FROM THE BITS AND PIECES :: TRUE STORY :: INSPIRATION :: DREAMS : TEAM :: SHARING

The World of contracts

2012-02-09T03:25:00.000-08:00

What is a contract? How often have you use it? This sounds easy but little do we know how important it is in our daily life, let us have a look at some of the definitions I found online about what is a contract.

A contract is an agreement entered into voluntarily by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific performance of the contract or an injunction. Both of these remedies award the party at loss the "benefit of the bargain" or expectation damages, which are greater than mere reliance damages, as in promissory estoppel. The parties may be natural persons or juristic persons. A contract is a legally enforceable promise or undertaking that something will or will not occur. The word promise can be used as a legal synonym for contract.[1], although care is required as a promise may not have the full standing of a contract, as when it is an agreement without consideration. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract

It is advisable you make your contract written (soft and hard copies) so that in future you can refer to them and take required measures. I have a story to share, in my bid for finding a saving scheme early this year I was advised with friends to try quite a number of options which I did by visiting different offices in person while on the other side doing my own online research.

In this fast moving and competitive world if you don’t watch out keenly you might end up signing up for things that you didn’t want. In my pursuit I learned a lot and that’s why I would like to share a few advice with you, actually I didn’t sign up for any because none of the institutions I approached really did understood my needs and one institution which I won’t mention tried to trick me in signing a deal for 10 -16yrs while I was looking for something short term like 2 – 3years. I thank the advent of internet and my close friends who helped me unlock the secret clauses before signing. I would urge the youth to do the following;

Think twice when the deal is too sweet!
Ask for peoples experience with the institution especially when it involves termination of the contract.
Read and read once again the contract before signing.
If possible ask if you can take the contract with you so that you can read when you have settled down, it help to have a fresh look.
Consult with true friends and hear their opinions.
Check how realistic is the deal to you because in most cases the institutions are out there also to make money and other benefits.
It’s good to be a risk taker but take risks that are not full of regrets especially when it involves finances.
Visit their offices with a friend for further explanation.
Do background check of the institution on the internet and other sources.

Otherwise in generally, it is good to be informed and have knowledge about key things that make or break our lives directly or indirectly thus as the adage goes “No one has the monopoly of knowledge” use all the available resources to keep abreast with what’s happening around you.

‘FRIP en FLIP 2012’

2012-01-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

The year 2012 is the benchmark of prosperity and flipping through new chapters of opportunities. Every year people make new resolutions, wishes, plans etc. For some they think it is an old school trend and they need not to make any resolution or plans. Anyway as a strong believer of resolutions ‘FRIP2012’ is my the slogan meaning:

F = Flexibility.
R = Realities at hand.
I = Implementation of plans.
P = Plan not to fail.

What’s yours?

Do you Care!

2011-12-14T23:18:00.000-08:00

The year 2011 has been an inspiring year not only for me but for others around me, through our interventions to inspire and motivate the youth is different forums, class session and sports activity in the community. I hope come next year we shall spread the knowledge, skills, creativity etc to greater height.

I did one session in class about caring and today I’m honored to receive this email from one of my student and I would like to share with you.

Received from Elizabath Atieno Media lab student 2011 at Nairobits trust.

Do you Care
Where are the days that people cared?
Where are the days that people shared?
Where are the days that fear was not part of life?
Where are the days that love and peace ruled?

Where is the land where people care?
Where is the land that care is alive?
So that I can fly to that land,
And grab the care, and spread it to the whole world?

Do you care whether someone cares to be their brother’s keeper?
To save the lives of people dying of hunger?
To save the lives of people dying from road accidents?
From AIDS, from cancer, and from insecurity?

Do you care when your neighbor is suffering?
And do you care when the unborn are aborted?
Do you really care?

I long for a people who care
Can someone tell me where they dwell?
So that I can go and join them
And live with them a life full of love, peace and joy.
Yes I know what to do
I won’t go and I won’t join them
I’m gonna be the care
And I hope that the people around me will soon care
Because I have the potential to inspire them.

(Composed and written by Eligo)

What do you know of 1st December?

2011-11-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

1st December is World AIDS Day, an annual international event to raise awareness about HIV and the people it affects.

It is a day that different organizations,government institutions, individuals, private sector etc address and highlight issues to do with HIV/AIDS campaign with the major objective being;

1. Raising awareness and funds to support those living with HIV in our communities.
2. Promoting sexual health messages to those at risk of HIV and STIs.
3. Raising awareness generally about HIV. etc

And so on...

As a creative person in the field of digital arts today I got some few hours to utilize my creative moment, and what came to my mind was to design a poster and make a contribution to the ongoing campaigns on digital and print media.

The result was a poster designed using Photoshop and Illustrator which I hereby share with you.

So what is your contribution towards a zero HIV/AIDS society?

Check out this links and more online;

http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/
http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/2011/11/unaids-world-aids-day-report-2011/

TRANSLATING “Idle hours” into Creative moments

2011-11-24T01:02:00.000-08:00

In our daily schedules we get to operate machines, teach, interact, eat, sleep, play etc; this and many more are activities that finds their place in our to-do list, some are a routine and others are influenced by other factors. This is what I call “idle hours” which you need to translate into creative moments. Imagine even pilots and accountants have the desire of doing something new after long hours of service which can be either taking vacations, family holiday, swimming, jogging, volunteering at a camp etc; though this options can’t fit in a single box because it’s a personal choice on what to do with your available time.

What we can’t escape from is that moment you have 'nothing' to do, and as the old adage says “an idle mind is a devils workshop” so don’t fall as a victim. Don’t be cheated that there are people who are busy 24 hours /7 days, even during creation time God took rest, and at least you can get a hour or two to reflect or try something new.

Below I share some of my personal tips that can be used to make hours of ‘idling’ into creative process;

Develop interest of something new for example if you like football one day watch basketball.
You don’t have to be a great artist to draw or paint. Play with colors and think of an artwork to draw for your family, spouse etc.
Use available materials to create some drawing for example with a stick on sand. See examples below
Read a book, magazine or newspapers.
Write an article for your blog if you have one or website on subjects that you like.
Use the internet for edutainment, learning, socializing etc.
Be an experimental photographer.
Try cooking your favorite dish.
Watch a movie with a friend.
Do some exercise with a group this will help boost your self esteem and teamwork spirit.
Go for a walk, swim or even sleep. And many more…

Note:
The most import thing that you need not to forget is to note (on a book or diary) the ideas as they pop in your mind. This is what has made me capture my creative moments and that is why I’m glad to share this personal moments. Everyone will have their own way of finding and experiencing creative moments but if you like this approach crown it.

Picture by Wilsenx: theme: What’s above your head…take a photo!
“Ideas come from different spheres of life when you don’t expect them” Wilsenx

Drawings by Wilsenx: Use different medium to express yourself…

Drawings by Wilsenx

Use fonts, shapes, texture, line and color to express your ideas (apply the elements and principle of design in you composition)

Trip to Musoma Tanzania 31st October to 12th November 2011.

2011-11-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Musoma is located on the shores of Lake Victoria in northern part of Tanzania neighboring Kenya along the borders of Lake Victoria. I enjoyed the food, culture and the hospitality offered to me during my stay in Musoma. The most fascinating of all, is the climatic condition experienced with cool breeze on a hot sunny weather and vibrant activities in the main market. I usually try to visit the market of any place that I visit around the world not only to buy food but to source inspiration and learn especially on colors, language etc. That is why I love the old adage that says; “In every market there’s a mad man” though I use it as a positive reference in my learning expedition.

On my mission courtesy of Nairobits Trust was to train at the Musoma information center run by Nairobits in partnership with Terre des Hommes who are the main donors. The centre trains youth in life skills, entrepreneurship and ICT skills that shall enable them improve their lives either in the formal or informal sector. The centre in hosted in Musoma dioceses (Matumaini katika vijana centre).

Subjects that I taught during the two weeks visits are;

Design in general with a focus on web and creativity.

Technical aspect of the web e.g. CSS and DIV’s.

Motivation sessions, just to mention but a few…

Below are snapshot pictures of my trip courtesy of Nairobits Trust;

Warm up games: Unity and great teamwork

Tips and tricks: Start on paper before heading to the computers...

Motivational talk and discussions

Giving lectures on the technical side of the web

Students demonstrations

The raising poet from the heart of Mathare slums

2011-11-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

NAIROBITS acrostic poem by; Kebane Victor ( NairoBits student)

NairoBits is a Digital Design School that provides education to the Nairobi slum youth. They put digital tools of expression in the hands of the youth who have the creativity but not the means to express themselves. These youth in turn act as multipliers to the organization that they partner with. For more please check; www.nairobits.com

No comparison can match the positive change in our lifestyles now

Amid the challenges we face, we have with us ICT multimedia skills

It was a dream back then, a seed of the digital design school was planted back then.

Reality it is now, a number of our peers are making it big through the now grown plant

Onwards, onwards we soldier on, the impact is felt when we are in the field.

Bits by bits we execute the creative skills, translating to positive contributions for a balanced society

In our hands, the digital tools of expression we get rank second to none, thank you we say softly

To multiply the skills to the community we learn at the school, we do it wholeheartedly

So many are benefits one gets from the school, we wish the institution nothing but success.

I'm proud to be associated with the NairoBits family. Wilsenx initiative highlights exceptional talents in the community be it in sports, drawing , painting etc; whereby we provide platforms for the youth to express their talents and make contribution to a better world. Victor Kabane is one of the many great artists that you find in the heart of Mathare slums using their skills and talents to make both ends meet.

Continue writing brother...

Financial literacy

2011-10-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_literacy
Many youth are yet to learn about financial literacy as one of the basic skills set they ought to have for their survival in this harsh economic times.

How much money is enough? There is a saying that says “The more you get, the more you spend and the more cash you want” anonymous. Living in a society of different personalities and traits, the youth are at the danger of being pressured to believe that; if you get the first salary after searching for that dream job for many years, you should always reward yourself immensely to the extent of forgetting the past. If you haven’t heard about it what about; ‘enjoy your youth to the fullest, life is short’! This and many others are myths which spread around like a ‘burning bush’ in many neighborhoods where you find most of the youth chatting about it at their ‘base’. Looking at the other flip side of the coin, all this calls to action banners can be interpreted differently especially when finances are involved combined with your character type which might lead to a habit that might be hard to stop.

I like this phrase on my myths list “Ujachanuka!” meaning you aren’t up to date with either the current style or trends. This is a slang which is the most popular language being spoken in the neighborhood especially in the informal settlements. Youths please don’t be cheated, I know the phrase can be used in many contexts but for finances you have to be steadfast with your plans if you want to succeed in future.

I would like to share some of my list in the financial literacy ‘drop-box’. This are financial lessons you can keep with you all the time either employed or not. “You don’t have to be a certified accountant to know how spend and save money for future”. Wilson Masaka

Financial literacy - ‘drop-box’;

Always make budgets; before going for a major shopping.
Know your cash flow; don’t spend more than you get.
Explore different saving plans; avoid mattress accounts and open an account with a reputable institution.
Plan without money; so when you get the money you aren’t overwhelmed with situations, rather you execute your plans.
Study the market; Different streets in town have their own business trends and that includes price tags for the same commodities that your might get cheaper on other streets. Don’t compromise price for quality.
Keep friends who can give financial advice like how to invest etc.
Review you financial plans every once in a while. I would advise you to review your plans at the start and end of the each month.
Read literature, articles, blogs etc that involves finances.
Learn from your past experience; How you were doing financially versus the current status.
Develop a habit of saving for the future; In your monthly budget take a realistic percentage to the saving plan.
Have an ongoing project that will keep you focused on saving for project development.
Match your skills, dreams with the finances; ask yourself if the skill set acquired is enough to keep you earning more and more.
Keep books of accounts for your expenditure, income, saving etc; on a daily basis. You can start with a simple book keeping computer program like excel, quicken or Quick books, book and pen. It all depends with your skill set to choose the appropriate method or platform, though you can’t miss to have either of the mentioned tools despite your occupation.
Don’t develop habits that will lead to spending sprees; like every Friday out with friends having parties and social meetings etc. Make sure every meeting has some objectivity and plan for it financially and this is for example choosing the appropriate restaurant which you are comfortable with. You won’t be checking the bill every second a drink is served, knowing the place prior to your meeting saves all the anxiety of over spending.

CHRISC KENYA LEADERS CAMP

2011-09-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

It was a great honor to be part of the participants during the Chrisc (Christian Sports Contact) leader’s camp which took place in Clarence Matheny leadership and training institute in Rongai from 21st to 24th September, 2011.

The participants came from Rwanda, Kenya (Nairobi, Voi and Eldoret), Uganda and Tanzania where Chirsc has got its roots with set up like Chrisc-Rwanda , Chrisc-Tanzania and Chrisc-Uganda.

