WDGA-KENYA 2Steps2Independence I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

WDGA-KENYA Youth

are Mentored by YALI

Students!

2

WDGA-KENYA

Strategic Outlook

2

Thank You to

Ambassador

Dan Simpson

3

WDGA-KENYA

Program Kick Off

3

Global Lighthouse and

Humanitarian Awardees

4

WDGA-USA Intern 5

WDGA Charter Student

Graduating from

University of Nairobi!

5

WDGA-USA

Strategic Outlook

6

Recognizing Our

Board Members

6 - 7

H E W L E T T - P A C K A R D

Alliance News 4th Quarter 2014 & 1st Quarter 2015

Workforce Development Global Alliance Telephone: 412.243.WDGA (9342) Email: contactus@2steps2work.org

9725 Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235 WWW.2STEPS2WORK.ORG

Empowering Youth to GET ALONG (Step 1) to GET AHEAD (Step 2)

WDGA-KENYA celebrated its INDEPENDENCE on December 5, 2014

and is now operating fully independent and self-sufficient! Several corporate

executives and program participants attended the celebration social.

Here is WDGA at it again!

Since 2009, Homestead has

been privileged to have sev-

eral of its youth participate

in WDGA’s Peace Vigils,

Peace Walks and then its

2STEPS2WORK program for a dynamic doz-

en young people.

We are excited to be part of a new Steering

Committee positioning for the inaugural ePal

program – linking youth in Homestead with

youth in Kenya! The program (called “Shared

Struggles – Shared Solutions”) has a noble twist

of engaging the selected 12 youth with tools to

build healthy relationships while becoming em-

ployable. As Mayor, I’m always excited to wit-

ness initiatives in Homestead designed to em-

power youth to lead productive lives while re-

newing “hope” where they live! Homestead is

blessed to have organizations like WDGA and

others to keep HOPE alive!

2STEPS2WORK Returns to Homestead, PA

with New e-Pal Program

Mayor Betty Epser

WDGA Students

Served

Step 1 Step 2

Since Inception (2006) 700 (Kenya) 75 (USA)

125 (Kenya) 24 (USA)

2014 76 (Kenya) 14 (Kenya)

2015 Program Outlook 51 (Kenya) 12 (USA)

14 (Kenya) 12 (USA)

TOTAL SERVED 902 177

Volume 9 - Issue 1

P A G E 2

A L L I A N C E N E W S

WDGA-KENYA Youth are Mentored by Young African

Leaders Initiative Network (YALI) students!

from the desk of Auni Bhaiji, WDGA-KENYA Board Chair

Greetings Supporters!

It is an exciting year for

WDGA-KENYA hav-

ing reached a long-

awaited milestone in

becoming operationally

independent! This

means for the first time

in the history of WDGA, Kenya is a full-fledged

registered NGO in Kenya and now indeed the

first branch and model site.

Step 1 – Own and model the mission of WDGA

Step 2 – Operate self-sufficiently in our annual

Operations and Programming

As you may know, we held our inaugural

2STEPS2-INDEPENDENCE event during

Kenya’s Independence Celebrations in early

December 2014. We hosted a social networking

event where many corporate executive leaders

attended to show their support and engage in

our 2015 Youth Empowerment strategies. We

also awarded our first Kenya-based Dr. Wangari

Maathai Humanitarian Awardee and Global

Lighthouse Awardees featured in this newsletter.

We have an amazing, robust program under-

way! A three-fold rollout::

2Steps2Work Program with five partner

schools in collaboration with iLead (an

eLearning platform);

Mentoring program for Step 2 students with

several Corporate alliances;

Long-awaited ePal / 2steps2-Build collabo-

ration with WDGA-USA (Homestead PA)

and The Greenbelt Movement.

Our eight-member professional WDGA-

KENYA Board of Directors and our Advisory

Committee ensure accountable results with sus-

tainable measures of success! Lastly, having the

steadfast leadership support of the Honorable

US Ambassador to Kenya, MR. ROBERT

GODEC, has also been a cornerstone of our

achievements.

ASANTE (THANK YOU) all for your contin-

ued support to our local to global organization

catapulting priceless outcomes in the lives of

deserving youth-based change agents!

Warm regards,

WDGA-KENYA Strategic Outlook

Charles Maina Wanjiru was selected out of 5,000 global applicants to be a final-

ist for YALI, an initiative which President Obama launched in 2010 to “support

young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic

governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa (YALI).” Charles is now

an Alumni YALI fellow and iLead 21 Trainer. Currently, other Alumni YALI Fel-

lows and the WDGA are in the process of creating a mentoring partnership.

