The Mwelu Foundation

Julius Mwelu carries London 2012 Olympic torch in England

tom — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 21:48:14 +0000

Julius Mwelu travelled to London In July to carry the Olympic torch in the run-up to the Olympic games. Julius was selected because of his work with the Mwelu Foundation in Mathare. The TV station GBS Kenya documented Julius trip before he set off and after he returned. You can watch the features again below.

International Women’s Day matatu exhibition

tom — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:47:11 +0000

As part of International Women’s Day the Mwelu Foundation recently displayed its photos in a unique exhibition. Photographs of women from Mathare taken by members of the Foundation were displayed on the back on Nairobi’s matatus (minibuses) along with messages related to International Women’s Day. A short feature on the making of the exhibition is shown below.

The exhibition was kindly supported by the Spanish Embassy in Nairobi.

Pre-order the Mwelu Foundation book “Julius Mwelu & the Mwelu Foundation” from Amazon today!

tom — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:20:24 +0000

To be published on 29th May the 148-page photo-book supported by Africalia features photos and stories from the children of the Mwelu Foundation. Please support our work by purchasing a copy of this book from Amazon!

The Disintegration of the Matatus – Julius Mwelu reports for Magnum Foundation

tom — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:46:56 +0000

On behalf of the Magnum Foundation Julius Mwelu spoke with Joan Clos, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) on the planned phrasing out of matatus in Nairobi, Kenya. Mwelu and Clos considered the costs and advantages of phasing out matatus.

The full article includes photos taken by Julius.

Mwelu Foundation film production programme featured on NTV Kenya

tom — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:09:07 +0000

The Mwelu Foundation’s film production programme was recently featured on NTV Kenya.

Reporter, Rose Wangui, learnt how children in Mathare are telling the story of their lives through film production. She met with actress Leila Dayan, photographer Peter Gikonyo, editor Barbara Wagio and spoke to Alex Kamweru, Programme Coordinator of the Mwelu Foundation.

You can watch the feature again below.

Four Mwelu Foundation members win awards in Connect4Climate competition

tom — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:37:24 +0000

Four Mwelu Foundation members have won awards in the Connect4Climate photography and video competition which aims to raise awareness about climate change issues around the world, with an initial focus on Africa. 700 submissions were received from young people from every African country.

Simon Onyango and Steven Otieno won 1st prize in the age 18-24 video category for their film “Water Bulb”
Elijah Mumo won 2nd prize in the age 18-24 gender category for his photograph “A Dirty Dam”
Julius Mwelu won 1st prize in the age 25-35 health category for his photograph “Homemade Soccer Ball – Dumpster on Fire”

The C4C winners were officially announced and exhibited at the Africa Pavilion on December 5, 2011 during the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa.

UPDATE! Nairobi, 6th March 2012

World Bank Kenya Country Director Johannes Zutt presents Simon Onyango and Stephen Ochieng from Mwelu Foundation with the first prize award, a solar back-pack and digital camera. Simon and Stephen won first prize in the video category 18-24 age group in the Connect for Climate Photo and Video Competition organized by the World Bank Head Office in Washington DC.

Official opening of Mwelu Foundation library

tom — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:05:25 +0000

The Mwelu Foundation Library was officially opened on the 27th April 2011. The launch event was attended by friends and supporters including Caroline Liem from the Wings of Support Foundation who cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the library. Without the help of the Wings of Support Foundation and Africalia Belgium the establishment of the Library would not have been possible.

The library has already become an important resource for the young people of Mathare, providing a place for students to study after school and a resource for schools themselves to utilise during the day.

News of the library was also included in the Wings of Support Newsletter (language: Dutch).

For more information, see the library page.

Caroline Liem from the Wings of Support Foundation opens the Mwelu Foundation library

Mwelu Foundation to exhibit photos at UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council

tom — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:31:39 +0000

This week, an exhibition of Mwelu Foundation photographs will be on show at the 23rd Session of UN-HABITAT’s Governing Council in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Governing Council meets every two years to examine UN-HABITAT’s work and relationships with its partners. It is a high-level forum of governments at the ministerial level during which policy guidelines and the organization’s budget are established for the next two-year period.

This year the theme of the Governing Council is sustainable urban development through expanding equitable access to land, housing, basic services and infrastructure.

Above: Ray, James, Elijah and Simon at the exhibition at the UN in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya.

The Mwelu Foundation team members pose for the photo with Mr. Ramsey Tokunbo Noauh, Nigerian Nollywood Actor, during the GC 23 in Nairobi, Kenya 2011

Magnum Foundation awards Julius Mwelu with Emergency Fund grant

tom — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:00:54 +0000

Julius Mwelu has been awarded a grant from the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund to support his continued work as a photographer in Kenya. The Fund supports experienced independent photographers working to document critical issues that have been overlooked or under-represented by mainstream media.

A group of 10 photography professionals nominated 100 photographers to submit proposals. The recipients were selected—based on the strength of their work and the importance of the issues they proposed to address—by an independent Editorial Board comprised of: Bob Dannin, former editorial director of Magnum Photos and professor of history at Suffolk University, renowned author Philip Gourevitch and Marc Kusnetz, former senior producer for NBC News and consultant for Human Rights First.

More information on the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund.

New Mwelu Foundation library opens!

tom — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 23:01:50 +0000

The Mwelu Foundation is proud to announce the opening of our new library. The library provides a space where our members can focus on studying in preparation for their academic exams – the results of which will certainly shape their futures.

Most students in Mathare do not have a safe, quiet place to study after normal school hours. Many students also have limited or no access to academic materials. In 2010, the Mwelu Foundation had 14 members sitting their final national exams. Faced with this, we have set up a library next door to our office on the edge of Mathare. The library is well stocked with relevant academic books, tables, desks and lighting.

The library has been made possible by the generous support of the Wings of Support Foundation and Africalia Belgium.