CHRISC International is a large youth organization operating in four countries in the region of East Africa, namely Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. CHRISC works in cooperation with local communities, schools and organizations to provide sporting opportunities for youths in both rural and urban setting. The sports activities are connected to a strong development focus, based on leadership capacity building, health and awareness programs and social projects. For more information kindly visit Website; www.chrisckenya.org

The theme of the 3 days camp was; Play, Joy and learn. I had an opportunity to share my experiences in leadership and innovation through a motivational session which lasted for at least 45minutes on the first day.

The greats of all, I was able to learn from other people as well, for example from the passionate team in Chrisc Kenya who organized the camp to every single participant of different background, age and creed. The camp was well organized and the three pillars (Play, Joy and Learn) of the camp were all met successfully and creatively.

I would urge youth organization to emulate this ventures which enable youth to think critically about their life by giving them valuable skills and knowledge on how they can improve other people lives especially by offering good leadership and mentor-ship from the grass root level.

This is a summary of topics and activities that took place;

Sporting activities.
Games and life skills.
Leadership and volunteering seminar
Local mobilization seminar.
Children protection seminar etc.

Below are pictorials as the saying goes “Pictures speaks louder than words”

Big auditorium for sessions

From Left Emma, Mary and Wilson

From a distance Wilson giving lectures

Part of the team group photo after session with May from Stromme foundation

THE CAMPS THEME: PLAY, JOY AND LEARN

Play

Football in action!

Warm up games

Volley ball in action!

Start of session instruction given...

Joy

Morning devotion praise and worship.

Dj Marto in control...

Learn

Session in progress

Question answers session during forums

Group discussion

Mashairi Mtaani

2011-09-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to dedicate my acknowledgements to one great champ by the name Victor Kabane who resides in Eastlands in Nairobi. Victor has the love and passion for poetry, I like his profile when he says; "I use my words to best describe that which is ethical to share to the rest of the world. I never calculate my words, i like it when i say it all..." I was inspired with is creativity after listening to one of his poems at a graduation ceremony last month. So for more about him check http://mywordsinblood.blogspot.com/

Kiswahili poem by Victor Kabane. Revieved via e-mail

SAFARI

Safari tuliianza, mwishoni hatujafika
Hivi sasa twajikaza, safari itakamilika
Wazazi twawapongeza, kutuelimisha mumewajibika
Ni mbali tulikotoka, safari tutaikamilisha

Wazazi manyumbani, nidhamu tumepata
Waalimu shuleni, elimu mwatupa
Wahubiri makanisani, kumcha Mungu mwatufunza
Ni mbali tulikotoka, safari tutaikamilisha

Sana twawashukuru, kwa kutuongoza safarini
Sisi mumetunusuru, hatujaingia taabani
Maulana hatutozi ushuru, kwenye safari yu uongozini
Ni mbali tulikotoka, safari tutaikamilisha

Leo hii twafurahia, maneno haya twayazungumzia
Ni ya kweli twawaambia, yote hayo mmeyasikia
Maneno hayajatuishia, ni mengi tungewaambia
Ni mbali tulikotoka, safari tutaikamilisha

Unknown heroes

2011-09-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Change starts with you…

Everybody has a story to tell and all the challenges that befall on us, build a person to be stronger and better in life. Living in the slums hasn’t been so exciting, for example there is a lot that is left undesired like open sewage engulfing the air, unstructured houses with dilapidated roads that ‘snakes’ its way to a maze of shanty busy narrow streets full of businesses, just to mention but a few. Notably there has been progress in some areas but a lot still needs to be done and everything happens for a reason. There is always two sides of the coin in a story, hence it depends with how you want to view your surroundings and relate to the stories that meander across the streets.

On the other hand there are two ways to view a half-empty cookie jar: "half-empty" or "half-full." Today I want to share with you great story that is untold but it is right at our door steps from the heart of one of the biggest slums in Nairobi. Something I love about the slums is the zealous and joyful people and talents you find in the slums from musician, great footballers, lawyers, designers etc. It is very unfortunate that some of the talents and youth potential are not recognized from the slum areas and the hope of succeeding looks like a fainting lamp that doesn’t have paraffin. I would urge the youth to be pro-activate in lighting up their candles that would help them see through the dark tunnels of opportunities and challenges. Don’t despairs or have faint hearts thus remember you have to be very determined in whatever you do either in sport, academics etc; just know that nothing will come on a silver platter either you are a boy or a girl.
There is this story of one girl who has beaten all odds to educate herself through participating in community development while she uses her sporting talent in football to reach her stars. Kenya is well known in athletics and we performed exceptionally well in the just concluded IAAF world champions in Daegu in South Korea whereby Kenya was well represented by both men and women.

Our national team Harambee stars also made us proud by winning 2-1 to Guinea Bissau with much anticipation hangs in the balance to qualify for African cup of nation if only they can win against Uganda and Angola, though a bit of mathematics need s to be done, I don’t want to sound like a pessimist but I’m very positive that anything can happen in a game of football.
On the other flipside of the story from the slums of Mathare lives this unsung hero who comes from a humble background trying to make both ends meet through using her talent in football which in a man’s dominated sport in Kenya, though some women’s initiatives has been seen coming up buts still not enough to make our Kenya women footballers turn professional.

Kate Syprine aka Blacdiva born on 26th November 1991, lives with her family of eight children in Mathare slum and from a tender age she loved football with passion which she acquired from her family linage whereby her father used to play football , and currently two of her sisters Evaline Akida and Esther Mazira are both playing football and her brother Kamuzi Banda who has featured in Mathare united youth teams and also AFC leopard a premier league club in Kenya still plays football after coming from a career threatening injury while playing football match 2 years back.

Defeating all odds Kate Syprine has shaped her life and career path through sports despite many obstacles that surrounds the girls child in sprawling slum of Mathare which poses challenges like early pregnancy, lack of opportunities, drug abuse just to mention but a few. Currently she is the Mathare united women football team captain whereby she helped her team clinch the 2011 Sakata ball challenge cup winning a trophy and other rewards.
Thanks to Safaricom for supporting young talents in sports especially through their Sakata ball initiative (http://www.safaricom.co.ke/sakataball).

Part of Kate Syprine aka Blacdiva other achievement has been as follows;

Player profile.

Position: Central defender
Football Icon: Rio Ferdinand (Manchester united)
Best book: An enemy of the people
Best quote: Aspire to inspire before you expire.
Community club MYSA zonal: Otto- Benecker F.C
Former school: Maina Wanjigi Secondary school since 2006 - 2010
Current professional club: Mathare United women team

Special achievements

• 2011 Champions Safaricom Sakata ball challenge tournament and current team captain
• 2010 Champions Women’s Kenya premier league
• 2007 Champions MYSA U16 championship
• 2007 Champions MYSA girls tournament
• 2006 Champions MYSA girls tournament
• 2005 First runners up Barclay girl’s tournaments.
• 2004 Champions MYSA girls tournament
International achievements

• 2007 first runners –up MYSA international girls tournament
• 2005 Finalist Norway cup u14 girls category in Oslo, Norway
• 2005 Winners u14 girls Netherlands tournament in the Netherlands.
• 2005 and 2006 East African cup winners U16 girls held in Tanzania.

This is such a great profile for an aspiring professional footballer especially a lady coming from Kenya. Currently Kenya stands to have maybe one or not more than two women playing professional football, even though quite a number of ladies are on football scholarships in the USA.

I f you are inspired and would like Kate featured in one of the top women clubs or even get a football scholarship please forward this article to friends, football recruiting colleges etc. It will be so unfortunate if this dream is lost on the way, if Kate manages to get a scholarship or professional football contract she would be a great motivator and inspiration to many girls who think there isn’t hope at the end of the tunnel despite all that they go through. Initiative like Sakata ball challenge by Safaricom and Barclay girls tournament are a great deal when it come to CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative I would urge corporate to join the band wagon and support community development through sports etc.

Note: MYSA stands for Mathare Sports Association www.mysakenya.org

Kate Syprine can be reached through wilson.masaka[at]gmail.com

Pictorials:

What is your contribution?

2011-08-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Mark, Nur and Masaka

Wilsenx initiative - Tribes 42 brand t-shirt. Model on the picture Ms. Evaline Akida.

Model in the picture: Bonnie from MEDEVA
Model on the picture: Mary Wanjiku (web designer) and Caroline Mbiru ( Visual artist)
Green design too :)

Get yourself a copy!
send email to wilson.masaka@gmail.com

What is your contribution towards a peaceful coexisting of people in Kenya while we still embrace our cultural diversity etc? At Wilsenx we create positive art works that relates to people and we contribute towards positive changes in our community and the world at large.

Creativity unlimited

2011-08-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

Wilsenx initiative has been on the forefront in advocating for personal branding amongst the youth whereby urging them to utilize their skills and talents to the fullest. One of the subjects that can’t miss on our list of inspiration and motivation talk is visual thinking which evokes creativity and makes one to be informed before creating any product.

Logo design: Otto-benecker girl's F.C

T-shirt concept originally designed by Wilsenx;

My tribe is Kenya – tribes 42 (On sale)

Back and front side

One thing about a great citizen of a nation is to be patriotic about your country and help in any way possible to foster harmony, peace, unity, development etc. In Kenya we have 42 tribes with different beliefs, traditions, cultures etc; which should be embraced and not to be used to either intimidate or discriminate a particular community.

As a nation we should stand strong and preach peace and make our beloved nation a haven for peace. This t-shirt seeks to create awareness for togetherness and patriotism, whereby people living as one without intimidation or discrimination hence everyone looking at the bigger picture called Kenya. “Tuwache ukabila, ukabila ni adui ya maendeleo” means stop tribalism it’s a stabling block to development.

Otto-benecker girls’ football club (On sale)

Front and back side

Otto- Benecker F.C envisage empowering youths through sports especially football and also encourages and advocates for girl child education. Check more on their website, since inception Otto- benecker f.c has been featured in many regional and local tournaments and they have been actively participating in MYSA ( www.mysakenya.org) zonal leagues and programs in general.

“Nungo piny Kirom” - Women group (Not for sale)

Back and front side

This is a women initiative that empowers women to save for future and initiate SME (Small and Medium enterprises) projects in the community. Wilsenx designed and printed their brand t-shirts that is only for the members.

Mathare North Rangers Football club (On sale)

Front and back side

Mathare North Rangers F.C is a sports initiative under the banner of Wilsenx initiatives which seeks to spot and nurture football talents in the community whereby connecting youth with opportunities around and beyond.

Wilsenx brand t-shirt: The champion in you… (On sale)

Front and back side

This is the original t-shirt of Wilsenx initiative which comes in different variations of colors and different fashionable t-shirts for example ladies v-top polo, round neck t-shirt, men polo etc. For more read how Wilsenx was born.

Note: We have different color schemes of Wilsenx t-shirt like orange, pink, blue, red, yellow design etc; On different color of t-shirts too.

Note: You can order the designs on round neck t-shirt, v-top ladies, polo v-top ladies and polo unisex design

Some of the funds received by selling the t-shirts help us fund small activities in our football team like transport cost, footballs and sometimes lunch for the players depending on the sales for the month or year.

So get one of our brands to support our initiative and if you want anything designed and developed for you don’t hesitate to contact us through info [at] wilsenx.com.

Example of services offered on request are website maintenance, t-shirt design, brochures, T-shirt printing, posters, post cards, business cards, websites, logos, motivational talks etc.

Best phrase: “imitation kills creativity, so don’t copy but get ideas from the designs”. By Wilsenx

Look, Listen and Learn.

2011-08-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

We are now in the second quarter of the year and the last month being August, for those who do a lot of planning with a simple track and trace mechanism not necessary with a computer, but from the simplest approach you can think of like a book and pen, it would be wise for me to share my reflection of the last seven months and put things in perspective.

It’s time to take a pause and Look at where we have come from, Listen to our inner voice and Learn from all the episodes of life. In the last seven months I have developed a common phrase ‘Tuna-Learn = TL’ meaning that we are learning, and I find this fascinating when my students always refer to it, sometimes in a jokily manner which makes me learn again and again.

In life learning doesn’t stop either formally or informally and in my journey towards learning I have developed a concept around learning called the ‘L3’ factor of learning which goes like;
Looking - using our eyes we see sometimes even the unseen and sometimes we see more than other people can see and basically this depends with a lot of factors like your background, environment, belief system, experiences etc.

I’m not talking of the biological aspect of it, like long sight or short sight but rather to the perspective of using your sight to learn and apply solutions to a problem. This is majorly directed to the creative minds that usually try’s to innovate systems and creative products that targets a certain audience. From looking, you can create perceptions, get a solution, challenges, and identify problems etc.

Listening - The act of listening connected to a feeling. By keenly listening to your inner voice do you realize that even pictures carry sound with them? I have discovered a new way of learning and this is through listening and not by our ears but our feelings which evokes emotions and passion through doing something. Literally when you listen to music how you do feel? Do you always care about the content? Do you listen to the words spoken or the rhythms? Whichever way you will apply it there is always power in listening either using your inner voice or ears that connects also with looking.

Learning – People learn through many ways to become whoever or what they want to become in life. Some of us are fortunate to get the best foundation from childhood to adulthood education attending the best schools in town. But hope is not lost for the less fortunate who think that they can’t make it to become what they want in life. Today I want to share some of the many tips of learning that can propel you to succeed in life.

