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Welcome to our blog!

Here we will share updates, reflections, and stories from our work with YesWeAre. Through these posts, you will get a glimpse into our visits to partner schools, teacher trainings, and the inspiring everyday moments we experience together with teachers, ambassadors, and students.

Our goal is to give you a closer look at the work being done on the ground.

Blog Posts

Kenya Jan-Feb 2026

During the period January 19 – March 22, I (Filippa Ingmyr) am doing my internship at YesWeAre. I am in my third and last year of the Bachelor’s Programme in Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg. The programme focuses on international relations, sustainable development, and human rights.

I will be accompanying YesWeAre’s director, Maria, in Kenya for five weeks, followed by four weeks at the office in Sweden. Below are some updates from our time in Kenya, January 21 – February 26.

Monday, January 26 – Visit at CMC

On Monday morning, Maria and I traveled to Christ Mission Centre (CMC) to observe YesWeAre lessons and meet with the teachers and the principal. Each class has one 30-minute YesWeAre lesson per week. We were able to sit in on four lessons: PP1 (ages 3–4), PP2 (ages 4–5), Grade 1, and one combined lesson with Grades 2–5. It was very inspiring to see how the lessons are conducted. We got to observe how the teachers interact with the children and how the children talk with one another to come up with different solutions. Even though the school is located in the Mathare slum and it is clear that resources are extremely limited with small and crowded classrooms, the school is doing an amazing job. After observing the lessons, we had a short meeting with the principal to plan two training sessions. The school has some new teachers who have not yet been trained in the material, and others who could benefit from a refresher. This is something we are really looking forward to.

Wednesday, January 28 – Visit at Heritage

Today we visited a school we have collaborated with for a long time: Heritage. When we arrived at the parking area, the students were on their break, playing football on the field next to the parking lot. We received a very warm welcome and lots of hugs from the children. At this school, children learn from an early age that it is okay to hug when greeting someone, since many of them do not receive much affection or hugs at home. After a pleasant greeting meeting with the headteacher, Tina, Maria and I went into the large classroom to observe a YesWeAre lesson. Just like at CMC, Heritage also holds one YesWeAre lesson per class every week. The lesson we attended included the playgroup, PP1, and PP2. The theme of the lesson was emotions, specifically “to be angry.” It was an incredible lesson led by a very engaged teacher who managed to capture the children’s attention throughout the entire session. Even though the children are very young, they sat eagerly listening to the teacher and then raised their hands to participate in discussions and conversations about feelings.

Thursday, January 29 – Meeting at Outreach Joy

Maria and I went to a school in Mathare called Outreach Joy. YesWeAre has previously held two training sessions with the teachers there, and this visit was to plan the next training opportunity. When we arrived at the school, many of the students came forward to greet us, a very warm welcome. After that, we had a meeting with the headteacher to schedule the upcoming training. We are really looking forward to the next training session. Kevin, one of the YesWeAre ambassadors, is responsible for the contact with this school, so he will also be involved in leading the upcoming trainings

Saturday, January 31 – Meeting with the ambassadors

Today Maria and I invited all the ambassadors to the Airbnb we stay at. The idea was partly for me to meet and get to know everyone, and partly to plan the weeks ahead. We had a lovely dinner together and enjoyed delicious pilau that Maria had cooked. Afterwards, we discussed the development of the organization, future training sessions, and upcoming plans. It was so wonderful to meet all these amazing ambassadors. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with them and getting to know them even better. It’s very clear that they are deeply passionate about YesWeAre’s work and purpose.

The ambassadors:

Elphas, Allan, Teresia, Asante, Kevin and George

Monday, February 2 – Interviews

I started the week by visiting a school, where I interviewed teachers for a study I am doing for YesWeAre. The aim of the study is to explore whether, and if so, in what ways, YesWeAre’s work has an impact on schools and their students.

During my internship, I will interview 16 teachers: 8 from schools that have collaborated with YesWeAre for a longer period of time, and 8 from schools that have not yet begun working with the organization. The aim is for me to combine this study with my bachelor’s thesis. I look forward to sharing the results of my completed study at the end of May, when the thesis/study is finished.

Tuesday, February 3 – School Visits

Today, I continued working on my study by interviewing more teachers at another school. The interviews were both interesting and insightful. At the same time, Maria and Allan (YesWeAre ambassador) visited a school in Mathare that has been collaborating with YesWeAre for some time. However, many of the previous teachers had left, and the new teachers had not yet been trained in the material. There was no electricity at the school when Maria and Allan arrived, leaving the classrooms almost completely dark, with only a small amount of sunlight coming through the windows and doors. This created a challenging learning environment, making it difficult for both students and teachers to see clearly, for example, when writing on the blackboard. It was unclear how long the power had been out, or when it would return.

Wednesday, February 4 – Training at CMC

Wednesday was dedicated to a training for staff and teachers from the schools CMC and Saint Savior Junior Academy. CMC is a school we have been collaborating with for a longer period, but some of their newer teachers had not yet participated in any training. Saint Savior Junior Academy, located nearby, is very interested in starting a collaboration with YesWeAre, and this was therefore their first training session to begin using the material.

Around 20 teachers attended the training, and it felt both engaging and highly valuable. Maria talked about the purpose of YesWeAre and we discussed what defines a good vs bad character. She also explained the concept of integrity and why it is important. After that, we went through some lessons from the material together.

After the training, we had follow-up discussions with the principals of both CMC and Saint Savior Junior Academy to plan the next training.

Thursday, February 5 – Kibera

Today, Maria and I had the opportunity to visit a school in Kibera, a large informal settlement in Nairobi that is often referred to in the media as the largest slum in Africa. During our visit, we took part in a YesWeAre lesson led by our partner organization –  ChallengeAid Africa.

What made it especially interesting for me was getting to observe a lesson with an older group of students than I had seen before. The students were between 16 and 19 years old, and their engagement and participation made a strong impression on me.

After the lesson, we also had the chance to meet and talk with the people working at ChallengeAid Africa, which gave us a deeper understanding of their work and the impact they are making. They also gave us valuable feedback on how they work with YesWeAre across different schools, and the impact they have seen both in the schools and among the students. It was truly wonderful to hear.

”ChallengeAid Africa is making a significant impact in alleviating child poverty by providing education opportunities that empower children to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future” – From ChallangeAid Africa website

Photo of Kibera