Strength from within

We have spent the last month reviewing all we have done over the past 6 years. We look to the future with open minds, open hearts, and open arms, hoping to continue working on being "Little Hands Making Big Differences"

We have had many lessons over the past 6 years, have seen ups and downs, and through it all have grown so much - as an organization and as individuals through our work with the organization. Our strength to overcome obstacles comes from within, comes from support from all of you. 

Asante Sana for your continued support, we are so grateful for all of you! 

Why, Where, & How to Volunteer?

When you look at the multiple reasons why volunteerism is important, it is not only about the impacts we can make in the lives of others but also the role it can play in making us more tolerant, empathetic, and experienced individuals as well as giving towards the global community. We believe that we each have a civic duty to give back but the truth is that volunteering will bring a world of rewards you might never have expected.

First, volunteering is good for your health. Studies show that when you focus on an issue outside of yourself, your stress levels decrease and your immune system strengthens because you interrupt the tension-producing patterns and replace it with positive emotions which also, in turn, increases your confidence.

Second, volunteering is a huge career and academic booster. Recruiters for employment and universities rank volunteer participation higher than personal presentation, political affiliation, and even spelling and grammar. This is because when you volunteer you are forced to expand your soft-skills; reach outside of your comfort zone, experience other cultures and regions, and develop stronger problem-solving skills. You'll gain real-world, hands-on experience which is an invaluable asset.

Lastly, you realize that you can make a difference whether it's volunteering at home and/or abroad. Volunteering gives you the chance to form an idea of the kind of community and world you want to live in. It gives you the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself and use your civic responsibility for the greater good. volunteering gives you an opportunity for an outlet to tackle the problems of the world with your own hands and play an active part in the solution.


Where and how you volunteer should begin where your passions lie. Allow your actions to be led from a place of passionate and healthy intention. Your actions, no matter the size, will have an impact on someone's life. You also don't have to pick just one way to give back and it doesn't have to be abroad. You can volunteer at your local animal shelter, youth group, or homeless shelter and travel abroad as well if that calls to you. As long as you follow your heart there are no limitations.

"The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives and frees prisoners. Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet...unlike any other on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experiences. They can think themselves into other peoples places...We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already; we have the power to imagine better"
    -J.K. Rowling; author and founder of the Children's Charity, Lumos.

Clinics, Education, and Trainings: The multi-facets of Tabibu Africa's Medical branch

Tabibu Africa Inc is revamping their medical branch. We will continue to hold community clinics and provide wellness checks on the students enrolled in our partner schools, but we want to focus on ways to truly empower those we serve to manage their health and wellness. We strive to better the lives of those we serve by providing the knowledge and skills they may need to maintain a healthy lifestyle as access to health care is greatly limited to most of the population we meet.

Good health and good sense are great blessings and Tabibu Africa Inc is working towards an all inclusive training course on hygiene, germs, first aid, and general health and wellness for the mind, body, and spirit as a means of ensuring those we serve are able to have all these blessings in their lives and the lives of their families.

With your support we are able to continue striving to make a difference as "Little Hands Making Big Differences" Asante Sana Rafikis. 

Education IS Empowerment

Education in Kenya is much different than what we in America experience. The school day starts around 7:30 AM and last until around 4:30PM, and teaching more than writing, reading, and arithmetic. They teach respect, grow curiosity, and instill values. Education is a very sought after privilege that is cherished greatly by those who get to obtain it. 

A public school system is not in existence and therefore education is not available to everyone. Typically the oldest child will go to school and then it's their responsibility to come home and teach every one else the lessons from that day. Those who get the opportunity to go to primary school may not be able to move up to secondary unless they pass the grueling exams and funding is available. 

Tabibu Africa Inc's in country director Fred, and his wife Alice, are the brains behind multiple operations; which are designed and created to educate and empower budding hearts and minds in rural and urban Kenya alike. Making an education possible for those whom otherwise would not have been able to have the opportunity. 

Their schools are numerous and growing exponentially as need continues to arise. Their passion and drive only increase exponentially to mirror this need they see.  