Listen to your inner voice and follow your passion.
Connect with friends that add value in achieving your vision.
Utilize opportunities of learning like by attending workshops; join a club or youth group that meets your interest etc.
Use your talents that shall help you in either building your education foundation through the many networks and benefits that you shall get.

All in all without any doubt or debate if you get a chance of attending a formal set up for education like college, universities etc grab the chance and don’t waste your time indulging in activities that doesn’t add values to your life, utilize that opportunity because it one of the best set ups you get to learn about a profession that you aspire, and without contradicting myself the formal set up won’t teach you everything about life but a combination of formal education and self learning on daily basis shall lead you to the promise land of success ; for example in web design, law, mechanics just to mention but a few.

Mathare North super 8 tournament.

2011-08-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

A lot of great things happen around us that sometimes don’t get a chance to be published in major media like the newspapers because of one reason or the other, thanks to the advent of internet that has made the world of information sharing possible through such platforms like blogs, social media, sports websites etc. The great thing is that the news is published by the people from the source, yet many things can be talked about the pro and cons of the new media but that is a subject for another day.

Last weekend was one of its kind after a long wait of an initiative that could help the youth connect and explore their talents and put their energy in good use. I thank the organizer and the sponsor of Mathare North super 8 tournament that gave our best eight teams in the MYSA Mathare North zonal league a chance to compete in an electric 2 days tournament.

Quarter finalist: Mathare North Rangers v/s Mercy care f.c. score 3-0 respectively

The tournament received a good attendance of about 300 spectators from the community, and this wasn’t something to overlook but a great achievement to see the appreciation of such magnitude. Mathare North Rangers Football club, a set up by Wilsenx team were the finalist against Zamalek ( from Mathare 4A), these two teams have met in many occasions with the results being barren draws or a winning merging of 1-0 from either side, as noted these are the top teams in the community that has great and talented future players.

Zamalek F.C ( from Mathare 4A) were the winners of the first edition of Mathare North super 8 tournament by defeating Mathare North Rangers F.C 2 -0 in a exciting match that was praised by many football fans. In the first half Zamaleck were able to make swift passes and were very creative on the ball that saw them score the first goal through a corner kick, in the second half at least for 10minutes they were able to continue with the style that saw them score a second goal through another a corner well crafted.

Mathare North Rangers tactics did work for the last 35minutes whereby Zamalek were forced to defend by all means while Rangers kept on striking ‘missiles’ from dead balls and creative crafted free kicks from their point man Kamuzu Banda.

Mathare North Rangers f.c

Zamalek f.c from Mathare 4A.

Wilson Masaka; Mathare North Rangers F.c coach

In the last 10minutes Mathare North Rangers increased their tempo and were very strong on the ball with good runs coming from both the flanks and the striking force whereby they created at least four great chances that they were not able utilize. Anyway in every match or competition there are winners and losers but this tournament was very special whereby the winners, 1st runners up and 2nd runners up were all awarded cash prizes and set of new uniforms.

All the participating teams were also awarded new set of uniforms during the final presentation and everyone was urged to keep the same unity and shun tribalism and live as one people thus the main theme of the tournament.

Final presentation; tournament organizers and sponsor receiving Mathare North Rangers t-shirt

How Wilsenx brand was born.

2011-07-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

For every brand to be fully appreciated it goes through a series of transformation whereby ideas comes and go. Developing Wilsenx brand was brought about through passion, feeling (inner voice), change, experiences and achievements; whereby impacting on people’s life positively by creating awareness of self belief and determination in whatever positive plans you may have.

Anyway if you want to make a memorable brand there are 5 things you need to consider as follows;

1. Simplicity – easily recognizable and unique.
2. Memorable – Can be remembered after 1 week? What about 1 year? Etc.
3. Timeless – Can it stand test of time.
4. Versatile – Can it work in different mediums and applications without compromising quality?
5. Appropriate – Does it serve the intended purpose?

Wilsenx brand transformation:

5 years back: Year 2006

Slogan: “Open your eyes”
1st T-shirt: The concept was more of seeing the future and how I could make my life better and that of my family.

Wilson, Akida and Kate wearing Dream to reality edition2008

The concept behind dream to reality is to urge everyone to take off from dream land to realization land through actionable plans. That is why to excel in life you need to refuel your energy, creativity, passion, teamwork etc.

New brand launched: December 2010
Slogan: “the champion in you…”
Concept: Community, positive change, role models, working as a team, talents search, skills transfer, inspiration, and determination all geared towards making the life of others better and giving back to the community.

Front view

Back view

Click here to view more color schemes

Norway cup 2011 preparation MYSA - guest speaker

2011-07-11T02:56:00.001-07:00

It was a great honor to share my experiences with the MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association) youth preparing for this year’s Norway cup 2011 tournament.

Over the years MYSA has been sending youth teams to represent the organization and the entire country at the global stage whereby different countries are usually represented from different age groups of both boys and girls. For more about Norway cup check http://www.norwaycup.no/

As an alumni and beneficiary of the MYSA programme it has been my wish to come back and lend some ‘muscles’ of vast experiences and knowledge acquired over the years both on and off the field.

On Saturday 9th July 2011 I had a fantastic session with the teams (under 16 boys, under 13 boys and under 14 girls) whereby sharing some of the topics listed below that prepared them to the life changing experiences in Norway and Netherlands having come from the slums where to some access to basic necessity is always a dream.

Topics addressed;

• Expectation exercise – Drawing what are your expectations.
• Who is a role model? And who is your friend?
• On / off the field and fair play.
• During Norway cup & After Norway cup.
• What the community expects of them.
• Handling peer pressure?
• Etiquette – food & manners. Etc
I thank Mr. Majale, Ms. Maqulate, Mr. Osia and the entire organization for making the day a success which I believe added value to MYSA’s objectives and that of youth empowerment. For more about MYSA check out www.mysakenya.org

This and more is why Wilsenx initiative is there to mentor and nurture talents, whereby helping youth realize their full potential either in academics or sports. Through sharing and exchanging ideas we get to learn new ways of tackling challenges that may come across.

Wilson giving lectures...

Expectation list...

Sakata ball tournament

2011-07-11T00:53:00.001-07:00

Our team (Mathare North Rangers F.C) was honored to participate in this year’s Sakata ball tournament sponsored by Safaricom. We registered for Kasarani constituency whereby we were grouped with Kasarani D.c for the first knock-out match at Babadogo grounds.

We lost the match 2-0 but it was our first enrollment to a regional tournament which we achieved a lot despite losing the match. Some of the benefits are; all players got a chance to play against a new team, our team comprised of youth from different areas, all players received certificates of participation and our team received a ball.

The great victory for me was to see youth coming together for a common goal, the spirit of fair play and team work from both teams. We thank the organizer (Safaricom) for such a wonderful tournament that natures talents and promotes togetherness amongst youth and communities from diverse backgrounds.

This is one of the best models for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) projects that touch on people’s life directly. If you have any ideas on how you can assist us nurture and promote youth talents in sport, kindly drop me a few lines at Wilson.masaka [at] gmail.com

Another pair of new football Jerseys!

2011-07-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

We were honored to receive a new set of green and white football jerseys courtesy of Mr. Paul Otieno who is a member of Wilsenx initiative. We lead by examples...

Mathare North Rangers F.C in an initiative of Wilsenx that natures upcoming stars and role models through sports especially football. We offer the players the much needed leadership, mentor-ship and opportunities to excel in sports. So if you have any playing kits, footballs, tracksuits etc. that you are not using you can donated them to our team by contacting wilson.masaka [at] gmail.com

Given the opportunity youth in the slums can do better is sports like playing for a professional local or foreign clubs. The only challenge we are facing is; we have the skills and talent but no support and resources. We highly applaud individual like Mr. Paul who has come to our rescue when we required football jerseys.

We aspire to be the best managed local football club from the slum area. Together as a team off and on the field we shall excel.

Tree Planting with Mathare Roots.

2011-07-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

July 2nd 2011 will be remembered as a day we spent the better part of our Saturday saving the environment by planting trees in the Mathare slums. How many trees are there in Mathare slums? When you get a chance to visit please do a count and send me the numbers, I believe from the last visit the numbers will grow tremendously as opposed to sewage and garbage.
On our way across the narrow routes we either found running sewage or heaps of garbage scattered everywhere which poses a health hazard especially to children, but at least there was hope as we traversed towards our destination.

I got a chance to visit the interior of Mathare slums with friends from the Netherlands following an invitation by Mathare roots youth group. It was so encouraging to see how things are positively changing since I was last there; for example, you will find accessible roads, access to clean water and best of all there are flats of about five floors coming up in the heart of Mathare.
One thing I liked the most is the involvement of youth projects in making a cleaner and safer community. One such youth groups is Mathare roots located in the Mathare slums.

"The name Mathare 'Roots' came from the fact that the group has emerged from the Mathare slums (reputedly the second largest slum in Africa after Kibera), where most of the group's members were born and raised, hence the members know the struggles of the residents and would like to try and bring 'good fruits' from the slum, which would paint a better picture of the community".

For more about Mathare roots: http://kenyanyouthandcommunityforum.blogspot.com

Pictures tells it all…

Part of Mathare slums.
Guest from Netherlands.

Tree planting exercise.
Wilson taking part in tree planting.

Cultural perspective.

2011-06-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

What is culture?

Culture in the simplest explanation is the way of life. I posted a simple query on what is culture online and came across the answers below; source: http://www.answers.com/topic/culture

a. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.

b. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.

c. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.

d. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

‘Lunyu’ the traditional oven.

They said pictures speak louder than words, and I totally agree with the statement. Anyway do you know what this picture depicts? And from which culture is it found? Don’t guess too much, I hereby introduce to you what they called ‘Lunyu’ which is found in the Luo community coming from the lakeside. Its main purpose is for smoking fish so that they can be preserved for a long time and when it is not in use some people use it for drying utensil. So if you come across a smoked fish in Nairobi know it’s from ‘Lunyu’.

Please forward me a picture that represent your culture and a small caption/explanation about it, I would love to share it. Let us all embrace and respect our cultural diversity. Email me at Wilson.masaka[at]gmail.com

Celebrating 25th year MYSA anniversary – heroes and role model tournament

2011-05-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

This year MYSA is celebrating its 25th year anniversary and this month theme is celebrating their Heroes and Role models who over the many years have helped the organization be what it is today.

It was a great honor to be acknowledged as one of their heroes and role models during the occasion that was well organized on 29th Sunday 2011. We mingled with the current staff, ex-Mathare united players, volunteers, community representatives, boys and girls of different age groups, friends, founder just to mention but a few.

The climax of the day was the football tournament that we played comprising of 2 girls and 3 boys in each team. The matches were played in group stages and only the winners were to enter into the semi finals. I played in a team called ‘black stars’ which was the finalist, and we were awarded the first prize. I take this opportunity to thank the MYSA fraternity for the great work they are doing in shaping the lives of many youth in the slum through sports and other great programs they have.

On the left is Mr. Jack Ogunda former Mathare United player and MYSA alumni, he is currently the Kenya Premier League chief executive officer and he also serves in the Harambee stars management board.

Mr. Wilson Masaka chasing the ball, he is an alumnus of MYSA and currently working with NairoBits Trust as an ICT trainer / web developer.

Preparation for the football tournament, warm up session conducted by one of the MYSA volunteers.

On and off the pitch team work, and this has been MYSA’s driving force.

Black stars: Winning team 5 aside tournament MYSA 25th year anniversary (heroes and role models month).

Mr. Wilson Masaka introducing himself and giving a vote of thanks, all present heroes and role models were given a chance to introduce themselves.

Mr. Wilson Masaka receiving medal for first prize in the 5 aside tournament. Long live MYSA, may God bless the work of your hands.

Inspiration patterns.

2011-05-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

It was a great pleasure to host Mr. Patrick Mukabi, one of the renowned artists in Kenya and abroad. Patrick has a vast experience in painting and the art scene in general. I invited Patrick in one of my sessions at the media lab ( NairoBits: http://www.nairobits.com/ ) to share with us his invaluable experience while he trades through the life of an artists, particularly as a painter and how his work relates to digital arts hence where he sources ideas , inspirations and creativity.

Patrick Mukabi giving lectures...

We discussed a lot of subjects but the one that caught my attention most was; inspiration patterns and a creative being. Do you know that everyone is creative to some level? Some of us have built the experiences from learning institutions, to work experiences. But there is one great source that Mr. Patrick also emphasized on which are;

• Learning from your surroundings.
• Learning from other peoples work.
• Creating a learning curve whereby you also have competitor as a way of evaluating your progress.
• Connecting with people who have the same interests like you and knowing your inspiration patterns.

At what time are you at your best in terms of inspiration? One needs to know themselves better by recording times when they feel full of energy, creativity and inspiration. Make sure you have a note book or sketch pad at all times to record any ideas that might pop up while cruising through terrains of life.

