Sheila Kaindi is a passionate advocate for the welfare of mothers. She is the founder of Crystal Shine, a detergent company and Motherwell Ministry, a women empowerment organization. She is especially passionate about moms, her turning point being when she gave birth herself. “I saw every woman in a different light, especially our mothers and single mothers. I looked at them and asked how they were doing it. I have a huge support system. My partner, my parents, my in-laws and my community were there but still, it was overwhelming.”
Sheila got into severe postpartum depression that almost cost her entire life. “God has turned my mourning into dancing.” she says. She is passionate about helping women with maternal care. The business, Crystal Shine is a financier of Motherwell Ministry. “When the proceeds come, I want to channel them to the children and the mothers’ hospital bill. From the moment you conceive to the moment that baby is born, it’s cost.”
“Mothering is a ministry,” Sheila says. “If you’re going to be a stay-at-home mom, you’re doing the most important job anyone could do. It’s a huge ministry and it needs support. It’s like our teachers. They’re doing the most important job and then they’re getting the least amount of support. You’re thinking, you are sending a child to school with no vocabulary and they are coming back writing their name. Who do you think did that? We’re trying to somehow make mothering easier.”
So how does she juggle everything she is doing while being a mom? Sheila says that we can’t hold it all at the same time. We are only human and should extend grace to ourselves.
On matters friendship, Sheila believes that it is all about alignment. “I compare the friendship of David and Jonathan. How years later Jonathan’s grandson, Mephibosheth, was saved because of that friendship.” Friendships are about doing life together not just about having a good time. “Your grandchild should be able to benefit from our relationship. They should be able to walk into an office and say my grandmother was friends with so-and-so and that’s it. That should be enough to get them into the door. Rich people have cracked this for sure.”
Having an intimate relationship with God grounds Sheila. She has truly experienced the saving nature of God having overcome postpartum depression. This has inspired her to boldly walk in her purpose.
Robbert Pri is a passionate dancer, leader and founder of Africa Dance Movement, Dancer’s Prayer Day and Dance 116. With a strong passion for empowering dancers and growing the dance industry, he creates platforms that bring dancers together, nurture talent and inspire purpose.
Robbert recalls that two years ago, he joined Rhema Feast and it was around the same period that he began discovering the world of flag dance. Although he had seen flag dancers on television, particularly in countries such as Spain, Venezuela and Brazil, he never imagined that he would eventually learn and minister through the art form himself.
He also searched the Bible to understand meaning behind flag dance. “God led me to Romans 12:1. It talks about consecration. Also every flag has a meaning behind it and every prophetic dancer carries a different ministry.” For example, white flags communicate the peace that comes with Christ, red is for warfare and green is for growth. Through dance, people can receive healing and revelation. This has also opened opportunities for him to perform as so many people have been impacted by this style of dance. He has done ministry alongside Pastor Nathaniel Bassey through Rhema Feast, Alice Kimanzi, Sounds of Worship, Baraka Polepole to mention a few.
Last year Robbert held Dancer’s Prayer Day, an event that attracted over 700 young people. Artistes and other people also showed up to support the gathering. “I was trusting the Lord for Nairobi Cinema and He did it. I desired a place where dancers come together not to showcase but to exchange. For the gospel space we are all standard, our goal is to bring people to the kingdom, not to compete,” he says.
His defining moment? Robbert remembers being positioned next to Pastor Nathaniel Bassey and suddenly recognizing the significance of the moment. He compared the way Nathaniel Bassey uses the trumpet to communicate and minister to the way he can use the flag. “So for me, it was a defining moment because, like, you see how he uses the trumpet? I can use the flag. The way he blows it and people receive healing and revelation, I can do the same with it,” he says.
It is very exciting that parents are open to co-curricular activities and are willing to pay for activities such as dance, swimming, karate, cooking and other areas beyond the traditional classroom learning. Through the dance agency, Dance 116, Robert engages with different schools and learning institutions. He also has a busy schedule therefore having a calendar of events where he plans activities for Africa Dance Movement and other ministry engagements such as Sounds of Worship and Nairobi Chapel Ngong Road. He also emphasizes on prayer and being led by the Holy Spirit. For him, alignment is everything.