Their schools  include the following:

Candlelight Primary School in Nairobi

Kitale Peak Community School

Peak Senior High School - Secondary school in Kitale Peak Technical Academy - Vocational training in Kitale Candlelight Bible and Leadership College - a pastoral training offered three times a year for a diploma program that takes two years for completion.

Tabibu Africa Inc. proudly supports their endeavors in anyway we are capable of and your support of Tabibu Africa Inc increases our impact in the lives of those we serve 100%. 

Tabibu Africa's Goals for creating an EMPOWERING future!

 

As stated in our newly revised Strategic Plan Tabibu Africa Inc is striving to empower people to believe in themselves and their abilities. We hope to achieve this by maintaining ethically responsible practices that help build and empower those we serve in order to leave a self-sufficient community behind.

As an organization one of our biggest passions is empowering the people we serve. To host an empowerment course or self-sufficiency training and see the lights shine from the people we serve is the greatest blessing. To be able to inspire greatness and that thirst for knowledge and empowerment is truly one of the most rewarding things about the work we do. It truly embodies our motto of 'little hands making big differences'. We may each have only two hands, but working together to lift each other up, we have many, and that makes all the difference in the world. 

Recently a very brave Maasai woman, Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, was named one of Time’s Most Influential People.   Nailantei has made it her life’s work to help girls escape female genital mutilation (FGM) or "the cut", escaping the practice herself at just eight years old.

https://youtu.be/oaIuLnqgs84

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). FGM is a ritualistic practice done as a right of passage, often when the girls (as young as three) are betrothed.

“FGM, for Maasai, is a rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood. Women are not considered women unless they have gone through FGM,” Nailantei explains, “FGM in my community connects to girls ending their education, with child marriage, and with teenage pregnancies. A girl is 10 or 12 years old when she undergoes FGM. Then she’s told she’s a woman, and that means she’s ready for marriage, and that means she has children. They all go together. I saw pain. I saw death. Since I was 7 years old, I used to attend these ceremonies in my community with girls undergoing FGM. I saw my friends leave school and get married. And I wanted to continue my education.”

Nailatei escaped by running away with her sister and hiding in a tree until the ceremony was over. She then became the first girl in her village to go to secondary school (high school).  When the other girls in her village saw her in her school uniform it inspired them to run away, seek help, and avoid the ceremony as well.

Nailate has helped over 15,000 girls avoid FGM and doing so made her a wanted woman in the region of the Maasai Mara. She then decided to take a different approach and received permission to share information about sexual health and wellness within her village. After four years of educating her village and community, the elders were convinced that the Maasai would be more prosperous if women were indeed able to stay in school longer, marry later and forego "the cut".

Though the elders in Nailate's village renounced the practice of FGM in 2014 the prevalence still remains very high amongst some communities such as the Somali at 94%, Samburu 86%, Kisii 84%, and the Maasa at 78%, according to UNICEF 2017.

Because of brave girls and woman just like Nailatei, FGM is decreasing. The media also continues to play an important role in highlighting FGM as an abuse of human rights. Social media and radio stations around Kenya and other countries stream programs enabling platforms for community dialogue regarding FGM, human rights, and even avenues to report FGM practices to local and national authorities. Safe houses for those running away and escaping FGM and child marriages have also been placed throughout the region thanks to non-profit and humanitarian organizations as well as Kenya's government.

Today let's highlight and stand for Nice Nailate Leng’ete and all of the brave girls and women who stand up to human rights violations and brave the terrifying obstacles before them. Because of them, countless girls will have access to education, safety, and a healthy life.

Ashe Oleng
Asante sana

Jody Tabibu Naritisho Mattena
President/Founder Tabibu Africa, Inc

Peace and Friendship...

Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, yet still his words hold meaning in our ever changing world today... 

200 years have almost come and gone since Thomas Jefferson spoke these words. During this time the world has known wars, tragedy, fears, and sorrows. Yet humankind lives on and there have also been 200 years of banding together, supporting one another, helping however one can, and loving the world. These stories may not have been on the news...but they are all around. Let's focus on those as we travel this road together. 

Peace and Friendship can benefit every relationship we possess. Whether personal or business in nature, whether long-standing or transient; imagine if kindness and compassion ruled the playing floor in them all.