If you don’t record, it will disappear and it will take you another full cycle of generating that unique idea which might not be easy to get. On the contrarily you need to record when you experience the “inspirational block” or “creative block” because it will help you balance your activity geared towards inspirational moments. Some simple examples cited during the discussion on what people do when they experience “inspirational block”, some people might prefer walking, reading, watching TV, sleeping, sporting or even try something new for example if you love football you might try rugby etc.

I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Patrick Mukabi in a special way. You’re a champion, you have made great impact on our creative life and I must confess you’re a great person, easy to relate with and always ready to share with others your inspirations, ideas etc. In this regards this in what Wilsenx initiative ought to do in a wider scope whereby connecting champions of life with great minds and aspiring champs. More about Patrick Mukabi please visit; http://www.saatchionline.com/profile/47491 or google his name.

Written by Wilson Masaka

Girl’s power

2011-05-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

Who said girls are the weaker gender? If you are one of those people undermining, oppressing the girl child, the time will quickly catch up with you before you know it. It is so unfortunate to see the enthusiasm, energies and dedication going at waste and abuse, whenever girls are committed to a course that they see themselves either learning or creating channels of opportunities.

To be specific I have been monitoring keenly women soccer in Kenya whereby attending some of the matches and to my delight I usually see potential, talents and team spirit whenever the girls play. I wonder what always goes wrong when you see no progress years come years go: the girls are always stationed at same level, playing local tournaments which we can also count with no incentive at all.

I’m a football fanatic so I shall address issues to do with football. It is also worth mentioning that there has been several great initiatives happening like the MYSA program and the currently Women’s League though a lot still needs to be done, all of us can’t fit in white collar professions and it’s high time girls soccer is given the much needed attention by all sectors not forgetting the media.

Let us shun all the stereotypes who say women can’t play great football in Kenya, why is it that Cameroon and Nigerian women can play great football? Don’t you think it’s the right time we need to learn from our neighbors and start more programs for the women football?
I’m not a psychologist neither I’m I a doctor , but in my own thinking, observation and general opinion there are two type of human race. One with the ‘WITFM’ factor meaning, what is there For Me syndrome and ‘WITFU’ factor meaning, what is There For us. Many people are obsessed with their egocentric ideas in all spheres of life especially when it involves money and sports is not an exception.

A case in point is when our National women team was to play in a tournament and a team was to be formed, do you know there were several groups claiming that they were the legitimate group to run affairs of the team. It is still a mystery to me and may be many others who are still wondering what went wrong. For a team, company, organization, country etc. to excel there should be a strong culture of ‘WITFU’( What Is There For us) factor formed around everything we do, remember no one is an island and anything you do, there is a direct or indirect influence or link of another person around you either a friend, family, work mate etc.

Mathare united women football team: 2010 - 2011 women football champions.

All in all let us all support both the boy and girl child in education, sports, talent nurturing just to mention but a few. In any initiative that you do it is never too little take an example of Ksh 100 and Ksh 99.50, this isn’t the same price tag the small difference makes a huge impact, so let us work around the culture of ‘WITFU’ and oppose the ‘WITFM’ factor.

Our day with you - Easter fun day

2011-04-26T00:54:00.000-07:00

On 23rd of April 2011 was one great day for young people from different organizations to come together and meet up with other youths from different organizations in a fun day organized by the Deliverance church Eastleigh. The Wilsen-X community was also privileged to be part of this great event which was also graced by youth organizations in Nairobi including the Maji Mazuri youth group, Deliverance Church Eastleigh, Deliverance Church Pangani, Mavuno Church and Nairobits.

Arrivals...

The Sunny fun day started at 11.00 am with a word of prayer, followed by a number of activities that would build up on communication, organization and the team work skills of the different organizations. The games included 100m races, relays, sack races, walking race, egg competitions, balloon game, eating competitions and football matches.

To start off the event, the different leaders of the organizations represented gave a little introduction of their organizations before we commenced to do a mass warm up exercise .This was necessary because the day ahead of us was going to be full of activities that needed us to loosen our muscles.

The founder of Wilsen-x giving a speech.

Team work...

Warm up!

In the 100 meter race Wilsen-x was well represented by Kennedy Onyango who was able to swiftly scoop the second place in the race. The relays that followed proved to be an exercise to test the communication and team work skills of the participants as it entailed passing over the sticks to the next runners till they reached the finish line. The sack race was quite an interesting game as participants toppled over each other in order to pass the sack to their other team players .

Nairobits managed to take the first place in this competition. It was evident that participants were greatly involved and excited as they played the egg competitions, balloon game and walking race. The balloon game which required a lot of strategy involved the participants safe guarding their balloons and bursting all the others without theirs being touched. Better still in the egg game, speed and accuracy was needed as one had to use the spoon to pass over the egg to their team mates after passing a considerable distance without the egg falling over and breaking.

100 meter race...

Sack race...

Football Mathare North Rangers F.C.

The first set of football matches was kicked off by our very own Mathare North Rangers F.C (M.N.R football club) who played against Maji Mazuri youth group, Mathare North Rangers won 1-0. And in the second match Deliverance Church high ‘Skoolers ‘won 2 -1 against Nairobits and this secured them a place in the finals.

Football warm up!

The Fun day was well represented by youths from all ages, you could see both extremes of the young having fun in different activities and at some point, the youth could be seen doing a routine dance as they psyched up the players in the final match of the football tournament.
The final set of matches saw both the energetic teams of Mathare North Rangers battle it out with Deliverance Church High Skoolers. The match was well played and highly competitive that it was hard to predict the outcome. In the end, Deliverance Church High Skoolers team won the game against Mathare North rangers with a score of 2- 1 and they were crowned the winners of the football matches competition. The competitions were summed up finally with the eating competition which, as usual, I have no words to express the expertise showcased by the participants.

More fun...

Great coordination...

Appreciation...

The presiding youth pastor of Deliverance church Eastleigh concluded the event with a sermon on Easter which was then followed by the awards giving ceremony. The participants were given certificates for participating and for giving their all in the respective competitions undertaken. The Wilsen- x community was able to be awarded with the 3rd place certification, we would therefore like to thank the organizers of this event and urge them to do more of these initiatives which encourages the young people to come together, use their skills, learn from each other and have fun in a peaceful and productive way.

We also thank all the youth groups that participated as we got to learn a lot and be informed on what the youth can do to make the required change in the society. We would also like to thank the Wilsen-x community that took part in the fun day. Your presence was highly appreciated and lets all continue with the spirit of team work, it goes a long way.

Together Each Achieve More ( T.E.A.M)

Lastly, may the spirit of hope that Easter brings, Help you find contentment in little things, and restore your faith in the Lord above, who gave His life for the ones He loves.
Happy Easter!

Wilson Masaka “This was a perfect idea to connect the youth from diverse backgrounds to share and have fun together. For me it was a great learning experience and it was in line with what Wilsen-x community envisages to achieve”.

( article written by; Faith Nyaboki)

Meet Wilsenx team and know more about us…

2011-04-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

Wilsenx initiative has been in existences since the birth of its founder who has the love and passion for youth development, he is a strong campaigner of team work towards a successful community.

Wilsenx initiative is championed by the life of its founder who believes that everyone has the potential to achieve, and we have unique talents that if nurtured, can propel the community to greater spheres of life. For more about the initiative catch up with the founder and the team through wilson.masaka@gmail.com

Philosophy

Everybody is a winner; we have something unique that we can do. We believe in sharing, creating, educating, motivating, inspiring and mentoring champions in our society.

Why this initiative?

Wilsenx envisages narrowing ‘me and the World’ gap in youth, by helping youth realize their full potential in achieving their desired goals and dreams in life through simple steps. For example through self reflection many youth will positively change their self esteem and face the realities of life. We foster youth empowerment through peer to peer learning and networking with other youth groups.

A line start with a dot! We hereby would like to introduce the brains behind Wilsenx who would like to take the initiative to the next level. The members are not employed by Wilsenx but they offer their time, resources, energy and exceptional expertise to open channels for other youth. We spare our weekends sharing, inspiring and motivating youths through our programs for example in sports and participating in other youth related events. Our core business is to connect the youth with emerging opportunities in their areas of interest and beyond. Everybody has a story to tell...

Name: Wilson Masaka.

Occupation: IT Trainer/ Football coach / Web developer.

Interest: Youth development, ICT, Creativity and sports.

Role at Wilsenx: Founder / General Management.

Why start Wilsenx? "I want to share my experiences, knowledge and skills whereby motivating youth to be positive change makers within their families and society at larger".

Message to the youth: "Always believe in yourself and choose the right role models / mentors who will help you realize your dreams. Don't shy from challenges they make us stronger".

Name: Faith Nyamboki

Occupation: Student/ Designer.

Interest: Working with the youth, Mentoring, ICT, Languages, photography.

Role at Wilsenx: Vice - chairperson / Editor.

Why start Wilsenx? "It’s exciting to be part of something special - working with a young dynamic team which has the same interests as me and ultimately learning while giving back to the society."

Message to the youth: "It’s all about you...you have all it takes to make a difference in the society, so make it happen!".

Name: Edwin Kipkoech.

Occupation: Accountant.

Interest: Learning new things.

Role at Wilsenx: Treasurer.

Why join Wilsenx? "From the missions and objectives I would love to be part of group which will bring light to those who are in darkness. The group its still on pilot stage it will be great to add my effort to uplift the group to be among the elite ones".

Message to the youth: "Be yourself in whatever you do, don't try to impress the world at your own expense. Learn to have patience with things you do sometimes things don't appear the way you want them to be".

Name: Kennedy Onyango Mbuya.

Occupation: Web designer / football player.

Interest: Leaning new things..

Role at Wilsenx: Youth affairs in Sports.

Why join Wilsenx? " I want to share my knowledge of Web design and reproductive health with the youth, and learn new things from wilsenx team".

Message to the youth: "Let us all work towards achieving our dream, through hard work and determination we can do it".

Name: Thomas Abungu Okech.

Occupation: Office systems.

Interest: traveling, adventure, watching movies, reading and above all making friends.

Role at Wilsenx: Project Coordination.

Why join Wilsenx? " To help fulfill my dream of seeing the growth of youth spiritually, knowledge-wise, economically for a better community".

Message to the youth: "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going".

Name: Roselida Taabu.

Occupation: Video editor.

Interest: Interest in community based initiatives and giving back to the society.

Role at Wilsenx: Media and marketing / girls project.

Why join Wilsenx? "Having been enlightened about the visions and goals of WILSENX I know it’s a great place to get involved in giving back to the society and investing in someone hence my major interest in joining besides that, I have a lot of interest in making a difference in someone’s life considering the fact that people constantly give their resources and time to mentor me and make me feel like a champion so I would like to do the same for someone else."

Message to the youth: "everybody has got potential in them and we can learn form each other".

Name: Andrew Mutua.

Occupation: Student / Designer /Technologist and Strategist in the making.

Interest: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Role at Wilsenx: Branding, Interactive designer, Sports facilitator.

Why join Wilsenx? "Drive the passion for social and community development through creative collaboration in the Wilsenx team. More so explore more knowledge, strategy and leadership levels."

Message to the youth: "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying. ~ Michael Jordan".

Name: Hellen Muturi.

Occupation: Project officer/IT support.

Interest: Participating in youth group activities, computer networking and community development.

Role at Wilsenx: Operations and marketing.

Why join Wilsenx? " Wilsenx gives hope to talented and energetic youth who would like to explore avenues in life that connects with their interest through its well outlined vision and mission. Great talents will be exposed and they will be able to see the champion in them. I get the chance to realize my long time dream of helping my fellow youth through this initiative."

Message to the youth: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams!".

Name: Samuel Kimindiri Muraya

Occupation: Trainer at Nairobits.

Interest: Working with youth, sharing challenges and progress while learning new ideas.

Role at Wilsenx: Secretary and Sports coordination.

Why join Wilsenx? "I have a heart of sharing my life experiences with youth in the community to inspire them to be positive change makers in our society. Wilsenx has created that platform to express ourselves and connect with our peers in sports and community development".

Message to the youth: "Change is necessary when we want to pursue a new direction in life. Change gives us hope for the future. Embracing change is not easy, it takes a new outlook on life, determination and perseverance. The change we expect may not happen immediately because real progress is slow. In time, if we change our mindset and actions we will make a significant difference in people's lives."

Name: Paul Otieno

Occupation: Sports and Development.

Interest: Sports, Networking, New Development Initiatives.

Role at Wilsenx: Sports advisor and networking.

Why join Wilsenx? "To share my experience as an inspiration, contribute towards Wilsenx growth and learn from Wilsenx team and the process".

Message to the youth: “Optimists sees opportunities in difficulties, whilst Pessimists sees difficulties in opportunities”…… The more positive we are the real our dreams and ambitions shall be, hence a better future".

More profiles coming soon... Watch the space!

Ashoka youth venture

2011-04-10T23:12:00.000-07:00

Wilsenx members got a privilege to connect with other change makers in Nairobi during the Youth venture workshop. Youth from different areas got opportunity to present their experiences and challenges of change making in different projects they initiated or are part of. Examples of projects present during the one day workshop were; sports, education, reproductive health, go green, sanitation, garbage collection, inspiration and mentor-ship, behavior change among other. There was plenty to learn and the youth got inspired and informed immensely during the workshop.

