Guy's African Family (Complete with Namesake)

As these African notes begin to wind down (after all, it's now been nearly four months since I left Nairobi and the wonderful friends I got to know throughout Kenya), it seems appropriate to share a few more photographs of my African "family." While I had noted the relationship in a previous post, there had not been time to edit the photographs, and I published just a couple.


Here's what I wrote in that December 31, 2010 post:


Another highlight was a visit to Nyanguru Village, to go to Charles's home and visit with his children and be with his and Jane's family. I had visited Nyanguru Village, near Kisii, earlier in the year because Mr. Charles (who started out as my driver and quickly became one of my best friends in Kenya) had invited me to get to know his family. Go here to read about that visit. 

Although I had been to Nyanguru Village before, this visit in December was very special because now I was going to have the opportunity to visit my African namesake. Claire Kwamboka Ombongi Masese, born just a few weeks earlier, is names for Charles's recently deceased sister, and her first name is taken from my last name. I was very honored when Charles and Jane connected to "St. Clair" and chose to name their baby Claire. We're calling her "Angel Claire," which is her daddy's special name for her. It was a wonderful day in Nyanguru Village (and in Mr. Guy's heart) when we went to see Claire and all of Charles's wonderful family.

Now I have the photographs of that family gathering, at Charles and Jane's house on December 22, 2010. You can view them here.

Charles Ombongi Masese Completes SMR Africa's First Scholarship Program

SMR International has announced that the winner of SMR Africa's first training program has completed his courses. Inaugurated in 2010 with funding from SMR Africa - SMR's African affiliate - the program enables African students to learn ICT and KM skills.

Charles Ombongi Masese of Nairobi and Nyanguru Village, Kisii was the first SMR Africa scholarship winner. He used the grant for computer training, attending a seven-month program of nine courses, each with 4 -8 class meetings. The program is offered by Hansons' College of Professional Studies, Nairobi.

At the completion of the course, Masese was awarded a certificate from Hansons' College, certifying that he had completed training in a wide range of Microsoft Office programs, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access, as well as training in searching the web.

Completing his studies, Masese was introduced to knowledge management and KM principles through attendance at lectures and programs at various organizations in the Nairobi area and at an international conference at Egerton University near Nakuru.

Masese noted that he is pleased to have this training in ICT and KM.

"This is one more communication tool for me," Masese said, and he expects to put what he learned to use in his business, C&G Driving and Safari Services.

As a driver for tourists who come to Nairobi to visit attractions in the city and the surrounding area, Masese is now positioned to arrange exceptional safari excursions. By using his new skills for searching the internet, as taught in the courses he attended, and combining these skills with his experience as a tour driver and his vast knowledge of Kenya's birds and wildlife, Masese can focus on his clients' particular travel interests. With this training, C&G Driving and Safari Services can now offer clients a better safari experience than they might find elsewhere.

"Taking these courses has been great for me," he said, "and I hope to use what I've learned to move my business forward. I'm very pleased that I know how to use these tools. Now I'll be able to build my client base, especially with clients from overseas."

The Hansons' College certificate was presented by SMR President Guy St. Clair in Nairobi on Christmas Day. In his remarks, St. Clair announced that SMR Africa expects to continue its support in ICT and KM training, and noted that interested parties can contact Nerisa Jepkorir Kamar (nerisaj@gmail.com) for further information.

For more information about C&G Driving and Safari Services, contact Charles Ombongi Masese directly at charlesomasese@gmail.com.