Tabibu Africa Inc strives to incorporate Friendship, Respect, Compassion, and a willingness to Understand in all of our actions. We may not always succeed, but that is the path we pursue. I'd like to think Mr. Jefferson would approve...

Motivation through Life's changing Moments

Some days are filled with motivation! We can power through our to do list and then some! Achieving goals and working towards dreams with ease. Some days it's hard to even get out of bed.

Life is full of ups and downs, but the most important thing to remember is life is always changing. Moment to moment things change, for the better and for the worse. However, each day is a NEW day full of new potential and opportunity.

Never forget the power of believing in your own strengths; the power of believing in yourself.  You are magnificent Rafiki- own it with gratitude and pride each and every day.

Embrace yourself, Embrace the world!

In order to embrace ourselves we must truly love ourselves, flaws and all! No one is perfect, no matter what the magazines, internet, or your brain may be telling you. So don't get caught up in the "negative qualities" about yourself. Instead embrace them! You are you and you are perfection, perfectly imperfect!

While embracing ourselves we can share our embrace with the world. Humans, animals, plants, and Mother Earth herself! By sharing compassion with everyone and everything we encounter we are spreading out ripples of positivity and change, for the better, into the world.

Humanitarianism is defined as the promotion of human welfare and social reform. Tabibu Africa Inc. strives to be a constant influence of positivity in the promotion of ALL humanity's welfare, at home and worldwide by advocating for social reform and trying to live by our mission in everything we do.

Pursue your passions, pursue your dreams!

Tabibu Africa Inc has been hard at work re-vamping the mission statement (as we already revealed), but that's not the only thing we've been working on! 

We are also taking a deeper look into our medical clinics, classes we provide, and how we do what it is we do in order to make sure we are living up to our motto "Little Hands Making Big Differences"

One item in particular that we are focusing on is our courses and education we provide to villages and towns we come to! We are working towards being able to provide a more in depth educational course on basic first aid (that incorporates traditional medicinal practices!) which empowers the people we serve to truly believe in their abilities and take control of their health and wellness! 

What would you like to see us work on with you?!? Together we can truly be "little hands making big differences"!!! 

Be Independent, Be Bold, Be You!!

How many times in life have we started going along with the crowd and then gotten a little tug in our stomach or a twinge in our hearts? Do you stop and listen to your body when it gives you those signs? What is it trying to tell you? Most often than not it's a sign that you are engaging in or thinking of performing something that, ultimately, goes against the grain of your true self. 

It's not always easy to stop and take time to listen to those internal signs, or to stop and meditate on what they might be saying to us, but in the long run if we stop and listen we end up truly empowering ourselves and honoring our needs deep down to our cores. 

We must remember that like a drop in the ocean, our actions send ripples out into the world. What are your ripples sending out? Is it a chain reaction of good energy that coincides with your true self or is it a mixed message full of incongruities? 

Let's all support each other in being bold, being independent thinkers, and to stay true to you! 

Asante Sana Rafikis! 

Tuesday Thoughts from the President

Tuesday Thoughts from the President of Tabibu Africa, Inc.

The word of the week this week is "peace". This small five letter word encompasses everything we strive for at Tabibu Africa, Inc. Peace, freedom from disturbance and chaos. Peace, to be surrounded with quiet and tranquility.

So much is happening, not just in our home country of the United States of America but also in the world. It’s so easy to get caught up and swept away by the negativity, atrocities, fear, and horror but I urge you to stop for a moment. Just stop, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Put your hand on your chest. Feel your heartbeat. Feel your breath. Center yourself and find your own peace.

Did you know that if two or more people hold still long enough while holding hands a phenomenon called interpersonal synchronization occurs? Your breathing and heart rate slow or speed up to match those of the persons around you. Is this a trick? Is it coincidence? I believe interpersonal synchronization occurs because we all come from, and are made up of, energy and when we truly connect, whether physically or mentally, our energy flows through and communicates with other human energy. Because we are made up of energy we function best when we are connected; human connection.

