Author - Jammy

Your name and what do you do?    

My Name is Alfred Sigo and I am Social Entrepreneur and Youth Advocate at Pwani Youth Network

What is social activism in your own words?   

Social Activism is taking action with community different agenda towards a specific goal, Like mine has always been to make peace and better health care a reality to our people.

You are the champion of a myriad of causes that touch on social justice. How did you get started?

Well my story toward championing for a better community started why back in my primary school days. I was raised up in one of the largest slum in Mombasa [Bangladesh]. Growing up in the area was not an easy task, hence the drive to make that change needed in the communities. Some of the issue that driven me towards the person I am today was poverty in the community I grew up in to see my fellow youths engaging in heavy drugs and alcohol abuse, and lastly the unemployment rate

Can you explain a bit about the different organizations you work with and lead?

I have been part of several community organization but currently working for Pwani Youth Network, a network organization that is working with youth and community by use talent, Film, Sports and Technology to reach community. The Youth Initiatives has several baby groups. This Youth organization has 5 main adjective talent identification and promotion, Film and Talent Nurturing, Peace Building and promotion of better health care to the community. Currently we most of several national and international achievement for the work done.

Mombasa has a long way to reach on economic empowerment, what do you think we need to do to achieve this?

Mombasa is a home of talent and different skill, I think government agency and also non state actor should started looking at provision of alternative jobs opportunity by investing  in talent and other skill development

If you could have the ears of world leaders, what is the one message you would most want to tell them? We have made a lot of progress, but what more needs to be done?

Life is not what we are but what we are made of. For us to achieve development in the world we must have peace and for peace to be achieved then we must embraces our diversity for we are one under God

You have a lot of commitments, how do you manage your time?

Well time management has been number priority for me to achieve and meet my target and at time I have to work up for as early as 4 to work on my laptop.

Name three people who inspire you, and why?

Bonface Mwangi, Rachel  Muthoga  and Georgina Obonyo. All these people are Kenya and still very young trying to make  a difference in the community the work in. I don’t see them often but a follow what they do on a daily basis and learn a lot from them. I will also love to recognize my mum Mildred Adhiambo who is a strong pillar in my life.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?   

10 year from now and indeed beyond would love to be a great man in the community I come from. In life I define success not with profit and wealth I accumulate but with the difference I make.

Parting shot.         

The Youth make up majority of the population in this nation and that means we have the loudest vote in this coming Kenya election, we can make a difference through the voice of the ballot

Your name and what do you do?
My name is Mariam Mpaata. I actually wear many hats. However I am the founder of Junior Stars Youth Development Programme. The programme runs various outfits because as you know young people are interested in many things. You have to be creative to keep up with them. So we run the following programmes; Junior Stars Football Academy, Watoto Africa Soccer Academy, Soccer Divas Club, MMM’s Women Series, and Youth Mentorship forums.  Our initiatives focus on using football and mentorship skills to bring together youth and women.

Today however I want to wear the hat of C.E.O at WASA.

Tell us about Watoto Africa Soccer Awards – Mombasa
WASA is arguably the biggest annual football festival coast region has seen in a very long time. Since 2012, WASA has hosted a series of tournaments and Gala Awards bringing together over 60,000 young boys and girls. Youth come from community and schools teams to compete in the prestigious festival because of its organized and fun nature. During the gala ceremonies outstanding players and winning teams are recognized and awarded.

Apart from talent search, we also use WASA to deliver paramount messages, this year for instance our theme was Peace through cultural diversity. We also use the same platform to mentor youth in various departments like photography, events management, refereeing, commentating and so forth. We also invite football legends to inspire the youth during the festival.

This year we hope to hit the 70,000 mark, by taking the event to two other counties. We want to reach out to Nairobi and Trans Nzioa. We believe that the WASA concept can be replicated in several other areas because as it is football is a very popular game. It has been a remarkable project. Last year in December we launched it in Uganda. Our dream is to launch in all East African counties as well as other counties in Kenya.

What do you hope to achieve from this initiative?
There is an urgent need to keep young people busy and away from social evils like drug abuse, crime, radicalization and early sexual encounters. During WASA, Youth are kept busy close to three months.

WASA addresses the lack grass root football structures for younger players. There is a need to create fun, structured and competitive football programs for talented young players within the country.

WASA deliver vital messages to youth each year. WASA 2017 theme is embracing cultural diversity for peaceful co-existence. Through this platform we continue communicate important messages for social development.