Thanks to Jenny, Salim and everyone who made the day a success, we need more of this initiative happening so that youth can connect and be the agent of change in their societies thus in the entire world.

Ashoka envisions an Everyone A Changemaker™ world. A world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges, and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address any social problem and drive change. For more http://www.ashoka.org/

Experience at Ashoka youth venture workshop

Wilson Masaka: “The workshop was an eye opener, as the founder of wilsenx initiative I learnt a lot and I was really inspired by Mr. Salim Mohamed (Co-founder Carolina for Kibera ) who gave a talk about his journey of success from a young person who was surrounded by many challenges, but through determination and hard work he was able to define his path in life. Thanks Mr. Salim you are a good mentor:”

Thomas Abungu: “We all went through a think session and shared our experiences, barriers and challenges of change making. We tackled issues to do with personal beliefs, gender, family or relations, age, time, school, money, skills, emotional support, societies view and generally how the community can embrace change that we as change makers try to instill in them.

Organizational structures became one of the most common hinders that we as change makers experience. This has got to do with the rules and regulations that are supposed to be put down before hand to govern us and the teams that wants to lead . In the initiative (WILSEN-X) that we are working on our team leader (founder) and the rest of the team has laid structures that in my belief will not let us down. It is a fundamental thing in life always to lay down a strong foundation, I learnt a lot through the workshop and many thanks goes to the organizers especially Jenny”.

Thomas and other participants taking notes during the workshop.

Thomas presenting during the workshop.

Mr. Salim Mohamed giving a talk about his life.

It was fun too...

What is on your career shelf?

2011-04-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

When I think of my career there are five key elements that always pop into my mind, and that is; skills, knowledge, experience, time and expertise, which are all related in one way or the other. The big questions has always been how, why and when do I acquire them.

There are a lot of options on the menus on where to source this five key elements, for example by joining a college or university, volunteer ship, self learning, on the job learning etc , with the prime factor being time, for how long and what do you undertake in terms of subject. I know many youth that are gambling with this and some are lucky to have their paths defined for them through family foundations etc, but majority of youth especially in the slum areas wonders around in the wilderness trying to find their way out for a strong career paths.

I have been keen on working on building my career path whereby utilizing any opportunity that might lead to the desired land. I wasn’t lucky as a child to determine or decide my dream career and the experiences has been more of pick and drop through the way, learning to jungle different activities to survive. I can’t say I’m at the pick of my career destination but it has been great so far with different developments in my life as an old adage says “life is a journey with many teachings”.

Today I want to share with you this interesting topic on how I have managed to work around these five key words that are always in my mind. First and foremost let us define skills and knowledge, sounds quite obvious eeh!

What are skills?

A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of work, some general skills would include time management, teamwork and leadership, self motivation and others, whereas domain-specific skills would be useful only for a certain job. Skill usually requires certain environmental stimuli and situations to assess the level of skill being shown and used. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skill

What is Knowledge?

Knowledge is a detailed familiarity with, or understanding of, a person, thing or situation. It can include facts and information, as well as understanding that is gained through experience, education or reason. It can be implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject); and it can be more or less formal or systematic. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge

Nothing can replace experience which is a product of time, skills and knowledge. So how do you develop your experience? As a young person living in slums areas where there are little career prospects in the light, I have always used my talents, determination, passion and will power to the next mileage and not to shy from challenges that surrounds me. This has made me develop a strong, progressive and positive attitude in filling my career self with the right tools.

Below is a simple list that you ought to develop so that you understand yourself better when it comes to your dream career.

A) Skills

Make a list of skills that you poses and what other skills do you need.

B) Knowledge

Do you know what it takes to develop your career of choices?
How often do you make follow up about your career choice on different media?

C) Interest

Why this career choice? Have you been force to do it, is it something that you want to do or is it an influence from a friend?

D) Career options

What is your primary career option and is there a secondary option that related with what you love doing?

E) Are you an expert?

Who is an expert? An expert is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study.

F) What are you tools of trade?

What education background do you have?

What talents do you have?
What applications do you like? For example in computers, vehicles, television etc.

G) What experiences do you have?

Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of something or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiences

H) Who is your role model?

Why is he or she your role model
How does he or she inspire you?

I have had friends from accounting background who would love to learn web design and development too. The question I always asks myself; is it passion driven or market driven? I have passion in finances too, but this comes second after computer programming and software development which I have the passion and the love for it over a long time and experiences through self learning and exposure.

One good reason I love my career of choice is because it is versatile and it impacts on peoples life from all creed and background as time goes by. I love technology this why even today I’m able to share with you my story…

Art and Design guest lecture.

2011-03-29T05:00:00.001-07:00

Motivational talk at paradise lost

2011-03-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

On 26th March 2011, I had the privileged to be invited as a motivational speaker at paradise lost during one of the Nairobits educational trips that gives the youth the chance to interact, learn and have fun away from the class.

It’s my sincere hope and believes that whatever I shared with the youth added value to their lives and I was able to change and challenge many lives through speech which touched on P.U.R.P.O.S.E.

Do you really know the true meaning of the word ‘PURPOSE’? God had a purpose for all of us in this world and whatever we do we always have a purpose. So what does the word 'PURPOSE' mean?

P – Plan: Plan everything you want to do.

U –Unite: Connect with like-minded people or someone that will assist you in executing your plans.

R- Realistic: Make your plans and unions real.

P – Pray: Always pray so that you may achieve your plans.

O - Opportunities: What Opportunities are there within your plans.

S- Sacrifice: Commit yourself through the process of the laid plans.

E- Expectations: What do you expect other than enjoying the success of your plans!

This and much more is what I had to offer, one question that I liked from the audience was, what inspires me? In general I’m inspired with life and how people sail through different terrains of life to succeed and I love inspiring youth to be champion of their lives.

Yourself as a brand!

2011-03-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks I have been in different sessions sharing vast knowledge in ICT, and to be specific in web technologies whereby training a group of youth on how to design and develop websites. I’m a person who loves all aspect of technology and how it impacts’ positively on people’s lives. I have a keen eye when it comes to programming and design, and I can’t let any learning opportunity pass by.

There’s this lesson which I have been putting a lot of emphasis when it comes to visual communication design, it goes by the name branding. Today I want to share with you different facets of the term branding and how it’s directly or indirectly linked to you.

First and foremost let us look at what is a brand in general terms. “A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word brand began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service”. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand

Then how does the term brand relate to you? Do you know you are a brand in the market called life? And do you realize that you are a unique brand in the market that is called the world. Everybody is a brand and whatever we do, say, wear, drink, dream, achieve etc. are the ingredients that make us good brands or bad ones.

To develop a good personal brand in the two market s (life and the world) you ought to learn a few values of life, below is a sample of a personal brand which if all are combined makes our names for example Joseph or Mary.

Integrity.
Honesty.
Discipline.
Team player.
Hardworking.
Talk less do more.
Mentor etc.

Come to think about it, do you know why other people succeed or fail in life? There might be other reasons but one of them comes from the history of the types of brand (life values) inculcated in us from childhood. Many of us carry brands that are either easy to sell or hard to even introduce in the markets.

What I mean here, being a brand of life our behaviors influences how other people sees us as either good brands or bad ones (what we called the public image). Everyone has a chance to change or choose, that is if we realize what is made of our brands and try to market it to even greater scales to be called a leader of the entire world. We can choose to live on the positive side of making our brands outstanding by adding virtues that can get us promotions or other opportunities.

The word brand in this article is being used hypothetically for you the reader to see yourself as either a product which if introduced to the market (look at your personal qualities as a brand) can influences, inspire and motivate many people through good virtues.

I’m using the term brand in reference to support my ideas of how youth needs to identify themselves with positive ventures that would lead to them succeeding in life because a good name is made out of your public image (reference: My late mum) that is how people, community, world etc. sees you and what impact or relations do you have with them.

This shouldn’t be confused by anything like trying to discriminate or segregate a particular group of people, but it is used in reference to self awareness and understanding the potentials that you have to improve your chances of succeeding in this competitive world of lots of skills and talents .

Look at yourself inwardly and see yourself as a brand that is ready to impact positively in the markets (life and world) by influencing positive change by understanding your strengths and areas of improvements to make a better person in life. What you need to know our personal brands aren’t static they are dynamic, as time goes by we learn new things in life from the way we see things , act or react to situation etc, and that’s why you need to always put your best foot forward to stay on course and present the best of your brand.

Reminiscence and a great honor to founders of Nairobits and MYSA.

2011-03-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to honor two organizations that is, MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association) and NairoBits for creating channels for youth to explore and expand their talents and skills. I’m an alumnus for both organization and I thank everyone in a special way, who have made the models a success.

Brief history Nairobits

NairoBits is a youth based organization that uses ICT multimedia creatively to improve the lives of less privileged children and youth from the non-formal settlement. Founded in the year 1999 by the butterfly works from the Netherlands, the organization has positively impacted lives of over 1,000 youngsters in Kenya through her programs. Source http://www.nairobits.com

Brief history of MYSA

MYSA is a self-help youth program linking sports with environmental cleanups, AIDS prevention, Leadership training and other community service activities involving approximately 20,000 young people.

Started in 1987 as a small self-help project to organize sports and environmental cleanups within Mathare slums in Nairobi, the organization has grown from a small youth to renowned youth serving organization that promotes sports for development. Source http://www.mysakenya.org/

Do you know the history of NairoBits? and how well do you know it?

Someone said, pictures speaks louder than a thousand words. What about videos?

To all alumni and current students of Nairobits this are must watch videos to see where the journey all started.

NairoBits - videos. Where it all started!

Click here to watch video one | Click here to watch video two

Wilsenx “special content can never be too old to watch or read” tributes to the founders and the 2000 Nairobits pioneer students.

Wilsenx video posted by SpotACheetah

2011-03-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

" Wilson Masaka aka Wilsen-X aka Magambres, the new Cheetah in town [HQ]
by SpotACheetah (videos) 1:23

in this video wilson Masaka Magambo aka Magambres aka Wilsen -X; a trainer at Nairobits School of Design, the new Cheetah in town. Wilson is an inspiration to many students at the school, from his humble beginning to what he is now. Check him out! This video courtesy of Nairobits and KiberaTV"

URL:Click here to see the video

MYSA ZONAL LEAGUE 2011 STARTS.

2011-02-21T04:57:00.000-08:00

Last year I was impressed with the performance and dedication of the team, and as the head coach I’m motivated to take the boys to the next level by offering my time and experience in organizing a well managed local team from the community. At the moment we don’t have any funds but we are determined as a team to use all possible networks with limited resources to make both ends meet.

Last year we did extremely well after emerging 3rd place out of 20 teams. This year’s league started on high note after we drew 0-0 on Sunday against real Mathare who are new comers, and as a team we need to put more efforts in training together. As the head coach I will have to place my best foot forward in selecting the best first eleven because this time there is no team to write off.

Mathare North Rangers (MNR.FC) ‘inspiring champions’ which is under the stewardship of Wilsenx was founded in 2010.

Training session at Mathare North field

Wilsenx provides leadership and co-ordination of all operation of the team whereby marketing the team both locally and abroad through online platform. At Wilsenx we believe in impacting on people’s life positively through simple but great steps like how to work in a team, fair play and discipline, how to utilize our free time and with limited resources etc.

Despite being a small community club in Mathare North we have been able to develop a brand around our team and so far we have our teams t-shirts which are out for sale to fund-raise for the team. The t-shirts goes for Ksh 500 and all monies collected or donated by well wishers will help the club reach its mission and vision which is to run a well coordinated team up to the Kenya Premier League (KPL) and change the lives of many vulnerable youth through sports. Our team has attracted a lot of fans in the community whereby the zonal league attracts about 300 spectators in the community every weekend.

Wilsenx uses this platform either directly or indirectly to sensitize the community the importance of unity and team work in the community for the good of everyone. Football being the most loved sport in the community and the world at large, we have been able to register 30 players in our team, this again gives us a chance to mentor and inspire upcoming youth in the community who are vulnerable to joining gangs, alcoholism, drug abuse etc.

In a special way I would like to thank Mr. Arnold Van Der Capellen for donating 10 t-shirts to the team which we gave to the most dedicated players and best players from the last season. Thanks a lot on behalf of the team.

Mathare North Rangers official t-shirts

New football jerseys

Lastly I would like to thank the Wilsenx team for dedicating their time and effort despite working in challenging situations without any support. We have come far and let us continue working in the same spirit, next article we would love to introduce to you the Wilsenx team. Watch the space for the next article, who are behind the steering of Wilsenx?

Thanks for your generousity

2011-02-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all the players, the team officials and friends. this is a true spirit of team work!

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the purchase of our new football jerseys that we bought today. On the other hand we launched our team t-shirt (Mathare North ranger football club) on Saturday whereby we hosted Zamalek (from Mathare 4A) for a friendly match which we won 1-0.