Human connection. Energy doesn’t understand borders or obey rules of invisible lines, colors, races, or distance. Energy ebbs and flows according to the laws of nature. So in this time of extreme trial, change, and uncertainty, please stop. Slow down. Close your eyes, put your hand on your chest, and feel your heartbeat. Feel your breath. Slow down and know that you are a part of the miraculous energy of humanity and everything will come to balance. Protect your own peace in the meantime.

I would also like to take this time to make an official statement regarding our support of human life, compassion, and humanitarian aid. Tabibu Africa, Inc is an organization built on humanitarianism and we support all that embodies that term. The very definition of humanitarianism is “the promotion of human welfare” and it leaves no room for racism or discrimination in any form. Human connection is the very foundation of what we’ve built our organization on and we will never waiver.

So in this time of trial please know that we are with you. We will stand up beside you and will continue the work no matter how chaotic the world is around us. Little hands making big differences.

Asante sana,

Jody Mattena - President of Tabibu Africa, Inc.

“Tabibu” “Naretisho”

The "Peaces" of you

Peace is the beauty of life...Isn't that the truth? However ,peace can be different for everyone. Peace can even be different for you from one moment to the next! 

For some it might be relaxing alone in the park enjoying the sounds of nature. For others it might be feeling the pounding of the music and being surrounded by people at a night club. There is no wrong or right, just what is right for you. 

What is peace to you? How are you sabotaging your plans for peace? How are you creating them?

This weekend, take time for your peace...and enjoy.  

Asante Sana for helping us Explore, Research, and Evolve!

This quote really spoke to me this week as Tabibu Africa is unfolding it's wings as an organization and exploring options, researching ideas, and evolving to meet the needs of the people we serve. We are so excited about these new courses and trainings we plan to offer and all of our new partnerships and volunteer opportunities!

We want to take this time, as we reflect on our past and look towards our future, and thank you for your on going support. Tabibu Africa would be nothing without our supporters like you! Thank you for helping us be able to do the work we strive to do!

Asante Sana!!

Little Hands Making Big Differences: Kent

Meet Kent! Tabibu Africa Inc's youngest volunteer so far! Mr. Kent came to Kenya with his family, but before they came he had an idea of his own. Kent gathered up soccer balls to bring and give out to the students at the schools we visited. At the time he thought "it is something easy, that I can definitely do to help out" Little did he know it would be a great lesson. Kent was amazed at how excited all the students were, exclaiming "They were all really good, most kids didn't have shoes and they could out play me!" 

Kent later said that the experience really helped him break out of his shell and taught him gratitude, and instilled a desire to make a difference in this world. He bonded very quickly with a student named Louis. Every day Louis would go home and teach the rest of his siblings what he had learned that day, because he was the only one who could go to school.

Not every child gets to go to school, that was a tough pill to swallow for Kent, however with your help Rafikis we are able to give more children an opportunity! Thank you for your support, and for helping us make a difference one little hand, or one mind, at a time.

Asante Sana! 

How can our hands make bigger differences?

This year Tabibu Africa has revamped our mission statement and created a new strategic plan to really refocus our organization and how we can make the biggest difference with our humble hands! (You can find the strategic plan on our blog here 👍) What do you think Rafiki?

A few board members are traveling to Kenya this fall to get some boots on the ground and do research with our team members in-country in order to determine how to best implement our strategic plan for the biggest impact in improving health and wellness for those we serve. Our fist motive for the trip is to strengthen our relationship with our fabulous in-country partners Candlelight Primary School and the Peak Academy Schools.  Our second motive for this trip is to gather knowledge from Maasai elders on their medicine so we can more fully incorporate it into our new courses.

Tabibu Africa is so incredibly excited for this opportunity and we couldn't wait to share it with you!!

Our question to you is what do you want to see us do? Where do you want to go with us Rafiki?

Strategic Plan 2018

                Tabibu Africa, Inc Strategic Plan 2018

Tabibu Africa Inc.’s vision.

What do we stand for?

-          Bringing access to health care to parts that would otherwise go without.

-          Provide education on health and welfare issues.

-          Empowering people to believe in themselves and their abilities. 

What do we wish to accomplish?

-          Build communities that are empowered, healthy, and self-sufficient.

What are our responsibilities as an organization?

