Drama, Dance, Music, & Sport for Kisumu Youth

The year 2015 is nearly finished and the Manyatta Youth Resource Center has made much progress, but continues to look forward as we approach 2016.  A momentous change for the MYRC this past month is the relocation of our main office, back to the heart of Manyatta.  In 2009, the MYRC began in the McCogilo Estate within the Manyatta slums and in 2012 we opened a new office in Nubian Estate just outside of Manyatta. This new office served us well as it was near our training pitch and also allowed us to become organized.  Now in 2015, the members of the MYRC felt it was important to move back into Manyatta in order for our objectives to be realized.  By moving back within the slums, we will be closer to the community we are trying to directly influence.

Our members have been helped this year by the purchase of a motorbike.  The bike was bought with three goals in mind and has had encouraging results.  Our first goal was to help provide income for youth members at the MYRC.  Motorcycles are used as a method of transportation similar to a taxi in Kisumu.  This bike has given youth like Ochieng and Erick the opportunity to make an income, allowing them to provide food for themselves and also contribute to their families' expenses.  A second goal was to create a small income-generating project that had the potential to grow.  The bike has earned enough funds to pay for itself and the MYRC is already planning on buying a second bike to expand the business. Funds generated by the bike have also been used to assist our soccer teams. Our third goal was to have a mode of transportation for our management team.  Our officers often have to attend several meetings and events in a day, and having our new bike has helped save money used for movement and also has made it easier for our officers to be on time to their many functions. 

Our health department has also taken strides this year, creating many new partnerships with a variety of international and local organizations.  The health department has focused on training our youth about making healthy choices, reproductive health, and resisting drug and alcohol abuse.  The latest partnership has been with the organization Marie Stopes, which has a new initiative titled, Future Fab.  Our youth participated for three months in the new program, which targets youth living in slums, aged 15-19 years, who are at risk of dropping out of school.  Girls in the slums face tremendous challenges staying in school, and Marie Stopes hopes to reduce early pregnancy and marriage, as well as give young girls resources for staying safe from violence and abuse.
 
Thirty-two players from our soccer club participated in the Safaricom's My Professional Dream (MPD) trials in Kisumu, and after conducting trials across the country MPD released the list of players selected to travel to Nairobi. We were so proud to learn that five of our players were selected for the National Safaricom MPD trials. We want to send big congratulations out to those five players from Manyatta United FC.  We were proud, but not surprised that our youth were recognized. As of now, our adult team is ranked third in the Provincial League table, and our youth categories all top the table for their respective categories.  The MYRC continues to open doors for youth to showcase their talent and realize opportunities. 
 
MYRC musicians, dancers, dramatists, and producers also had the opportunity to participate in an event hosted and organized by our close friends and partners One Vybe Africa and Young Generation Centre called "Made in Kisumu". The event was held in the heart of Kisumu, at Kisumu Sport's Ground and even featured Kenyan international stars Sauti Sol.  Our artists and producers participated as event organizers and also as performers.  It is events like this that help contribute to the growing popularity of artists like Gabiro da Hip-Hop.  Gabiro's fan-base is continuing to grow and he will be releasing a new music video early in 2016. 
 
We also want to give a big thank you to Kisumu Governess Sherry, for donating a large amount of clothing to our youth.  As the holiday season nears, so does Kisumu's tough monsoon season with even more rain expected than normal due to El Niño.  Governess Sherry's donation will help assure that our most vulnerable youth do not spend this holiday season suffering in the wet cold. 
 
As we enter the holiday season across the globe we ask you to consider the youth we are working with and the obstacles they face daily.  A small donation of $10 will help us give a hot meal to 26 youth.  We ask that you help us bring the New Year in with hope and an increased capacity to assist those in need.  Please make a donation today that will help us serve our community and create a better tomorrow for youth living in the slums of Kisumu.