Mathare North Rangers F.C is a project of Wilsenx foundation which at the moment is in development stages. If you would like to support the initiative in one way or the other please email wilson.masaka[at]gmail.com to learn more about the initiative and how you can get involved.

From left to right: Thomas, Kimesh, Fellow, Dickson, Masaka and Onyi.
(Team officials, players and friends wearing the brand t-shirt).

Zamalek from matahre 4A in red and Mathare North Rangers f.c

‘The greener pasture syndrome’

2011-02-07T03:25:00.000-08:00

The dreams for many people in Africa especially from the disadvantaged backgrounds, is to succeed in foreign states for example in USA and Europe. If I’m not wrong, what I call the ‘greener pasture syndrome’ shouldn’t be a mental block that hinders us from looking locally for ways to find the green pasture within (you don’t know what you got until you miss or find it). Without any doubts Africa has got the best climate in the world among other things and visiting a foreign country either for convention, business, studies etc, is of great importance for one to network and to expand their horizon in the field of practice.

I urge my fellow youth not to be in a hurry to visit a foreign country of their dream, thus they should study why and what they want, and scrutinize the opportunity if it is from genuine sources by consulting with trusted colleague for advice.

Never the less, there are lots of opportunities in Africa that you will realize when you apply yourself into creative and positive activities from the grass root to the top. The ‘greener pasture syndrome’ has preoccupied the minds of many youths to the extent it appears repeatedly in their wish list for many years.

It is in the interest for everyone to achieve in life for example in academics, sports, business etc. The only worrying trend is the path we take to reach the land of success. Many of us have strived in difficult situations but through hard work and patience we have been able to determine our paths through genuine means and that what makes someone a real champion by conquering tough situations.

I’m perplexed when I see groups of youth who wish to make quick cash but end up dying young in the search for greener pasture either locally or abroad, and in my own definition I call them the young and the restless.

Poverty is a situation you can decide to change through transformation of your attitude, behavior and activities which will propel you to success. Instead of focusing too much energy on free, dubious and dangerous undertaking you can decide to be patient and utilize your energy in positive and creative projects for example; joining a church choir, drama group, community youth groups, football clubs, set a business etc. Sober up and avoid peer pressure, abuse of drugs and alcohol and idleness. Listen to your inner self and find what you want and determine the positive path to take. Remember for one to achieve whatever they want in life you have to be patient and work your way through success.

Take a look around your neighborhood, how many dedicated youth have succeeded? (From zero to hero stories through rightful means) and how many lived the life of kings and queens but ended up dying young through dubious ways of getting quick cash? You can make change by doing something responsible with your life, you need to have a positive attitude in your endeavors, and please note nothing comes in a silver platter.

One thing that I can confidently talk about is getting prepared and conversant in what you are about to engage yourself, in the search for greener pasture either locally or abroad. Here I mean you should have some basic knowledge of at least everything that you have interest in and do thorough research on pros and cons of the new opportunity.

Let us look at for instance one day your dream of traveling to a foreign country will be at your door step either for business, education, convention etc. You will be required to prepare and have some vital information under your belt to help in the processing of traveling documents and other logistical issues.

Here are quick tips to consider before you say YES or No to an opportunity oversee either in education or work to avoid being swindled or end up a being a slave in a foreign country . This is from my own perspective;

1. Ask yourself did you apply for it?

2. Scrutinize the source of the opportunity? For example from a friend (trusted or not trusted), books, internet etc.

3. Scrutinize the procedures...

4. Keenly follow all the communications.

5. Understand how much it will cost you? Is it fully funded or partially funded by yourself and the second party?

6. Define your goals?

7. What does it mean to you?

8. What threat and opportunities do you foresee?

9. Do thorough research about it? How long as it been in existence? Is it credited? (Search online, ask friends etc).

10. Learn the culture of the place prior to your arrival.

11. What are the government policies that will directly or indirectly affect you?
12. Place to visit and not to visit?

13. Does your country have an embassy in the country you are visiting?

14. Communicate often with people at home when you are there. Call, email etc.

15. Make back up of important documents both in soft and hard copies.

16. Understand the economic situation of the country you’re visiting, especially the exchange rate and living standards.

17. Consult with trusted friend about the opportunity before commit yourself. Beware of tricksters.

18. Beware of international and local signs, colors etc.

19. What is the National language?

20. Lastly learn about the staple food of the country. And many more…

A champion in the making!

2011-01-20T07:51:00.001-08:00

“People may influence your destiny, but you are the only person who can determine that destiny” Wilsenx.

Everybody is a champion no matter how big or small initiatives and contribution you make in the family and the society at large. The problem comes when you don’t act or even recognize that you are a role model to many and believe that you can do it. You create that bridge that shall help many cross to the land of success and opportunities. Remember whatever steps you take, inspires and motivate others and I would urge youths to take actions to determine their destiny.

I would like to share with you one of the candid stories by Mr. Samson Ongondo, my ex-student 2010 December class at Nairobits. Mr. Samson really inspired me for that action he took towards an opportunity I shared in the class. He is really a champion and the best is waiting for him if he continues with the same zeal, patience, humbleness and understanding.

Some time people don’t believe stories shared with them but here at Wilsenx initiative we strive to share true stories from youths who are planning for success. If I tell you I played football with Mr. Dennis Oliech, French based and harambee stars player would you believe it?

To date I don’t regret anything because I wasn’t able to achieve in football like my friends who are based abroad but I have worked round the clock to place myself in the lands of opportunities, despite the challenges and obstacles on the way, I’m really happy with what I’m doing so far and the skies are stepping stones to my success.

Brief introduction about Mr. Samson Ongondo

“My name is Samson Ongondo, an alumnus of Nairobits School of digital design.
Growing up in the slums I never imagined I would one day do what I’m doing now, immediately after finishing high school I joined Maji Mazuri youth group and I have been an active drama member since I joined the institution. At Maji Mazuri I got to know about Nairobits and its program which I was really eager to join”.

“Being at Nairobits was an eye opener! I realized that there were so many opportunities out there and with the right attitude you will succeed. After successfully graduating with a diploma in web design and development from Nairobits, I landed yet another opportunity to do video production and editing at Medeva TV (Media Development in Africa) which I’m currently undertaking video shooting and editing lessons”.

“I’m hopefully that the two trainings will go a long way in helping change my society positively by disseminating the same knowledge to other peers both directly and indirectly.

“You can follow my link to view some my works at coroflot www.coroflot.com/samm
Thank so much Nairobits for giving me this chance”.

I asked Mr. Samson the following questions just to know more about him and how he is planning to use his youthful energy to place himself in the land of many opportunities;

1. Where do you see yourself in the next 5yrs?

“My dream is to make a big and better impact in my world, Five years from now I would like to operate an advertising firm, be self employed or employed in a reputable creative institution.”

2. What inspires you?

“People inspire me just as much as nature. I’m inspired by my family and all the love they’ve afforded me. I’m inspired by people who struggle through starvation daily and still make it out in life. Great designers and generally people in creative work inspire me too”.

3. What can you say of Wilsenx initiative?

“In my opinion Wilsenx initiative is a timely initiative especially to majority of youths in Kenya who would be seeking opportunities and knowledge, or just for inspiration and for this I am a beneficiary having been linked to Medeva training. I sincerely thank you Masaka”.

4. Your advice to the youths?

“Well my advice to youths, you can do anything when you set your Mind and with the right attitude nothing is too difficult. It also helps to have mentors in life.”

5. What did you do to reach where you are now?

“First and foremost I thank God for everything that I have been able to achieve. Over the years I have learnt to make use of the opportunities that come my way and I have learnt to take criticism in a positive way, so as to commitment that goes along way, whereby I always ask myself what makes me wake up every morning? And the answer is the self-drive and the urge to succeed.”

My recommendation

Mr. Samson you’re most welcome and I guess I’m that one to pat your shoulder for acting on the information that I shared with 42 students at the time of training. You are a champion and I would urge you to continue with that spirit. I take this opportunity to recommend Mr. Samson to any employers who are looking for talent, determined and self driven youths in the field of ICT. I believe given the support Mr. Samson will be one of the great employer / employee in the ICT field in future I see lots of potential in him.

”I have learnt that in this life you can get what you want often, you only get what you need. However, either way you still have to work hard for both" By Tobias Ouma

Watch the space for more champions…

The road from dream to reality.

2011-01-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

What is Wilsenx foundation? This is a youth led initiative which at the moment is at infant stages but given the support required I/we would love to get more youth involved in the operation of the yet to be institution in the near future.

It’s not bad to dream and see things to reality. Every successful project requires time and dedication. Don’t wait for things to happen, make them happen. At the moment we have nothing but the only thing we have is energy, concept, dedication and passion in seeing things to reality. It is a bumpy road ahead with lots of challenges, dark clouds but this doesn’t block us from volunteering and helping youths realize their full potential in finding the champion in themselves.

Currently I have been helping the youth in my community to have a strong establishments of youth football clubs and after initiating Metro Sports some years back with my colleagues, I felt it was time for others to take lead by offering my coaching post to someone else. There has been a lot of challenges in the community for example lack of playing kits, playing space, other commitments and lack incentive for the players just to mention a few. I still love football and it's within ‘my blood stream’ and I still support Metro sport and so far we have achieved a lot as a team.

One surprising evening last year a group of youth approached and requested me to coach their newly formed team, I was somehow hesitant because I didn’t know if they were going to be fully committed in the team and play without pay. I can say the players are my champions, during the December 2010 holiday we have worked together playing ten friendly matches with local community clubs and one premier league team. At the moment two of our players are on trials with a premier league side and we wish them all the best. Sometimes you don’t know how influential you are to your community until someone spots that champion in you.

One of the initiative launched end of 2010 by Wilsenx is the football club Mathare North Rangers F.C whose mission is to engage youth in sports and to make them champions in life using football as an agent for change. We have successfully registered 30 members in our team and any support would be highly appreciated towards making Wilsenx foundation a reality. I take this opportunity to thank Mathare United FC team manager Mr. Fredrick Naduli (Razor) for donating a ball to our team.

Current office bearer, Mathare North Rangers F.C.

Wilson Masaka ( wilsenx founder) – Head coach
Edwin Kipkoech - Treasurer
Thomas Abungu - Strategies and welfare of players.
Geoffrey Otieno, Samuel Muraya and Kennedy Onyango - Coordination of players.
Geoffrey Otieno ( Jeff) - Team captain and discipline.

Wilsenx’s mission and philosophy;

Vision: Our vision is to empower the youths to be critical thinkers and change makers in our society through networking, sports, education and skills transfer from one generation to the other.

Philosophy : Everybody is a winner; we have something unique that we can do. We believe in sharing, creating, educating, motivating and inspiring champions in our society.

Some of the activities are;

Sports tourism.
Skills transfer.
Spotting and nurturing talents in the community.
Volunteer ship Etc.

Currently we are trying to find well wishers and sponsors who can help us translate our ideas into reality. A lot is required to make the initiative up and running, Apart from donations we are looking for members who have time and are dedicated in the process.

"You should have the positivity in you and believe you are a champion to succeed". Wilsenx

The team spirit! Let us pray...

Fair play...

On the move.. Metro sports vs Rangers.

Eyes on the ball...

Dribbling... Go for goal!

For help, full information and donation write to; wilson.masaka@gmail.com

WWW of 2010: What Went Well and WWNSW – What Went Not So Well.

2010-12-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

During the CY2 workshop I learnt new phrases the WWW and WWN’sW which of late I have been using whenever any opportunity arises. To all that are strong believers of resolutions, wishes or some call them plans. I would like to share with you my own experience as a strong believer of wish lists and plans which we usually make yearly before ushering the New Year.

To me this has been part and parcel of my life whereby in 2007 I developed a personal plan (PP3, my own acronym) for 3 years and by the end of this month I will be using the WWW and WWN’sW to review the 3 years that I had planned for while also celebrating what I have achieved. Something to note though is that after laying down your plans it should be flexible and smart enough to review either weekly or monthly but watch that you don’t change the core dream plan to be achieved.

I would urge everyone to make a plan, resolution or wish list for themselves and family come the end of 2010 or every end of year before ushering the New Year, which to me the year 2011 will be the year of breakthrough. I would love to share some tips with you that will keep you through 2011 and beyond this is what I call the’ ten commandments of a doer’.

By the way I came to realize in this World there are 3 types of people which I have come into personal contact with, and also I have read in a series of articles and publications. I agree with the authors and they are;

Those Who Make Things Happen.
Those That Watch Things Happen.
Those Who have no idea what the Hell is Happening.

What type of a person are you? In 2011 make that turning point or even make your strategies and strengths very compact for greater success.

These are simple guidelines (the’ 10 commandments of a doer’) to be followed if you want to see the fruit of your labor. These are from my own perspective and experiences.

