Getting kids involved in interesting activities to avoid the boredom bug  shouldn’t be an option for folks coming to Diani Beach. But what kind of activities are we looking at here. Activities that your one year old, three and ten year old will gladly join in. For starters there are basic beach side activities for kids.

1. Using the expansive white sand at Diani Beach as an art-board – Get the kids to draw pictures of their favorite objects or people. They always love doing this whether they use a stick or their bare fingers.

2. Treasure hunts – The activity simply calls for a search of something interesting or valuable at Diani Beach. This could be either some sea shells or rare rock and whoever brings back the most interesting find gets a reward. Kids love rewards even for the most mundane things.

3. Building objects like cars or boats is another fun activity to indulge your kids. The object built should accommodate the kids despite its immobility. While at it, sand sculpture is another interesting engagement. Get the kids to make sculptures of sea animals like turtles and the big fish. Participating in this activity as a family makes it better and the kids get really thrilled. You can also build a huge sand castle as you while your time away on Diani Beach.

You can build a sand castle as a family

4. This activity really gets kids excited. It involves digging a hole away from the sea waters and filling it with water. In this case you need to use some fetching vessels. The journey to and from the sea edge gets the young ones ecstatic. Be watchful for strong waves lest you end your fun excise terribly. Alternatively you can dig a channel from the sea and let the water flow to a small dam that you have build before hand complete with flow controls.

kids play on the beach

5. If you have already engaged in the activities above and want to sample more, then try the camel rides at Diani Beach they are exhilarating.

Your kids will love the camel rides on Diani Beach

Games such as beach volleyball are another fun option but since it is more preferred by older kids and adults, the young ones might get bored soon. You don’t want to have  bored kid on the Diani beach because they will soon demand to go back to the hotel or home if they get cranky enough.

Beach volleyball for kids

Choose your options and go ahead and have fun while at Diani Beach.

You have this lovely 9 month or older tot who you must take on your Kenyan Safari at Diani Beach but are torn between dropping the trip and facing the numerous facets of baby travel. Take that trip without a doubt but first, some words of advice.

It all begins with packing proper clothing depending on the destination, Diani beach it is. Anti malarial shots and any other necessary vaccine should be first on the pre-travel check list. Emergency medicine for the cautious parent like fever tabs, play toys and diapers to boot.  Before you can do your own packing your luggage should be exceeding your airline’s weight limit.

A huge chunk of your time will be spent on the beach and kids of this age are hard to contain. You could spend a better part of your time panicking when you see an oncoming wave, running for cover and grabbing things from their mouths. Therefore a portable crib or playpen will come in handy to contain the ever wandering toddlers plus it also serves as the baby’s beach bed when they need to take a nap. Remember to carry an umbrella to shield the baby from the sun and a hat to cover them when they are awake and raring to crawl around. Sunscreen is also vital.

Take off on your flight to Diani beach could be the onset of your first problems with the baby if it is a first time flight. Ear pressure as the plane takes off and descends could be a source of discomfort for the young one. A simple trick of breast feeding at take off and landing does the trick or with the alternative of a suckling bottle. Older kids of three years or there about can do with chewing gum to tone down the anomaly.

You need a smaller bag with some of the basic necessities nearby during the flight containing change of clothes medication and baby food where necessary.

a small baby bag is necessary on long trips

Depending on when you decide to come down to Diani Beach you could be greeted by warm or cool weather. Weather changes agitate kids and they could turn cranky before adjusting to the new weather and environment. Pray that your baby sleeps soundly for most part of the trip probably until you get to your hotel room. Actually, the hotel room is another point of concern. Ensure that the hotel you are booking into offers child sitting services incase you need to leave the baby behind.

The room has also got to be child friendly with all the hazards taken care of like broken tables and sharp objects removed or replaced or better yet covered.
Before venturing out to the beach upon arrival it is advisable to give your child time to adjust to the new surrounding having found comfort in the familiar home territory. You can however bring a few home items like their favorite toy, blanket or photo to calm them down. Once they adjust, you can hit the beach with vigor.

Remember Diani beach just like any other beach has tiny shells or stones that could pose a choking hazard to the curious baby who will collect stuff and instantly sample with their mouths. Keep a watch before they choke on foreign elements.

Don't let the baby sit on the beach without a blanket

If you are in the company of another adult, take turns to watch over the baby to reduce the pressure on the mother being the sole minder. You are at Diani Beach for a holiday and not an extension of your home stay.

Ask your hotel if there is a resident doctor incase you need one and if not ensure there is a good hospital nearby. At Diani beach some of the hotels employ a resident doctor but without one the nearby Diani Hospital is safe and well equipped to handle most emergencies.
Finally when using a vehicle to get around, use a baby car seat at the back.

A baby's car seat

Hope those tips help to make your trip to Diani Beach with your baby uneventful and memorable.

One of the Millennium Development Goals was safe drinking water for all but we know that it is far from reality. Getting safe water usually requires expensive water plants to be constructed and staffed by specialist staff who ensure that all the machines are running and the chemicals put into the water in right ratios.