There is need to provide youth with mentorship and job opportunities. Through our various WASA departments not limited to: event management, photography, and video coverage, MCs, journalism and refereeing young people have been empowered and motivated to pursue that which they are passionate about.

What challenges do you face?
Unfortunately our success has been our biggest challenge. WASA has become a very exciting event and every child wants to play in the games. This means that our budget grows bigger each year. We credit our success to the many corporates and well-wishers that support us over the years but we still need a lot of support. Sponsorship have not been very easy to come by. However the more the numbers the bigger the financial implication. We appreciate our partners for WASA 2017  Taifa Leo and Safaricom for coming through for us.

What are your plans for WASA?
Our dreams is to take WASA to different counties of Kenya besides this we want to take it to the different East African counties. Already Uganda has taken it positively when we launched there last year.
We also want to set up WASA soccer centers of excellence for talented players in the region.

What have been WASA’s achievements?
WASA’s biggest achievement has been the number of children that have played in the games since inception. We began with 500 boys in 2012 and now we proud talk of 60,000 girls and boys. In fact this year alone we want to hit the 70,000 mark. Each time we interact with these young people we aspire to leave them better citizens of their countries.

Another achievement has been corporate support. Some of our notable supporters have been NTV and Safaricom Ltd among other corporates.
Of Course we also consider that having Mohammed Hersi as our new patron a remarkable achievement. For us to be able to achieve more impact, we need a strong focused team and having Hersi on our team we are hopeful that we can reach more youth.

Tell us more about Hersi’s  appointment?
This appointment was announced last week and it was well received. The WASA patron is none other than Mohammed Hersi the current C.E.O of Heritage Hotels in Kenya. Hersi has always had a keen interest in seeing this country’s youths develop to their full potential. He knows pretty well the value of investing in the youth. He is one of the few people who believe that young people if supported can make a great contribution to this country and Africa at large.  We are honored to have him as our WASA patron. We believe that together we can crisscross this country with the WASA concept and give hope to millions of youth.

Last week Mohammed Hersi, expressed his humility at the appointment and affirmed that WASA was one of the best youth football projects Mombasa had seen in decades. Hersi has been a supporter of our programmes way back in 2009 when we first invited him as our first guest of honour during a football event. Mr Mohammed has since commended our good work and persistence with keeping young people busy. He pledged to help us fulfill WASA’s vision of reaching millions of children across the globe.

Your name and what do you do?
My name is Sophie Mohammed Abdalla, Co-founder & Director of Jay Fun Media Limited (Jay fm) and also the manager at Swams Tours & Safaris Ltd MSA.

Tell us about JAYFM?
Jay Fm is the Future of radio.
It is the first online radio station in Mombasa and the first online commercial radio in Kenya.
Jay fm is in the verge of quenching the thirst of many when it comes to content.
It’s just simply amazing

What challenges did you face setting up JAYFM?
Together with my partner Jamal and the rest of the team we faced massive challenges, some  being finance and acceptance, I think these are the main challenges faced by youth when getting started in business and we are victims too

How does it feel being a female entrepreneur?
This is one of the greatest feeling I ever had, I entered in a unique circle of life, especially when it comes to priorities and respect it’s really awesome.

Do you think there are enough resources in Mombasa for start-ups?
Absolutely NO!
Comparing Mombasa and other counties…. The County Government of Mombasa should invest more on youth who have great business ideas since it’s going to improve more on the county economy.

Can you tell us about any habits you have/things you do that set you up for success every day?
Hahaha…habits ok,
One of my beat habits is praying and let my future day plan on Allah’s hands, I also like getting information before stepping out; what’s trending today!
And the last habit I can never avoid is smiling.

What specific advice would you have for young women who would like to become an entrepreneur?
You know running a start-up is like eating glass and with time you just start to like the taste of your own blood. So to my dear ladies you are still young and you have all the room to mess up. If you wanna do something great do it now don’t wait.

If someone gave you an opportunity to ask for anything for your business, what would you ask for?
Make my business Global

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
On the path that am following right now is seeing myself growing further and further… More branches for Jay fm, more businesses and much success.

Parting shot
Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.

Your name and what do you do? 

My name is Sheikha Abdallah Karama and I am training to be a chef.

Where did you train to be a chef?

I trained to be a chef in Boma international hospitality college, Nairobi.

How would you describe your style of cooking? 

Simple cooking, neat, organized, and very easy. Once you organize yourself the job is half done. Also every ingredient matters so I choose them wisely.

