WELCOME TO
Umoja Community Development Projects (Umoja CDP)
Bringing Hope to the World
About Us
Umoja Community Development Projects (Umoja CDP) is a Christian-based social charitable organisation. We are also non-denominational, non-political and non-governmental.
Structure, Governance, and Management
The Charity/organization governing document is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO – Foundation Constitution), Registered in England & Wales (registration number 1174136).
The Charity/organization is governed by a board on which the Trustees are represented. The board of Trustees meets regularly to review the plans and activities of the charity and monitor the progress of charity’s programmes and finances.
Objectives and Activities
The Objects of the charity/organisation are to relieve the needs of deprived people from all walks of life in the community and to advance in life their capacities and capabilities that will improve their conditions of life and enable them to participate in society as responsible individuals.
Our strategy is primarily to work with young people, career starters, and children in both the United Kingdom and abroad through the provision of Information, Advice, Guidance, Counselling, and skills Training which will develop their skills.
The Charity is about building resilience and character and giving young people the life skills, they need to live, learn, work, and interact successfully with other people in their communities.
The Trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit before deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Funding
As a registered charity our sources of funding include:
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Crowdfunding
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Sponsorship
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Donations from individuals, groups, corporations and organisations, such as Local authorities and department of works
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Fundraising events
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Training Fees
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Community Funding (run by the community)
What we do in kenya
Based in Nairobi, we offer advice and support as well as basic skills training in such areas as:
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Computing
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Tailoring
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Accounting
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Beauty therapy
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Hairdressing
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Health and fitness
We also offer Higher National Diploma (HND) - London college accredited courses,
in areas such as:
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IT Systems development
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Management
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Leadership
The Needy and Deprived:
A meal a day
We are providing a meal a day to over 80 children at our community centre at Korogocho, Kariobangi slum (one of the most deprived communities in Nairobi).
Teenage mothers:
Our slum's outreach to young children sparks greater need...
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The feeding program uncovered another huge need for teenage mothers and their babies
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45 Teenage Mothers as young as 12-14, supporting 1-2 kids each, turned up in need of food themselves and their babies and possible a secure shelter from abuse
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Root cause is poverty and the lack of education coupled with the difficulty of life in the slums
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Major needs are to provide safe shelter, parental skills training, personal hygiene, and skills training which will minimise homelessness, child prostitution and child marriage and possibly offer these teenage girls the opportunity to get an education
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Work has launched and a team of volunteers has gathered to continue the work, but are lacking safe shelter and further resources
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Regular financial resources are needed to continue offering the above services and finally build a safe shelter for these teenage mothers and their babies, which will enable them to develop the life skills needed for independent living
Young mEN IN THE COMMUNITY:
Complaints of the overlooked young men in the community drive new opportunities...
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Nearly 40 young men, aged 16-25 rallied to our Community Centre Project to complain about lack of consideration for their development needs as they cited there were no Charitable groups coming into the slums that had offfered any programmes for them.
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We have now extended our outreach to include them and are now able to offer them development opportunities in landscaping design, flower pottery, and small scale business management.
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Along with various business skills we have also begun offering training in Personal Financial Literacy, which educates young men in the area of basic financial managment, like budgeting, savings and investments.
Children's Homes Project
UCDP is actively working with newly established children's homes which cater for approximately 60 children ages 1-18 originally from the streets and Slums of Nairobi.
We are able to provide food, healthcare, secure shelter, life skills, educational resources and recreational development activities. This is aimed to improve the wellbeing of the future generation.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
UCDP networks with Health professionals to provide practical training in minimising, managing and caring for people with communicable diseases who live in the high-risk areas of the Slums of Nairobi and nearby rural areas.
Women empowerment Program(WEP)
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Hygiene and Personal Health for Young Women
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In highly deprived areas most of the young women are not well informed on issues concerning proper hygiene, primarily their sanitary health. Due to lack of resources they are not able to maintain proper personal hygiene. It is therefore our mission to create programs to support and train women in the following:
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Menstrual Health & Hygiene - demystifying myths, cultural beliefs, misconceptions and misinformation regarding periods.
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Parenthood - Childcare, budgeting and healthy diet.
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We make and provide reusable sanitary pads.
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Women in action
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We offer handcraft skills training and fund opportunities to enable women to manufacture and produce handcrafted household items, such as sanitizers, rugs, baskets, and jewellery which helps them become self-supporting providing for their families.