-          Be medically responsible within our scopes of practice, while providing quality care within our means and abilities.

-          Be ethically responsible in building and empowering those we serve in order to leave a self-sufficient community behind.

What segment of the population do we wish to cater to and work with?

-          The rural, and under served, areas of Kenya and Eastern Africa with an emphasis on women and children.

How do we wish to be viewed – both in the United States and Kenya?

-          Compassionate, informative, and humble

What type of growth do we want to experience?

-          Mobile clinics with increased emphasis on education and empowerment. A method for helping villages understand health and be self-sufficient.

OUR NEW MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to educate and train the under served people of Eastern Africa by empowering them with knowledge and skills to improve overall health and wellness through classes, workshops, and medical clinics while maintaining medically and ethically responsible conduct.

What are our opportunities for growth?

-          Course Development

o   First Aid

o   Health and Wellness

-          Fundraising and Donor Support

o   Social Media

o   E-Newsletter

o   Donor Data Management

Pinpoint threats to the success of your strategic plan.

What are our threats?

-          Time restraints: We are all volunteers too, all with very busy lives

List factors necessary to success.

Financial

What are our financial goals?

-          Generate enough funds to provide and sustain basic first aid kits and supplies, course and education materials and resources.

-          Generate enough funds to provide possibly discounted travel to board members and to compensate in-country director appropriately for time volunteered to the organization.

What do we need to do to accomplish this?

-          Reach $5,000-10,000 a year through fundraising, donor gifts, grants and sponsors.

How can we make this happen?

-          Have quality Donor Data Collection and Management

-          Generate donor loyalty and continued giving

-          Increase fundraising efforts

-          Write for grants and sponsors that fit our goals

Customer Relations

How do we encourage good customer relations?

-          Maintain totally transparent and open communication with our donors, supporters, partners, and those we serve.

What do we need to do to accomplish this?

-          Maintain current methods

How can we make this happen?

-          Maintain current methods

Operational Methods

What are our operational methods/goals?

-          Create and strengthen an organization that maintains our mission

-          Generate effective, sustainable, and repeatable courses and workshops

What do we need to do to accomplish this?

-          Keep our mission in mind with any new projects or requests to ensure organizations ability to maintain quality care and services within our means.

-          Create courses and lesson plans along with resources and references for villages to keep after the classes

How can we make this happen?

-          Ensure all board members are in on discussions and decisions regarding major projects and undertakings

-          Reinstate medical committee to help with classes and references.

Organizational Members

How does our organization maintain members?

-          Ongoing expression of gratitude and frequent and open communication via social media and emails to our donors, loyal supporters, partners, and sponsors.

What do we need to do to accomplish this?

-          Grow social media following

-          Start sending out e-newsletters

How can we make this happen?

-          Learn and utilize social media in a more effective manner

-          Build a marketing strategy/plan

Develop a strategy for accomplishing each success factor.

 Outline for accomplishing financial goals:

-          Establish our own “Annual Day of Giving” to occur in August (our birth month)

o   Sign up for Snowball to allow for text to give and ample donor data management and ease of “Day of Giving” and Virtual Battle of the Bands. 

o   Set the date and set amount to raise goal

§  Maybe Friday August 3^rd

§  $5,000 

o   Create social media posts and write blog posts to publish leading up to the event date highlighting the organization- where in the world is Ayo 

-          Write Grants and Sponsor Letters

o   Look into Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant opportunities

o   Write letters to bookstores (chains and local) to see if they would donate to the Community Library Project.

o   Write letter to printing shops to see they would donate their services to printing and binding educational material for courses and reference material.

-          Establish an Annual fundraiser to occur in February 

Outline for accomplishing customer relations goals:

-          Continue to communicate openly on social media (FB, IG)

-          E-newsletter 

o   Quarterly

§  July, October, January, April

Outline for accomplishing operational method goals:

-          Generate course and workshop outlines and reference material

Outline accomplishing customer relations goals:

-          Generate a marketing strategy

Prioritize your strategies according to viability and growth goals.

