It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Mama Esha also known as Hoyo, Khadija’s mother and grandmother to Pepo La Tumaini. She passed away in August over 100 years of age. We miss her greatly and endeavour to continue with the work she believed in so much providing care and education to those children most in need.

For the last ten years we have been implementing the proposed hybrid academic-vocational model at the primary level in our unique ‘Tumaini Senior School’. This Senior School provides primary level education and vocational training (unaccredited) for teenagers who have ‘missed the education boat’, former street boys, sex commercial workers and children from child-headed households. We currently have 100 pupils aged 13-19 and include Government Chiefs, university students, Hip Hop Artists and Luxury hotel staff among our graduates! We are proud to be entering our 5th year of preparing our class 8 pupils to sit for their KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) exams, which will determine their place in secondary schools. We wish them every success and look forward to offering continued support to our students through scholarships and vocational training programmes.
 
We are very proud and grateful of our partnership with Tara House Montessori Nursery School in London. The Montessori system is very different to the way of teaching in Kenyan nursery schools and it offers an interesting model for our teaching staff to learn about. We continue sharing Skype sessions where we present topics about the different cultures through artwork and performance offering an amazing opportunity for our students to learn about life in another country.

Thanks to support from Segal Family Foundation in secondary scholarships and vocational training, we have been able to sponsor a further 5 students into the graduate programme as well as enhance the life skills opportunities for our pupils. We successfully ran a series of workshops on Healthy Relationships for all Tumaini Senior School pupils focusing on sexual and reproductive health and conducted group counselling sessions for girls and boys discussing adolescence and taking responsibility while making the journey into adulthood. In vocational training pupils have been working on special crafts and masonry projects making ventilation vents for buildings as well as goat skin carpets and rugs. Such projects have enabled pupils to learn about effective ways of creating small businesses and income generation in a way that is relevant and marketable in Isiolo today.
 
Our future objectives are to enhance and grow our vocational training provision to offer three certified courses at advanced level in Home Economics, Tailoring and Dress Making and Carpentry. Improving the standard and obtaining full accreditation will greatly enhance graduates’ employment prospects. We are currently working with the Ministry of Education to obtain the necessary status to be able to certify students at which stage we will invest in a new carpentry workshop.

A series of 20 wildlife paintings created by Tumaini Senior School students went on tour in Alabama, USA as part of a travelling exhibition organised by Alison Neumann. The paintings were on display at the Art Gallery in UMS-Wright School in Mobile and travelled to the Garage Studio in Point Clear, Alabama, and to the Lyons Share Gallery in Fairhope, Alabama. The paintings were displayed for the "First Art Friday" art walk that the town hosts on the first Friday of each month.
 
Alison and Kate Spencer then hosted a silent auction on Thursday, 10 November to raise funds for the children’s Art 4 Life Club including the annual music festival competition. This year Tumaini Senior School students succeeded in making it through to National level winning the chance to perform in Nairobi after beating all other regions with a powerful, traditional Sudanese dance performed by warriors to build confidence and teamwork.

The event was a great success with friends in Alabama making generous offers on the beautiful paintings in support of the Tumaini children. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event such a success and for spreading the Tumaini love!

Over the past 3 years Tumaini Clinic has introduced an effective fee system that allows those that can afford to pay to contribute towards the running costs of our facility. Comprehensive HIV care (ARVs) for adults and children as well as nutrition and other new services have helped build a positive relationship with the local Ministry of Health who continue to support our efforts in providing healthcare to the most vulnerable communities.
 
This year we have treated over 6000 patients at the clinic, reached 500 people through mobile outreach and have provided health education to over 700 people. We continue to take great pride on our family planning services distributing over 1000 condoms this year and providing contraceptives to over 800 women. Our 12 home based carers visit and take care of 29 terminally ill people living at home in the surrounding area.
 
Given the increasing need for maternal services we have a strong desire to expand the clinic to include maternity services,which we hope to achieve in 2017 with continued donor support and partnership.

We are currently managing 4 community groups that we have involved in discussion forums and information sharing groups on the topics of land rights, elections, radicalization, peace as well as accountability training. Peace and security continues to be a major issue in Isiolo. We ensure that the Peace and Development group regularly participates in important council meetings which are responsible for the decision making across the county.
 

• David and Lisa Lubbock
• Luis Mestre
• Alison Neuman
• Andrew Riley
• Edward Speed
• Kate Spencer
• Sam Marra
• Education is Power
• Glencore UK
• Lewa Wilderness

• Lewa Conservancy
• Sirikoi Lodge
• Segal Family Foundation
• Tara House Nursery
• TJ Meyer Foundation UK
• The Claude & Sofia Marion Foundation
• The NDL Foundation
• David & Cissy
• India Rose May
• And all our worldwide donors & friends

You can find out more about the charity on our new website www.pepolatumaini.org and follow our activities and achievements on Facebook and Instagram @pepolatumaini.