Do you have a “signature dish” or favourite dish you enjoy cooking?

Not yet I’m still working on it. Mmmh! I love barbeques so Grilled lamb chops, smoked rosemary sauce served with grilled corn on the cob and a simple salad dressed with apple cider vinaigrette.

Even though cooking is “Known as for women” being a chef has reputation for being a tough, male-dominated job. How do you deal with such stereotypes?

Being a chef is not a walk in the park, it is male dominated but it doesn’t mean it is for men only. If you really want it, nothing should bring you down and I want this so I don’t get demoralized by comments on my gender or any other for that matter.

In Mombasa, we are used to the Vyazi vya karai and bhajiyas. Gourmet food is only appreciated in restaurants. What are simple gourmet meals people can prepare at home?

Gourmet simply means good food. It’s how you present food , the taste, the preparation that makes it gourmet. Swahili cuisine is 1 of the most popular cuisine in Kenya and is also unique because of the mix of cultures and use of ingredients like coconut milk, saffron, spices i.e. cinnamon, cardamom, cumin etc. that add up to the flavors to make it taste exotic hence enjoyed by people from different walks of life. Dishes like pilau, biryani, chapatti, mahamri are made in 5 star hotels and people appreciate it.

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. George Bernard Shaw— Do you think this quote is true? 

Food can say a lot and when you love food you will find yourself being a loyal fan of a certain dish or restaurant or even chef/cook. I believe it can express love, grow love, spread love but I’m yet to prove that it is the only sincere love.

Who is your role model?

My Mom.  Cliché? I know! But honestly she’s the most selfless person I’ve ever met! She is a God fearing, peace loving, strong woman. She is intriguingly positive, down to earth and has so much love to give. She makes me want to be a better person, I aspire to be a better her 😉

Any advice you would give to someone wanting to become a chef.

Let nothing come in your way, follow your heart and it will take you places. Challenges will always be there but they are there so you can grow and become better.

Parting shot

Be kind, be positive, be strong and spread love.

Follow me on instagram:  shycooks

Your name and what do you do?

My Name is Kaif Mansur Bagha and I work as an Accountant at Corner Garage Group

How many charity organization are you part of?

Am a part of 2 Charity Organization:-

Dear Diary Initiatives – The Dear Diary Initiatives Kenya is a community based not for profit making campaign that was established in 2011 to advocate for the rights and welfare of people with disability. Among other activities the dear diary initiatives has been advocating for the rights of disabled people locally, it has been involved in sensitization on the community through arts on disability and support disabled people who have been neglected by their families or whose families are not at a position to cater for their basic need and medication. Currently it has supported more that fifteen disabled individuals. The organizations Mission is to Inform, Educate and Empower the community on disability issues through the medium of discussion, performing arts, peer education, counseling and workshops.
The organization has a strong team of individuals whom in spite of them being disable they are willing to contribute their expertise to make the communication strategy of the initiative
coming into reality. It also has willing supporters, financers, donors and friends willing to see the project a reality.
The organization is looking forward to institute itself into a continuous initiative, looking
after its awareness, sensitization and advocacy project in a professional manner with
professional input to make the society a better place for the disabled.

Service To Humanity – This is an organization that was formed in 2016 and is made up of several individuals from different fields and organization as well e.g MCCBO,Life In Mombasa who have come together to help out in the society although so far only two projects have taken place :-

The world disabled day 2016 – The organization helped out in packing of snacks, drink, refreshments and sweets for almost 600 individuals, also assisted the County Government Traffic Department and The Kenya Police Traffic in traffic movement

Funds For Mahmoud Moh’d – The organization came to the aid of this legend a footballer who once played for the Kenyan National Soccer Team in raising funds for his surgery which is to take place in India.

In Shaa Allah this organization will help in many more projects to come as and when needed.

Why do you volunteer?

I volunteer because it’s one thing that I love doing. Helping and giving back to the society no matter how small or big it is.

How many times a week do devote your time to volunteering?

Am on standby seven days a week unless there are circumstances.

What are the challenges you face as a volunteer?

The challenges I face as a volunteer is that at times the society thinks that when one volunteers it’s either to gain fame or it thinks one is showing off. But I do it purely from my heart.

What special skills you possess that helps you as a volunteer?

Well a soft heart, I simply cannot just stand and watch someone suffering even if it is on the road I will help no matter how I can at times I would end up in tears and the willingness to volunteer.