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To get involved please follow the link provided to let us know the areas you are interested in supporting.
WHAT WE DO IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK)
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Based in Wokingham (Berkshire), we work with and support care leavers and career starters, through the provision of information, advice, guidance, and skills training.
To advance in life and relieve the needs of young people, building resilience and character, giving young people the skills they need to live, learn, work and interact successfully with other people in their communities.
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We also recruit and train volunteers interested/willing to work with us both locally and abroad.
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We also offer an opportunity to our trainees to participate in our periodic programmes abroad
Join us on Facebook
For more photos and videos
Our Team
Bishop Joseph Ruo - UK
Founder and Chairman - Umoja Community Development Projects
Bishop Ruo is the head of Worldwide Gospel Mission and the Association of Churches and Ministers based in the UK, with a vast experience in youth work, children and family, counseling and support. He has established and worked with various community projects for deprived communities around the world for more than three decades.
Catherine Schalk - UK
Associate and Training Provider - Umoja Community Development Projects
Founder and executive director of Inkwazi Kommunications Limited
Catherine offers ideas, advice and informatiion services based on her 20+ years in marketing, sales, operations, sales enablement and event execution
Wes Wisham - UK | USA
Training Coordinator and Trainer - Umoja Community Development Projects
Currently serving Skillsoft Ltd. in the UK providing Learning Services Solution consulting . He previously founded M:25 Performance Edge Limited in the UK.
Wes specializes in teaching leaders how to present like TedTalk influencers, grow in their Leadership skills and advises on learning strategies and digital technology platforms to help drive performance at scale. Certified, John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher and Speaker.
Bongiwe Msimango - South Africa | UK
Official - Umoja Community Development Projects
A social worker - experience in working with children and families in prevention of child abuse and creating child protection awareness and organisational governance both in ministry and charity work. With extensive and expertise aquired both in South Africa and the UK
Rev. Wander Phiri - UK
Official - Umoja Community Development Projects
Dr Mamothe Makgabo - South Africa
Project coordinator – Umoja community Development Projects
Dr Mamothe is a public health specialist, with special interests in communicable diseases i.e. TB and HIV, a woman of God and a motivational speaker. She is passionate about community outreach especially the upliftment of the disadvantaged youth, especially girls and women through skills development and empowerment. She believes in promotion of comprehensive wellbeing: (Physical, Spiritual, Psychological and Emotional Wellbeing).
Ann Muthoni - Kenya
Projects Manager
Umoja Community Development Projects
Samuel Mungai - Kenya
Projects Coordinator
Umoja Community Development Projects
Get Involved
Here's how you can be involved:
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Volunteering – Offering your professional services or helping with specific tasks for the charity – Including logistics – venue management – materials organisation – organising volunteer teams – assisting with marketing and promoting the charity
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Co-ordinating – Organising programmes, projects and teams to advance the Charity's work as required, or for specific projects
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Fundraising – Soliciting financial support for the Charity's work and vision through marketing and direct appeal campaigns
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Consultative Strategy – Consulting with the Charity on how to operationalise it’s vision in the near term, medium term and long term
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Donations – Providing regular or one-time financial support, cash or in kind to the Charity's ongoing work and vision or for a specific project - Donate here or click the "Donate Directly" link below
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Sponsorship - Funding specific work or service or volunteers to deliver planned projects and programmes of the Charity
CONTACT US
info.umojacdp@gmail.com
Future Objectives
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To advance in life and relieve the needs of young people through the provision of information, advice and guidance, which will develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to improve their condition of life and enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals
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Lecture rooms filled with people eager, sometimes desperate, to learn how to take care of themselves, their relationships and their life issues.
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A library filled with students and people researching, reading and learning, surfing the net as part of their research.
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A coffee shop filled with people chatting, laughing, comparing notes, sharing and helping each other with their learning and life issues.
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A network of resources in the community that we work with to help us fulfil the purpose of our training centre and people available to provide guidance on what is available.
There is a high prevalence of young people who are faced with difficulties stemming from lack of social and professional skills. The project is therefore intended to impact the ones that have not been reached or serviced in this area.
The organisation aims to provide skills training, and leisure time activities, to cater for the needs of young people from all walks of life.
We do this through:
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Skills training
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Personal development opportunities
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Action Planning
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Coaching
Registered In England & Wales as UMOJA (Community) Development Projects Reg No. 1174136