What is SoCoFAS

SoCoFAS is Non Governmental Organisation that is providing medical care for poor Diani Residents at their Dispensary found on the road heading up to Maweni Village from Diani Beach. SoCoFAS stands for South-Coast Flying Ambulance Service of Kenya which is the goal for this organisation. To run  a ‘Flying ambulance’ for South Coast Kenya from Diani Beach.

CISP is organizing the Malindi Music Festival for Children on February 19th to promote access to quality education through the Malindi for Education Campaign. Access to education in general is severely lacking in the area surrounding Malindi.

The Festival

Following last year’s successful format, the festival will be free of charge and held at the old Sinbad Hotel. Festivities will commence at 10 am with a children’s fair including various activities for children art sessions for children including street theatre, face painting, balloon modeling, acrobats, a fire show, puppet shows, drama & songs.

The main concert will again take place in the evening starting at 8:30 with a diverse and star-studded international lineup including Paola Turci and Tony Esposito with special guests Eric Wainaina, NyotaNdogo, Susumila, AMREF JuaKali drummers, Mr. Bado and our friends from MADCA.

The Festival, hopes to also build on last year’s theme of celebrating both local culture and ethnic diversity in Malindi as well as in Kenya.

Acces to Education on the Coast

GoK statistics state that close to 66% of the populations of Magarini and Malindi Districts are considered to be living in poverty, unable to meet basic food and non –food requirements. This is significantly above the National average of 56%. Primary school enrollment rates are among the lowest in the country 84% for boys and 67% for girls compared to national averages 0f 95% and 90% respectively. Primary drop out rates stand at 44.7% and 59.9% for boys and girls. Secondary school enrollment rates are 14.7% for boys and 1.7% for girls in the district.

“These enrolment rates are unacceptable” said Marcella Ferracciolo, Country Representative for CISP Kenya. “Our programmes are designed not only to improve access but to ensure a level of quality especially in remote rural areas with no access to education infrastructure.”

The main issues surrounding access to quality education in Malindi and Magarini districts are linked to lack of infrastructure, lack of trained teachers, especially in pre-primary schools, lack of community awareness of the importance of education.

CISP education program

The Malindi for Education campaign supports the CISP’s Education program, initiated in 2007, which now works with 41 rural community schools reaching over 2.850 students in the area north of Malindi now called Magarini District.  The program works more specifically on creating awareness about the importance of education within the impoverished communities, trains teachers and supports a Teacher training college, community school management, government programs linked to improving access to education, water and sanitation and health programs. The project works also to improve education infrastructure including support to public primary schools and building community run schools.

Many organizations have documented, especially in the area surrounding Watamu the fact that children leave school to pursue informal opportunities presented by the access to money that Tourisms bring. The Magarini District Education Office rates child labour as the highest reason for school drop outs, 53% of drop outs for boys and 26% for girls.  Next on the list for girls is early marriage 25% followed by pregnancies 16%.

“We’ve been working with children’s clubs in schools through our Child Protection Program to ensure that children are empowered with information to and have access to an integrated system of child protection in order to combat these trends.” Said Tania Miorin, Area Coordinator for CISP’s Coast office.

The Malindi for Education Campaign, is also designed to raise awareness regarding these issues, in the areas surrounding Malindi but also amongst decision makers and potential donors. The Campaign advocates for increasing access to quality education by promoting the positive results that it yields.

Children who go to school tend to be healthier, safer, and have better futures as education increases potentials for better jobs and better lives for the children themselves and for their communities.

Contribution of Malindi Business Community

The festival is celebrating its second year thanks in large part to the generous support of a diversity of members from the Malindi business community. This year’s festival is promoting the “Malindi for Education Campaign” which identifies access to quality education as a priority. The Campaign also seeks to stimulate resource mobilization from the private sector for actions to improve access to education on the Kenyan Coast.

Key Supporters of last years edition of the Festival such as the Key Group, Casino Malindi, Milano Electronics, Air Kenya and GCM Generators decided to continue the generous support to ensure this year’s edition is just as successful. This year’s edition will focus on promoting the Malindi for Education Campaign, designed to raise awareness about important issues surrounding access to quality education.  New partners this year include Imperial Bank and Royal Professional Sounds.

Thanks to these many generous donations, the festival will once again be held at the rehabilitated “community site” at the old Sinbad Hotel.  The old Sinbad was rehabilitated by CISP and its partners last year in order to become a “community friendly space” which has since been used for many other purposes.  This year, Ganesh Ltd and Naran Danji contributed resources to rehabilitate the area, removing hazards and making it safer so that it may host large numbers of people, specifically children.

One of the major goals of the Malindi for Education Campaign is to sign support agreements with especially Italian Tour Operators and Charter Airlines. Last year, an estimated 90.000 Italian Tourists came to Kenya according to the Kenyan Tourism Board and CISP’s goal is to raise at least one Euro from each tourist.

Picture Gallery

For details please contact:

tmiorin@cisp-nairobi.org Tel: +254 724 204288

visit the CISP web: www.cisp-kenya.org

on facebook at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=156999119428