Away from work and ministry, Robert enjoys spending time alone. He likes having time to think about how his day went, what he needs to improve and what he should work on next. As a creative, Robert believes that staying current is essential. “Dance is growing every single day,” he says. He recognizes that dancers cannot afford to stop learning. He continually researches who the best dancers are, what new dance styles are emerging, and how movement is evolving.
Looking ahead, Robbert’s ambitions extend beyond Kenya. “The next thing for me, I want to go to the African continent.” He believes that he has achieved a lot within Kenya and now desires to step outside the country and take his gift into other African spaces. Countries that he desires to explore include Uganda, South Africa and Rwanda. His goal is not simply to perform but also to learn from different cultures and understand the diversity of African dance.
His visit to Ethiopia gave him a glimpse into this diversity. He observed that Ethiopian dance culture has a strong connection to its traditional identity and that the country’s history and cultural preservation have influenced its music and dance. In contrast, he sees Kenya as particularly versatile and open to different influences.
Ultimately, Robert’s journey is about discovering what happens when talent, faith, discipline, creativity, and purpose come together. His vision for Africa Dance Movement and Dance 116 is part of a bigger desire to create opportunities, develop dancers, connect communities and take dance beyond performance.
Follow @robbert_prion Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as well as his organization, Africa Dance Movement and Dancer’s Prayer Day.
Charity Shekinah is an educator, speaker and passionate peer mentor who is dedicated to empowering teens and children. She is also the founder of Back, Up and Strong and is driven by a deep commitment to shaping the generation coming after her, helping them discover who they are and what they are passionate about.
“I love saying I’m an educator because I feel like being an educator is more. You don’t just teach and go home, you create relationships with your learners. The impact that is made, it’s more than learning. I just don’t want to teach and go home. There’s a lot of work that’s done in class, out of class, with the connections that you make with them.” Charity says.
To Charity, it is especially important to have a career that is purpose driven in order to have longevity. In high school, she initially wanted to be a lawyer, which she qualified for but found her calling in teaching. Her attachment at St. Joseph girls changed everything. She had a great experience there and her then learners are currently her fans. “They made me love teaching. You wake up and you want to meet your learners every day. I feel like I’m there to change this narrative. I feel like it’s my responsibility to make learning fun for my learners. Make learning something that they also look forward to.”
Charity’s organization, Back Up and Strong was inspired by the increase of high school drop outs as a result of teenage pregnancies. Some are lured by predators who promise to take care of essentials such as sanitary towels, only to get pregnant and be dumped. She offers a platform for young people to learn and share about the real life challenges they are facing. “I noticed we have to normalize these conversations, conversations about menstrual health and relationships, because these are not things that you sit with your parents and they talk to you about.” The organization runs outreach programs in schools and also provide both girls and boys with dignity packs. Girls get sanitary towels, tissue paper, pens and boys get tissue paper and pens. For the needy students, they provide them with stationery.
Attending church on Sunday and having fellowship keeps Charity grounded. About her team, she says, “Anytime I feel like this is crazy, this is too much, I just remember that I have a team of people who believe in me and are willing to work with me.” On future plans for the organization, she says that she is working on a program where parents can sign up their teens and by the time they are done, they know who they are and what they want in life. The program will enable the teens to have a community, mentorship, coaching and feel supported in general.
Charity’s parting shot? “One thing that I always remind people is that young people, majorly teens and kids; all they need is love. Whether they are your cousins, nephews, nieces, children, siblings, all those young people around you, they need love. So you need to show them love in the conversations that you have with them, how you treat them, sometimes it’s just how you look at them.” She also urges young people to know that life is beautiful and no matter what is happening around them, things will get better.
Follow @charityshekinah on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and TikTok as well her organization, Back, Up and Strong.