What do you think

about placing photos

of youth leaders here?

YES!!!!!!

Combined

Year / Year

Results and

Outlook

2014 and 2015

...based on WDGA

Program Drivers

Education

Exposure

Empowerment

Experience

Employment

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 9 - I S S U E 1

WDGA-USA AND KENYA EXTEND GRATITUDE TO AMBASSADOR

DAN SIMPSON for 5 years of service as its 2STEPS2WORK Program Chair!

Ambassador Dan receiving his CONGRATULATORY

AND APPRECIATION award from Ambassador Godec

via WDGA’s Founder/President.

Kenya’s US Ambassador – the Honorable ROBERT E.

GODEC– Presentation of plaque to Ambassador Dan!

5 December 2014—US Embassy Kenya!

Thank you Ambassador

Dan! The priceless legacy of your

advisory and strategic program

development contributions will

always be appreciated!

WDGA-KENYA 2015 Program Kick Off from the desk of Pauline Kuria, WDGA-KENYA Program Officer

I am humbled to be part of

the growing WDGA –

Kenya and to be at the

forefront of all the pro-

gram and fundraising activ-

ities here in Nairobi, Kon-

za – Machakos and Nakuru. Starting off the iLead 21

student training in the last Quarter of 2014 at the part-

ner secondary schools has brought much joy to the

students. The program is helping the students to learn

more about themselves and life. Learning how to be a

leader involves understanding what Leadership is and

the traits a leader exhibits. The students

gain a new perspective of life and are learning what

they need to do in order to live outside of the routine

life box that they had been living in their villages. In

Quarter 2, the students will go through an intense

Ethics and Integrity training. They will learn what

their personal values are - but most of all they will be

able to create and understand their own codes of con-

duct. In the last quarter of 2015, the students will go

through peace and career trainings. It is my belief that

the WDGA – Kenya students will be empowered,

educated, exposed and will be able to receive experi-

ence through future employment opportunities.

"WDGA-Kenya iLead 21 Training SCANN Center, Nakuru.

Participative Session in understanding “What is Leadership?”

P A G E 4

A L L I A N C E N E W S

Congratulations to Casey Marenge!

2014 Global Lighthouse Awardee

Tegla Loroupe is a

Kenyan long-distance

track and road run-

ner. She was the first

African woman to

win the New York

City Marathon and

has held many world

records – from

20km to the mara-

thon. She now de-

votes much of her time to humanitarian and

peace activities, through her Tegla Loroupe

Peace Foundation. She won the marathons

of Rotterdam three times between 1997 and

1999, New York in 1994 and 1995, Berlin in

1999, London and Rome in 2000 and Lau-

sanne in 2002.

In 2003, Loroupe founded the Tegla

Loroupe Peace Foundation and has been an

active advocate for peace. She has been suc-

cessful in bringing members of warring tribes

together. In 2006, she founded the 10km

Peace Race, which included 2,000 warriors

from six different tribes. Loroupe said the

motivation for the race was to use her fame

to help

bring

about

greater

harmony.

Casey Marenge is

the Founding and

Executive Director

of the Chariots of

Destiny Organiza-

tion (COD). This

is an NGO based

in Nairobi Kenya

to amongst other aims, advocates for road safety

both in Kenya and Internationally! Casey Ma-

renge began the Chariots of Destiny after she

was involved in a tragic road crash that left her

quadriplegic -- paralyzed from the shoulders

down and a wheelchair user. The Chariots of

Destiny has been involved in several road safety

awareness advocacy campaigns not only in Ken-

ya but internationally! Casey has represented the

Make Roads Safe campaign as a youth ambassa-

dor in several avenues including at the General

Assembly

Road Safety

debate in

New York

and the first

global minis-

terial Road

safety con-

ference held

in Moscow, Russia. Casey also participated at

different Road Safety conferences in several

African countries as well as internationally.

Congratulations to Tegla Loroupe!

2014 WDGA-KENYA Humanitarian Awardee

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 9 - I S S U E 1

WDGA Charter Student (2007)…

Graduating from University of Nairobi (2015)!

"I first met Niecy at my former primary school -

Nakuru Teachers Primary. You probably have

never heard of it.”

I remember then we were very

excited to see such diversity in a

team of supporters in WDGA.

So that is when we began meet-

ing. First as school-to-work stu-

dents, then later in high school as

2Steps2Work leaders.

