July Centre Meeting: Fostering Collaboration and Empowering Communities

On July 6th, Ruben Centre held its 5th monthly Centre meeting for 2023, led by Director Br. Frank O’Shea. The meeting brought together twenty project leaders representing different projects, including education, health, social-economic empowerment, advocacy and networking, and organizational capacity.

The meeting began with a moment of gratitude from the Human Resource department, acknowledging the staff members who attended the burial of Nelson Asiago, who tragically passed away in the month of May. Br. Frank then proceeded with a recap of moving beyond the Day of the African Child and posed some thought-provoking questions. He asked about the importance to commemorate the Day of the African Child, recognize the Employee of the Year, and learn from the good, the bad and ugly aspects of history. The staff members provided insightful answers, emphasizing the commitment to honor and safeguard children within the organization.

During the meeting, Carla Lisa from German Cooperation (GIZ) made a pleasant surprise visit. She congratulated the Ruben Centre for winning first place in the competition for the Urban Circular Garden proposal in an entrepreneurship program. The team, including Alice Wanjiru, Gregory Barake, and Benson Kagwima, secured a prize of €10,000 to develop the garden and provide community training. They were appreciated with a gift for their efforts in achieving this success.

Br. Frank went on to present the organization organogram, which visualizes reporting relationships and communicates employees' names, skills, and contact information. The announcement of Ruben Centre's Trustees followed, including Justus Mwendwa, Tom Kerney, Simon Peter Odongo, Zipporah Mwangi, and Liz Mwangi. The trustees will have the responsibility of supporting and overseeing the management, staff, and volunteers while ensuring legal compliance and proper financial management.

The values of Edmund Rice, namely presence, compassion, and liberation, were then discussed. The staff members shared their views on how to foster teamwork, starting with the leadership team. The Human Resource manager informed everyone about the upcoming policy meeting scheduled for the following Friday. Additionally, there were updates on pension matters, with 78 staff members currently on pension and 28 remaining to be enrolled by the end of the month. The HR manager requested all leave schedules to be submitted to the HR office.

The Programs Manager, Mr. Tony Okolla, took over to discuss the quarter 2 report, expressing gratitude to all project leaders for their collaboration. The deadline for submitting the quarter two report was set for July 30th, 2023. Tony also announced the opening of project proposals, and progress was made in seeking support from Misean Cara. The PR Officer displayed the improvements and changes made to the Ruben Centre website, assuring that all relevant news would be posted departmentally. The IT manager then discussed asset management, presenting asset transfer forms and explaining data collection methods for asset maintenance.

Subsequently, project leaders shared updates on their respective areas. The Special Unit announced an upcoming educational trip on July 11th. The Human Development and Training Skills Training Program received sponsorship from Eka Hotel in conjunction with the Amrit Foundation to support 10 needy students. In the health department, a partnership was established with rescue.co to provide ambulance services. The hospital also underwent a system upgrade, particularly in the laboratory and pharmaceutical stores for efficiency and transparency in its operations. A training session on fatherhood roles was conducted for 25 new fathers in a bid to demystify that parenthood is a woman’s role in the African context. The school reported ongoing activities, including a music festival.

In the Advocacy and Networking department, efforts were focused on a housing project. The Public Secretary of Housing, Charles Hinga, along with partners like Habitat for Humanity, would be present for the launch event scheduled for the following week. Radio Ruben FM would cover the event live. Additionally, a Ruben FM tournament was announced.

The meeting served as a successful platform for Ruben Centre staff to come together, strengthen our teams, and discuss our projects. It allowed for reflection on the collective efforts made by the organization and how we align with the goal of creating a just and empowered community. By fostering collaboration and providing a space for open dialogue, the meeting contributed to the overall growth and development of Ruben Centre's mission.

By Benson Kagwima & Gregory Barake