Hey y’all, how are you? Bachelors and Spinsters assemble 🙂 This is a super easy recipe that you can quickly make and is super delish. Great is you are a beginner in cooking, it will not disappoint. Enjoy!
Ingredients
500 grams pork, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
In a cooking pot, add in oil and pork. Fry till brown.
Add in the chopped onion and cook till onions are done.
Add garlic powder and stir.
Add in water and cook for 20 – 30 minutes till pork is ready.
Add in the honey, salt and black pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Join Makau and Ruth in the kitchen as they make this delish dish:
Makau Yole is a passionate creative and founder of MaSanaa, a Kenyan brand making personalized custom beaded wrist wear. The name is the pluralization of the word ‘Sanaa’ which means art in Kiswahili. Each piece is hand-crafted, paying full attention to detail. The process begins with intentional design, combining both beauty and comfort. The brand focuses on convenience and quality, specializing in leatherwork and beadwork.
“You know, I’ve been pushing this brand to be a global thing because I want to push products across the world,” says Makau. The brand has clients from Kenya, South Africa, Belgium, The UK to mention a few. About his passion for creating he says, “I’ve been doing creative work since I was a child. I remember when I was young, I used to like making things with paper. I also drew a lot. So naturally I decided to do that for work.” He combines both art and technology in his work, creating an immersive website where a client can design their own wrist wear, specific to their taste.
Makau has been doing creative work for the longest time. However, for tech, he did have a turning point. “I remember it was in 2020. I didn’t like the whole tech thing. I used to feel like, you know, in tech there’s no physical product and I’m an artist who likes physical things. So I never used to understand all the hype around tech because there’s no tangible output. Then in 2020, I I realized it’s everywhere, you know and when something is in every part of your life, it’s just best to get good at it.”
He started learning how to code. He realized that there was an issue when it comes to customised accessories, where there was no way of knowing how a product was going to look before it was made. The only option one had was to get a picture of a similar product, or take a similar product to someone who makes the product and show them. “I mean, so that was a pain point that I needed to solve for my business. Yeah, actually, it was an internal. It was just a tool for myself. I wasn’t even doing it for the public but then after it was complete, I thought, I can’t be the only one.”
He is also working on a platform, sanii.io, where clients can create and order from different artisans. “I’ve been getting a lot of requests for products and I don’t like to disappoint. You know, when a customer comes and they say, you know, I’m looking for this, make this and then you probably don’t. So that needs a solution.”
A typical day in his life? “So when I wake up, I stay in bed for like half an hour, thinking. I’m usually just planning. First of all, I recap what I did the previous day and what I want to get done today. I then arrange those things in order so that when I get out of bed, I have a clear direction. I don’t look at my phone because I feel like it’s too early to start processing input from other people. I don’t look at my phone for like an hour until I’m done, you know, freshening up, bathing and eating. Then I look at the phone, actually the messages I have, especially work related. And then from there, whatever I planned in those thirty minutes, that’s what I’ll be doing.” Makau is also intentional about family and friends, ensuring that he carves out time for his loved ones.
His parting shot? “Everyone is unique and you should do life your way. It’s so important to listen to yourself because you’re the one who knows what excites you, what you want to do and what you want to pursue. It’s a very internal thing. There’s no one who can give you a blueprint for your life. I don’t even think there’s a blueprint, you know, you’re figuring it out as you go but it’s very crucial to listen to yourself and be yourself,”
Visitmasanaa.comand follow them on Instagram and every other platform; Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and LinkedIn.
How is your Thursday going? Today’s beef sauce recipe is absolutely tasty and easy to make. Enjoy!
Ingredients
350 grams beef, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 onions, cut into rings
1 hoho, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
Oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
In a bowl add garlic, oregano and vinegar. Add in the beef and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, saute’ the onions. In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add in the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan.
In the sufuria, add in 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the meat till brown on both sides.
Add hoho and cook for 5 minutes.
Add in the tomatoes and a little water. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add more water. Cook for 20 minutes till done.
Add black pepper and salt.
Add in the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add in a little water to make sauce.
Refresh 