1.       Quarterly E-Newsletter

a.       Medical, Education, Empowerment Updates

b.       Highlight Organization/Volunteer

c.       President’s Letter

2.       Generate Marketing and Fundraising Strategy

a.       Marketing Strategy

b.       Fundraising and Grant Writing

3.       Annual Day of Giving Fundraiser

4.       Generate course material and lesson plans

a.       Call medical committee to meeting in July

b.       Board Approval of lessons during December Meeting

5.       Annual Fundraiser

6.       Ongoing communication via social media and blog

Little Hands Making Big Differences: Sarah

" From my own experience, I want to say that you should follow your heart, and the mind will follow you. Believe in yourself, and you will create miracles" - Kailash Satyarhi

As we focus on the word believe this week it seems only fitting to highlight our volunteer Sarah! She went on our maiden voyage after Tabibu Africa was founded, and has proven to be a huge team player and a big believer in going for her dreams! She recently graduated nursing school and passed the licensing exam to become a Registered Nurse. Congratulations Sarah!! 

When asked what her experiences with Tabibu Africa taught her she stated: "(It) has taught me how much we can truly do with education and patience." The desire of the people we serve to learn about health and wellness is definitely inspiring, and as Sarah stated "always brings it back home" She went on to make a statement that I think really brings home Tabibu Africa's motto of little hands making big differences saying "I can't always give financially, but I don't always think that money makes the biggest difference. It is the time spent teaching, engaging, laughing, listening, learning, being present, and truly being involved in helping individuals or specific populations. We all have something to offer one another"

Yes, Sarah is completely correct! We all do have something to offer one another! Sarah truly is an inspiration and we are honored that she chose, and continues to choose to support Tabibu Africa Inc. We would be nothing without the support of donors like all of you and volunteers like Sarah!

Asante Sana rafikis for making Tabibu Africa's dream of "Little Hands Making Big Differences" a reality!  

Little Hands Making Big Differences: Our Mission

In the spirit with the word of the week now is a perfect time to update all our wonderful supporters that Tabibu Africa has improved it's mission statement! Change is good and we at Tabibu Africa felt like we wanted to revamp our mission statement to match our ongoing vision as an organization. So without further ado here is our new mission statement! 

 Our mission is to educate and train the underserved people of Eastern Africa by empowering them with knowledge and skills to improve overall health and wellness through classes, workshops, and medical clinics while maintaining medically and ethically responsible conduct.

Little Hands Making Big Differences: Kay

Meet Kay!

She has been a volunteer with Tabibu Africa since we were founded in 2012! Since then she has grown into an absolutely beautifully strong woman, inside and out, with a very powerful story. After surviving 3 separate instances of sexual assault and rape and years of battling with the feelings those experiences brought about; she was able to harness her inner strength and use her pain to blossom. Her transformation from self-doubt and low self-esteem to an empowered woman who knew her strength and worth sparked a desire in her to help other girls and women know more about the fluidity of consent and that they are the masters of their own bodies. It is this spark that brought about a wonderful empowerment course that Tabibu Africa gives to girls and women during our expeditions. It is such an awakening experience to witness the girls open up throughout the course and to hear them yell at the top of their lungs that they are strong, they are powerful, they are worth it by the end of it. 

Kay was inspired to volunteer with Tabibu Africa because her mother inspired her, through her own work in Africa. Kay even remembers after her mother's first trip to Africa,upon her return, that she promised to take Kay with her next time, and she was true to her word. Now, volunteering together is a family affair! During the 2015 expedition the whole family joined us! Our President, Jody, is that same mother who inspired Kay to reach for the stars and believe in her dreams.

When asked what her volunteer work has taught her she replied that if she had to sum it up it has "taught me to love humanity unconditionally and that there is no boundary to the beautiful variances human culture can take. It also taught me that the more love you put out into the world you’ll get that love back ten-fold." She also stated that 

"Day to day I can’t help but think about all the girls I taught. All the girls I taught to say “no” and “I am a woman, and I am strong”. I think of that every time I need to remind myself to stay strong, because lord knows if they can believe that in themselves then so can I."

Kay is an excellent example of little hands making big differences in our world, and that no matter what you are beautiful, strong, and worth it. Empower yourself and you can empower the world.