Don’t spend more than you earn.
Make a monthly budget and understand your cash flow.
Save for the future.
Set some realistic project to do.
Make everything part of your system. Don’t procrastinate at the start it will be difficult to keep reviewing, checking and balancing but after all it will grow into you. The champion in you…
Make the WWW and WWN’sW list to review and channel a strategic direction.
Think and make plans that are even more than 1 year. Be optimistic!
3 C’s: Don’t Compete, Complain and Compare.
3 D’s: Dream, Dedication and Determination are the swiftest way to success.
P.U.R.P.O.S.E: Pray a lot, Unify, Review, Plan, Organize and Explore.

All the above will be success full if you develop a goal around it. For example; Personal goal statement; In the year 2011 I would like to eradicate poverty in my family and be financially stable (example for this article). Ask yourself, Why? How? When? How? Who is involved? This will point to making your goals and objective SMARTA.

What is SMARTA? This stands for;
S – Specific: What do you want to do exactly? Is clear to you and everyone involved?
M – Measurable: Can it be quantified and qualified. How much is the budget? What will be the impact?
A - Attainable: Can you achieve it within all the available avenues and opportunities.
R - Realistic: Can it be done under the circumstances given? Do you have the wheel power for example budgets?
T - Time bond: How long will it take you to achieve the goal?
A - Agreeable: Is it agreed amongst the team? What about the family? What about the authorities? Is it agreeable by you and any other person involved in the implementation process.

Have a lovely festive season and prosperous 2011. In your wish list and plan for 2011 remember to start saving for festivity if you are planning to go somewhere with the entire family, so that you are not caught unawares without any finances to celebrate.

Keep on reading and more to come in 2011, watch the space!

Connecting with yourself : CY2.nl training

2010-12-16T01:42:00.000-08:00

What color preference are you? Do you know the right way to give feedback? Do you know a behavior triggers another behavior? This and many more are the lessons content we have been receiving from CY2.nl (Consult Yourself Together) a team from the Netherlands.

First and foremost I would like to thank Nairobits, Butterflyworks and CY2 for organizing the workshop which was very educative and has helped me as a person through understanding myself and how I could use different energies at different situations (green, yellow, red, blue energies).

I would wish the entire World was there at CY2 training. I loved the fun, the approach, team work, time keeping etc. I would recommend any institution to go through the CY2 training, it is really enriching to see how often we take things for granted like how we related to colors and how our behaviors triggers other behaviors, adapting and connecting to situations among other things. Sky is the limit CY2 team…

Watch the video at CY2 training at Nairobits: Learning and working plus fun. I love it!

NairoBits team at the CY2 workshop

Mr. Wouter from CY2 giving lectures.

Wilsenx brand T-shirt is launched

2010-12-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

Today is another great day after celebrating 47th birthday of the great republic of Kenya. 'Najivunia kuwa Mkenya' I'm proud to be a Kenyan and I pray that the almighty Father will bless us and keep us in peace, love, unity and tranquility.

Part of my celebration this Jamuhuri day is the launch of my brand T-shirt which is available to anyone who feels like a champion by influencing positive change in the world. It goes at a very minimal fee to support the Wilsenx initiative which shares life experiences with youth either to motivate and inspire them to be champions in whatever positive things they do, and realize their full potentials using their talents and skills.

Below are some T-shirt; Front and back view. If you need one holla me at wilson.masaka@gmail.com

Wilsenx T-shirts, launched :)

Ladies v-top available too!

Great achievement: Every little step counts.

2010-12-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

NairoBits 10th anniversary

NairoBits is now 10 years old since inception, during the 10 years of hard work and determination I have seen youth with great potentials, enthusiasm, talents, creativity and passion in whatever they do for a greater future and success of the entire Nairobits. Despite many success stories there have been lots of challenges along the way which I’m glad to say we conquered, thus making NairoBits what it is today. My messages to all current and prospective students are;

Stay focus, work on your weakness, and make your strengths even stronger.

Let no one distract you by saying that you can’t do it, but choose the way to drive your vehicle, you have the keys to your life. So make the right chooses like enrolling to NairoBits courses, this is one of the many vehicles to the land of success.

Our backgrounds should not hinder us from achieving whatever we want in life.

God has a purpose for every one of us in this planet, don’t give up.

3D: Dreams, Dedication and Determinations are the swiftest way to succeed.

3C: Don’t Compete (positive completion is good but I mean negative), Compare and Complain stay focus.

I take this opportunity to thank everyone who made the NairoBits 10th year anniversary a success and also everyone who was present at the auspicious celebration, may the Bits be with you all!
I shall remember 27th November 2010 in the many years to come as the coordinator 10th year anniversary which is not a minor achievement for me. From the planning, meetings, determination, challenges, follow up etc as made me a stronger person and I have learnt a lot. I thank Nairobits for giving me this opportunity to lead the team.

The doors of perception conference 8 New Delhi, India.

2010-12-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, today I want to share with you my experiences that I had in the last 5 years in India. I got an opportunity to tour New Delhi, India in 2005, it was amazing to see how people live and do business etc, but the prime reason to visit India was to attended the doors of perception conference and showcase the work of Nairobits. I had both good and bad experiences while I was in India with my colleague Geoffrey Otieno ( trainer - Nairobits).

Catch up with me for more fascinating stories about the food, travel, people etc.

For report this is what I/we wrote in 2005; source www.butterfly-works.org/Report_india_conference.doc

About the conference

It was on a Saturday 19th March 2005 when Wilson Masaka and Geoffrey Otieno flew a way to New Delhi, India to represent NairoBits in the Doors of perception 8 conference which was going to bring participants from all-round the globe that are in different disciplines like architecture, media and communication, engineering, fashion, industrial and product design. During the period we were in India we were able to get contacts from people around the globe and the locality, this was a great impact NairoBits made through brochure which we circulated and exchanged business cards as a form of networking.

http://doors8delhi.doorsofperception.com

The proceedings

There were pre- workshops which took place in and around Delhi for 3days which talked about media and communication, architecture among others. Also on the list during the conference were speakers who presented their project and we got the opportunity to learn about the latest development in new media, cultural research and the wire arts. For example we had the Human factors International who presented their project. Basically their mission is to improve the interactions that people have with computers and other digital systems. They offer end –to-end solutions for web/internet and internet-based applications among other things and help make their client existing offerings more user centric, optimized and efficient.

Above is Aditya Dev Sood one of the speakers in the conference, He’s the CEO of CKS (Center of Knowledge Society) consulting PLC.

Social innovation Salon

The social innovation salon brought about 20 – 30 design and research projects from the all over the world. Here is where projects like NairoBits, Butterfly works, Nokia, HP, Human Factors International and Center for Knowledge Society among others were able to show case their work to the general public and the participants who were attending the doors of perception conference. The Out come of the exhibition was great and NairoBits stall had a great honor to present their work to people like Jogi panghaal who is a senior research fellow, Doors of perception, New Delhi. He is also a co-founder life tools, which provided product design and communication design services to communities, both rural and urban, that needed design help.

Above: Geoffrey explaining to some of the guest who visited the NairoBits stand.
Other stands at the exhibition hall.

Informal Meetings / interactions

During the Doors of perception we were invited to the Holi Bruch which was going to bring the participants and some Indian community to celebrate together the Holi -day, by the way this is a national event/holiday in the Indian culture. Again this was an ideal setting for people to get together and interact with people from different places around the globe. This also was some sort of cultural exchange.

Meeting with Debra Solomon and Cybermolla

During the conference we happen to meet Debra Solomon who is an Artist/tutor at the Amsterdam Institute of Arts and also Vivek who is one of the Cybermollah staff members. Cybermollah which is a project within a research organization called Sarai (www.sarai.net) which stands for an enclosed space in a city or a place to rest when in a journey.

Basically Cybermollah which is the project we visited have setup experimental media-labs that run on free software in 3 working class settlements in Delhi, this innovative project is run by young people of the locality to record local history. We had the opportunity to visit their premises and later we went on to visit one of their media lab setups in the southern suburbs of Delhi called Sarva priyah vihar, where we met one of the trainers called Aniruddha Shankar Karim whom we had a lengthy talk with, Part of what we talked about was how they have incorporated the use of free software (Open source) to the communities around Delhi.

They also have computers with only the motherboard and no drives and can only work through a network server (Linux) which is also free software. So generally they are trying to promote the open source community and face off the stereotypical copyright - rights managed systems that don't allow innovation and introducing a technical venture of free software which they call Copy left.

The same day we had a meeting with Sarai/Cybermolla, in the evening we met with Debra Solomon. She was so interested in what NairoBits does and was very enthusiastic about coming to Africa to work on an exchange with African youths about Creativity/Innovations in Art among other things, she said that most of her inspirations come from cultural activities and exchange with other public domains around the world. Being the only people from Africa we were honored to be ambassadors of our country and Africa as a whole. Debra and a group of students will be visiting Nairobi in 2006 hopefully. Still we have some contacts with her on when, where they will like to visit while in Kenya.

Thanks giving

We take this opportunity to thank the Ford Foundation, NairoBits crew, Butterfly-works and everyone who made our trip a success to New Delhi, India. Thanks guys and NairoBits will never be the same again!!

This was five years back and I have achieved a lot since then, in the next article I shall share with you my achievements in the month of November 2010. Keep on reading...

Are you a Designer?

2010-11-10T08:01:00.001-08:00

Do you call yourself a designer? This month’s focus and advice will be on people who want to become designers. I have enjoyed my sessions in class last month discussing with my students on how best they can be creative and clear the ‘mental blog’.

First and foremost let us define who is a designer, my own definition is, a designer is someone who creates, innovates with the purpose of communicating to a particular audience or by meeting some set objectives.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designer, a designer is person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object"[1]. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a designer.

Using the word designer is a bit ambiguous because it has a wide range of meanings. By looking at different types of designers out there we will be able to define the designers in a more specific aspect without generalizing. Here are examples of designers;

Fashion designers
Web designers
Interior designers
Outdoor designers
Furniture designer etc.

Design by itself is beyond the scope of this article but let us look at what are the common denominators of designers, what do they put into consideration within their work.

First and foremost before we look at personal traits of designers we have the following, Element of design and Principles of design as the guiding fundamentals for all designers.

Element of design.

Line
Shape
Color
Space
Direction
Size
Texture
Value

Principle of design.

Unity
Proximity
Perspective
Visual Hierarchy
Symmetry / Asymmetry
Repetition
Contrast
Dynamics
Emphasis
Dominance
Harmony

As a designer you have to put the above in mind when designing anything, you don’t need a degree or a diploma to start using them, these are vital in design field but it not a must to put them all in a composition.

How do designers source for inspiration? This is a common question amongst junior designers. I shall share with you how I get ideas and get inspired to be creative and open the ‘mental blocks’.
The following is what I do;

Learning about the environment
The visual communication ( seeing more than an ordinary person)
Translate other concept to my own ideas.
Learn from other peoples work.
Learn from other designers not necessary in my field.
Learn from books, magazines, TV, Movies etc. Multimedia
Put myself in the position of the target audience and try to see if the designer did it right.

Martin a fine artist at the Go Down art Center giving lectures at one of my sessions.

NairoBits students paying attention to Martin teachings.

Soon I will help Martin run a personal blog, thanks a lot Martin you are a inspiration to many and your lesson was great.

Wilson @ Maker Faire Africa 2010

2010-10-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

Maker Faire Africa is a celebration of African ingenuity, innovation and creation. Here you will find the Makers who showed their work at the 2010 event in Nairobi Kenya. Work ranges from time saving devices for agriculture to alternative energy sources from design with recycled objects to social media applications for mobile phones. Per maker you will find a short synopsis of their work, their contacts details plus a possibility to collaborate with them. Match your skills with one of the Makers. Click the thumbnail on the left to open my video.

Mission - Zanzibits - Zanzibar

2010-10-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

From Zanzibits "Wilson is a web developer and trainer with Nairobits. In previous visits to Zanzibits, he has given lessons to both students and trainers. This time he focused just on the trainers, offering advice on administration, HR issues, managing staff and students, problem solving, bookkeeping, finances, and back-end management..." click here to read more.

The dressing code +254

2010-10-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

This month I would like to share with you my views about dressing code or your wardrobe. Do you care about what you wear? What matters most to you? Is it the label, the designer, origin, the fabric, color or...

In this month post I would like us to look at dressing code which some of us might say it is obvious or simple. I'm not that a fashion guy but I have some sense of reflection when it comes to what I put on.

Why do people wear clothes? Is it to cover them selves, look attractive and fashionable, and follow some protocol in a company or an institution (uniform)? There are many other reasons that you have and list is endless no doubt about it. The fact is that every one of us is unique and self-driven in different ways and so dresses in a particular way for a reason. Let us look at some of these reasons;

The work you do.
Religion.
Origin.
Climate and weather patterns.
Age.
Fashion.
Your body size.
Occupation.
Culture and traditions.
Events.
Occasions
Etc.

How can your dressing code cost you a job or an opportunity? Come to think of this it applies to both boys and girls and every one of us has a personal style (what I call the "Me" culture) on how they dress and do things. To some extent I agree but when it comes to other situations some "Me" culture needs to be dropped and replaced by new ones.