In 2007, as a WDGA charter

student, I remember all along my classmates kept asking

me, did that Western NGO give you money? Then I would

say no. Did they give you food ? No. Did they give you

clothes or sweets or anything? And when I'd say no - they'd

ask.. So why do you keep going? I proclaimed: THEY

GIVE ME HOPE!

I knew what I received was much more valuable than being

just things and even money. WDGA’s experience has been

priceless. In the program, I learned many things from ethics

personal and professional to etiquette to presentation skills.

We learned about the importance of peace and coexistence

and the value of togetherness. One of

the major takeaways was hope. Hope

to do more and become more!

I later got the chance to attend a job

shadow (at Davis and Shirtliff) where I

was able to apply much of what I had

learnt in the program.

I was selected to be the chair of WDGA youth council after

High School. It was a great experience to be part of this

team and especially function as their leader and the national

coordinator of the youth.

I was surprisingly nomi-

nated as WDGA’s 2013

Youth Leader of the

year. The lessons

learned in WDGA’s

2STEPS2WORK pro-

gram provide practical

leadership and were highly invaluable and have largely in-

fluenced how I lead today. "

ASANTE WDGA and God bless all of its supporters!

- Daniel Samuka

Chelsea Davis: Operations Manager

New WDGA-USA Intern

Curtis and Niecy’s Kenyan

Wedding Ceremony in Lanet

Umoja on 6 December 2014

Left to Right: Curtis, Niecy, and Archie IV

Chelsea graduated from the University of

Pittsburgh’s Social Work Program, with a

minor in Africana Studies as well as an Afri-

can Studies certificate. Her interests led her

to travel to Ghana multiple times, where she

has explored social issues and contributed

her skills to strategic environmental and edu-

cational programs.

WELCOME CHELSEA!

2007

2014

Daniel as Intern

P A G E 6

A L L I A N C E N E W S

ePal Program: The long-awaited strategic pro-

gramming component called “Shared Strug-

gles / Shared Solutions” is being launched

in late April. It is designed to link ONE

DOZEN 2Steps2Work participating youth in

Homestead, PA to 12 youth in Kenya, Africa --

who share common struggles and common

career goals via a cyber-solution eLearning

platform. Their journey will include an eMent-

oring experience in collaboration with Mentor-

ing Partnerships.

WDGA’s 2015 Benefit Festival: Scheduled

for September 30 in Pittsburgh the ePal stu-

dents will be celebrated!

Board Expansion: Launch search for new

members to facilitate WDGA’s forward move-

ment. Allowing access to new networks helping

WDGA to benefit from a diversity of experi-

ence and skills while gaining increased com-

munity support.

Succession Planning: Entering its 10th year,

WDGA has grown tremendously and is about

to experience a major change as WDGA’s

founder transitions off. While celebrating

Niecy’s accomplishments, passion and vision,

WDGA is creating a strong ending and a new

beginning resulting in the best of both

worlds. The WDGA-USA Governing Board is

strategizing to fund and source a part-time Ex-

ecutive Director for WDGA-USA (Target

completion: September 2015).

Funding Strategies: We are grateful for our

2015 USA / KENYA Program Sponsors with

over a dozen yet in our pipeline. ASANTE

(Thank you)!

iLead 21 is a leadership development experi-

ence for students needed to positively impact

the workplace and their community. WDGA-

KENYA collaborated with iLead because of its

eLearning platform that complements our sig-

nature 2STEPS2WORK program. iLead is

also being considered for the upcoming

Homestead (USA) program!

from the desk of Yvette Furlonge, WDGA Board Chair

WDGA-USA Strategic Outlook

Recognizing Our Board Members in the

USA and KENYA!

PR / Operations (USA)

April Brouwer Dawnita Wilson

Rich Snebold

NEW Fiscal Officer!

(USA)

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 9 - I S S U E 1

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8

Samson Murage

Auni Bhaiji Simon Ngugi

Bernard Itebete

Fatma Abdulla Evans Njoro Grace Wanjohi

Reuben Warui

Jessica Bellas

Program Development 2Steps2Work / ePal Program

(USA)

Macrina Lelei

Operations (KENYA)

PR & Financial (KENYA)

Programming (KENYA)

Dr. Samson Ndegwa

Yvette Furlonge

Fundraising (USA)

DONATE TODAY!

WDGA

9725 Frankstown Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15235

NON-PROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT # 1990

PITTSBURGH PA

Announcement!

USA - KENYA e-Pal Program Launch

Save the Date!

USA Benefit Festival - Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Kenya Benefit Festival - Friday, November 13, 2015

Our Mission

To promote economic self-sufficiency

through peace and employability of

disadvantaged youth.