Tell us an experience from your volunteer experience that keeps you volunteering?

Well when I was in school there was a time I had gone with Rotarians for a free medical camp in a rural area. The faces of the unfortunate before and after being helped was a totally different image. And since then I told myself I should keep doing this In Shaa Allah till when I can.

Who are your role models that you look up to?

My dad – He is always volunteering in the community during functions I guess that’s where some of volunteering instincts come from.

My Bro Elcaboos – He is one person who always likes giving back to the society no matter how small or big it is, it is one of his traits that makes him my role model. With him that’s not all. He is one person who has been on my side since when I first met him two years ago. His way of doing things is what really amazes me – God give him a long life.

Do you see yourself volunteering internationally?

Wow that would be a dream come true. It would be a dream come true cos not only will I be giving back to the local society but internationally as well because it’s not only people who are close around you that need help but others as well. True there are volunteer groups outside as well, but it would be an honour working shoulder to shoulder from someone internationally.

Parting shot.

I also want to thank and appreciate all those who have always been with me at times when volunteerism is required, the several companies and individuals who support us in any way they can.

I would really like and love if more of us could join in and help at times when needed.

Service To Humanity. Yes, We Can..

Your name and what do you do?

My name is Salima Tahir Sheikh Said Ahmed and I am a chef, entrepreneur, wife and mother of two.

Tell us more about Flames Deli and Grill?

Having moved from Canada, I was eager to venture into the culinary industry in Mombasa. After spending over a year in research, I discovered that there was a niche for gourmet burgers. Thus, I opened Flames in October 2013. Over the years, I slowly introduced more items to up my menu.

Do you think Mombasa has embraced gourmet Fast Food?

The eating environment in Mombasa has significantly changed over the years. People have embraced new foods and are more open to new culinary ideas. This is a direct result of exposure to different cuisines by means of social media tools and more people being well-travelled.  Therefore, I think Mombasa has embraced gourmet fast food very well.

Where did you study culinary skills?

I did my culinary training at George Brown Culinary School in Toronto Canada. I honed my culinary skills at Hotel Intercontinental Toronto and Rose Reisman Catering before moving to Kenya.

There are so many restaurants in Mombasa, how do you stay in the business?

It’s very important to have an edge especially where there are so many restaurants around. The key to our success is delivering a friendly service, a great menu selection that fits our brand, new and seasonal offerings that create excitement for our customers, and an appreciation for the customer’s business. Personal touches like having me stop by a table to assure quality, can leave a lasting impression and help to make an emotional connection with customers and instill loyalty.

Flames Deli and Grill is the first to introduce Freakshakes, tell us about Freakshakes?

We proudly introduced Freakshakes, an Australian invention, to Kenya early of last year. Freakshakes are over-the-top milkshakes that are stacked with whipped cream, wedges of cake, sprinkles of cookies, candy, wafers and drizzles of syrup.  I have five flavours in my menu now: Death by chocolate, snickers, cookies ‘n’ crème, nutella and peanut butter & jelly.  My favourite is “Death by chocolate”. It’s a chocolate milkshake with a brownie and drizzle of chocolate syrup, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chocolate brownies and toasted marshmallows.

What does it take to be a culinary chef?
Being a culinary chef is not something for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of passion, hard work, dedication, patience and creativity to succeed. You have to love what you do if you are to last in this industry.

How do you balance between your family and your business?

I find it very important to have time at the restaurant and time with my family and myself. I create a balance between these so that nothing suffers. Effective time management skills help.  I have also invested in a strong and talented team to run my restaurant the same way I would when I am not there.

Do you plan to expand Flames Deli and Grill to other cities in Kenya?

We do have plans to open in Nairobi in the near future. Nairobi is the culinary capital of Kenya because of the large number of expats, the rise of the Kenyan middle class there and social media explosion. I believe I will do very well there.

Parting shot.

First and foremost, I want to thank Allah for giving me strength. I could never be what I am today without His blessings. I also want to thank my Dad for believing in me and providing me with the financial resources in opening flames. I also couldn’t be here without the loving support of my husband, kids, family and friends. Last but not least, I do thank and appreciate the hard work and dedication by my employees. They play a huge role in the day to day running of my restaurant.
Some advice for people thinking of venturing into the culinary industry. Research, research and research. Do not open a restaurant blindly without proper research. Secondly, it takes time to build a brand and this is true to restaurants too. Do not expect unrealistic goals. Give your restaurant some time to build its name and the sky should be the limit.