I don't have answers for this but you look around and dress to what you can term is appropriate in your environment. Have you ever come a cross the saying that says, first impression counts?

I know this can be used in many contexts but using it to address the subject, the part of impression is also what you wear and also inline with the subject we have got different arrays of cultures which also influences the way we dress for example; the youth culture, older generation, singles, married, young and the restless etc. Whichever category you fall I urge you to dress appropriately (You know what's best for you where and when).

Are there any bench marks to the way we dress? From my point of view the answer is yes. Let us look at one practical example, the way you would dress for work is not the same as when going to a disco party or a football match. There are though lots of exceptions to how we dress in the 21st century whereby our offices are just within the living room.

Meaning you can work at home and still deliver. Amazingly in some organizations or companies dressing code doesn't count, you are flexible to put any clothes (descent in this case, you can't come to work with a vest) and what counts is if you deliver or not. But still remember it depends with many factors to be in this kind of a situation some I have mentioned above.

My advice to youth out there who are preparing for job interviews is to dress appropriately when going for the interviews. This might cost you an opportunity if you don't take it into account.

Lastly if you succeed in getting the job please learn the organizations culture and adapt to it. In some cases during the interview the interviewer might share with you the dressing code for the job or in unexpected situations your might be told while you are on the job.

This is October's edition till next month thanks for reading. Travel outside your continent, country, region, city, town, neighborhood you name it. You will see why dressing code is such an important thing in our society.

Pictures of the month

2010-09-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Life is like the football we juggle, you need to focus and keep the ball in control...

Focus on the goal and don't let the opportunity pass as you watch!

Be flexible and adjust to situations...

Leadership in perspective

2010-09-10T04:33:00.000-07:00

How many of us out there dreamed of one day to be a leader in a church, youth groups, football club etc. Amazingly the list is endless with a few only are able to live their dreams. Come to think of it I have witness my peers debating about leadership , if leaders are made or born? I know everyone has got their own view about this topic and it’s hard to convince the masses which side has got majority of votes when it comes to the debate.

This month I want to share with you my understanding about leadership. First and foremost what is leadership? What is good leadership?

Web results:

Leadership has been described as the "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership

Best site check this out - http://www.leadersdirect.com/leadership-defined

To be a leader you don’t have to be a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in a big firm but my understanding is that leadership starts at the grass root level with what you do, how you react to situation, how you tackle problem and challenges , how you relate to your peers etc, all this will nature you to a great leader. You can go to school to learn about leadership but to some extent it is something intuitive and intimate.

Some of the common adjectives which springs to our mind about leadership are- honesty, dependable, fair-minded, co-operative, good aptitude , to name a few. For one to be a good leader you have to uphold some virtues, mind you making long speeches will not contribute to being a good leader.

Below are some insights about good leadership in perspective;

1. Integrity: Not compromising on your principles and being honest to both your work and yourself is the most important trait of a good leader.

2. Valuing time: Time is money.

3. Communication: The level of communication you have with your subordinates goes a long way in reinforcing your leadership quality.

4. Teamwork: Build a team around you for support and consultation will see your leadership being appreciated and valued.

5. Motivation: One of the main goals of a leader is motivating their group.

6. Decision-making: Making a decision is an art depending on the requirement at the moment.

7. Flexibility: Taking all negative circumstances in your stride and adapting accordingly shows fortitude and patience.

8. Empathy: Try to leave the four walls of your office and mingle with your subordinates outside in their own environment.

There are many things to consider before you can be called a good leader. Remember everybody can be a leader but the question is how many people can be good leaders? Yes you can I don't disagree but if you only consider the above list and many other factors.

Please feel free to share with me your personal stories on your roles as a youthful leader in the community and what you can term to be successful under your leadership.

Email me through wilson.masaka@gmail.com

Pictures speak louder than words.

2010-08-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

My trip upcountry was fun, relaxing and adventurous. One thing I have come to notice with photographers they never leave their camera with them because you don’t know when that best picture might present itself. Below are some of my best photos with captions for you to think about and relate with yourself. Trip mid July!

Love and Respect your elders.

Take a bird’s eye view to everything you do

There’s light at the end of the tunnel keep on going.

No matter how little you think you are, you are still valuable and visible from a distance. You make that difference so don’t under estimate yourself.

Beware...

2010-07-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

Beware
Have you ever come across this notices that has the word Beware… as you trade around your daily life? Below are a few examples;

- Beware of land grabbers.
- Beware of ‘pick pocketers’.
- Beware of dogs.
- Beware of con-men and con-women and the list continues.

Today I want to focus on cyber crime. Beware of cyber crime, first and foremost what is cyber crime? I used Google and got a list of definition about the topic and this was among the results.

Definitions of Cyber crime on the Web:

• Computer crime or cybercrime is a form of crime where the Internet or computers are used as a medium to commit crime. Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and child grooming. ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_crime

• Criminal acts that are performed with the aid of a computer. Crimes that fit this category are identity theft, mischievous hacking, theft, and more. internet.suite101.com/article.cfm/twentyfive_years_of_cyberspace

The emerging of internet into our society has brought everything at our door steps and some would say at the tips of our fingers. But one thing that is lacking with the wide spread and use of internet tools and applications is proper awareness, campaigns and training about security issues.

Today you can meet with people on social networks, transact business, exchange information etc but are you aware of the dangers. Without a doubt computers has brought lots of advantages in our global community but my advice to all global citizens especially the youth is to always keep a sober mind and not to be swayed or persuaded to give confidential information where it is not supposed to be given.

To fellow youth and anyone else my second advice would be to always take time before you make a decision in whatever you want to indulge yourself in. Have you ever received emails saying that you have won some cash in dollars? How many of you have received emails of people wanting to share some money that was left for inheritance by a rich and a powerful person in a certain country? How many website are out there that doesn’t give the right information or tries to imitate other websites in terms of opportunity or benefits?

What you need to know is that all this information is developed and designed by people and as the old adage says ‘in every market there is mad man or what you see is what you get’ this has got ambiguous meanings. One that I like too in Kiswahili goes “ Kuna Watu na Viatu” ( Meaning there are people and shoes ) Also has got some ambiguity in it but my understanding of it is that there are people who will really care about things and act in good manner but there are some who are totally the opposite, so the message is Beware…

After all said and done there are many ways you can check if you are on the right track especially when you are dealing with internet and computers to search for information. Here is a case in point whereby you would like to find information on how you can get scholarship to study. My personal view on what I would do is as follows in summary. I hope they might be helpful to you and please share with me any great tips to go about it.

1. I would use Google to search for the information. There are hundreds if not millions of results to go through so I will take my time in searching and short listing.

2. I will check the authenticity of the site can be hard thought but I will look for basic information like the web address, email account, when was the idea launched etc.

3. Next I will share the information with someone around and the most suitable one is if you have a friend in that country you are applying the scholarship. They would advise you and even try to check by either calling or visiting the place. May be this is a rare cases!

4. Next is to write my first email and wait for response.

5. I will be following the communication on what I’m asked to send or even fill

6. Beware when you are asked to send some money through a certain account you need to understand clearly what it is meant for.

7. Good luck and pray.

This is what I would love to share with the global citizen this July. What’s there for August…
Nairobi is cold heee!

Learning from Others

2010-06-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

In life there are many sources for learning, we have a few which are common or obvious as time goes by for example books, internet, mentor-ship, schools, colleges and universities etc.

Today I want to share with you what I have observed through many years on how one can make use of available resources as tools for learning. There is a phrase that says learning doesn’t stop and isn’t selective of age. I work in a dynamic field performing different roles one of the tasks is to teach and inspire youth through sports in my community.

One of my challenges is to keep abreast with the emerging technologies (systems and tools) and to be on the lookout for any new trends that comes into in the market. I’m a web designer / developer but I like more of systems and automation focusing on the end user and if you are working in IT field you will bear witness on how fast technology is moving to the extent you can’t know everything.

My own opinion is that education is the key to life and if you can get it to the level of PHD the better. There is a saying that says “Your past determines your future “and to expound on this some of us come from deplorable backgrounds whereby they struggle to make both ends meet through the sole source of income. My advice to the youth is that it is never too little or enough you have to work around and observe through your environment sources of learning, inspiration, aspiration to make the dream a reality.

In general life can’t be defined as a straight line there are obstacles, successes, failures which if you conquer you become a winner. It is high time we take action as youth and do something for ourselves, families, communities and the entire World. Did you know that the rich also cry? This is not to overwrite the notion for better education and growth in life despite your circumstances. Find people that can walk and work with you through the bad and good time that can inspire you to identify sources for learning and to achieve whatever you want in your life.

Do you know that there are things you won’t learn at school, colleges and other training institutions? But you shall acquire the skills or knowledge through your surroundings (People, community, internet, traveling, cultural diversity, sports etc). Take a break and think about it…
It is my believe that sharing this tips might help you towards being a better person in whatever you are doing through a simple a way of learning from others. Think about this question.

What type of a person are you?

A) Plug and play – Flexible, adaptable to change or new experiences and always on the ball (meeting deadlines etc). On the lookout for new ideas and trends and adapt to them quickly.
B) Excellence - Do you perform your task to the best of your ability?
C) Wait and See - Are you a person who sits on the fence without knowing what to do?
D) Shareware – Do you believe in innovation and sharing the skills with other people? Do you share and find possibilities?
E) I don’t know – Confused and even doesn’t know want they want in life.
F) God shall take care of it – Always waiting for luck. Let me tell you, prays do help a lot and God gave everyone something that they can do better than the rest but you have to search and work hard for it.
G) Firewall – Makes sure everything is in check before proceeding and takes preventive measure to a problem.
H) Ghetto – Always does things because of their background not minding of how others will feel and react to their action. They feel that they are oppressed and can’t make it in life.

For any comment or if want to share anything with me hola at wilson@nairobits.com

Emulate the Eagles

2010-05-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

Source: received through my email.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF AN EAGLE - DR. MYLES MONROE

1. EAGLES FLY WITH EAGLES

Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens.

Eagles fly with Eagles

2. EAGLES HAVE STRONG VISION.

Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

3. EAGLES DO NOT EAT DEAD THINGS.

Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not.

Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

4. EAGLES LOVE THE STORM

Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the

Clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.

We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

5. THE EAGLE TESTS BEFORE IT TRUSTS

The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her.

Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it

falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle.

The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her.

Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

6. EAGLES PREPARE FOR CHANGE

When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again.

Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this new found knowledge that they can fly.

The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; the preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; the being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns.

The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

7. EAGLES SHED OFF OLD HABITS

When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us without adding to our lives.

Lunch in the hood

2010-04-16T05:52:00.001-07:00

So you have all have been to the mighty kibanda for a selection of mouth watering dishes, but most of you guyz barely understand the logistics of operations there, leave alone the street language. So here's a compilation of some of the delicacies available on demand, in kibanda language.

1. Chapati dunga - this is where a chapati is rolled and pierced with a fork.

2. Chapati dondosa - this is where a chapati is served whole and served while floating on thick soup.

3. Chapati msalaba - this is where a chapati is sliced into four equal quarters. The cuttings resemble a cross

4. Chapati kifagio- this is where a chapati is sliced into thin many vertical strips

5. Chapati chafua- this is where a chapati is sliced into many pieces as possible. Usually they are sliced into squares that are approximately 3.5 centimeteres squared (do the math)

6. Chapati mbao/ chapati mawe - this is a dry chapati, those that break easily like a piece of wood

7. Ugali saucer/ wembe/discount- that one i know you know

8. ugali mlima- this is an enourmous chunk of ugali served only to proffessionals and is usually served with a warning. "ukikosa kuimaliza, utaongeza kumi".

9. Tumbukiza - this is where meat is overboiled until the meat is very soft. Usually served without salt. Tumbukiza special has no bones

10. Kahawa kifo- so you have done kahawa chungu! This is worse. It usually contains lots of "kahawa no 1" and is overboiled till its black. its then served without sugar. Its literrally burnt coffee

11. Kaa ndani- this is where a mandazi is made an incision at the side and a delicacy inserted inside of it. So kaa ndani ya sausage is a mandazi with a sausage in it.

12. Jembe ya meno- toothpick

13. Samaki cassette- this is fish which has bones in it. Its served whole whereby a person starts eating it on one side( side A ). Once done, its then turned to the other side (side B). A successful completed eating mission is certified once the only thing left on the plate are intact bones of the fish and the head.

14. Karare- chapati nusu

15. Combat- githeri

16. Mix / Missile / Kadhalika- this is mchanganyiko of everything on the soup menu. Involves madondo, sukuma, nyama, ndengu etc. Na inasemwa na style, so dont go ati nipatie missile 20! It goes like "haya, hebu nibonde na chapo mix ya kaufourty, na ikuje chapchap kabla niachwe na ndege.

17. Teargas- pilipili

18. C.N.N...chapati Na Ndengu

19. U.S.A...Ugali Sukuma Avocado

20. Chapati Marashi..Where chapo is passed over beef stew ndio inuke kama nyama

21. Githeri Migingo...This is githeri that has 1 potato in the middle

Sent by Roseirene