happy New Year!