FILIPINO PRODUCTS, CULTURE, AND CUISINE SHOWCASED AT THE 5th ASEAN FESTIVAL IN KENYA

Ambassador Marie Charlotte G. Tang (rightmost) accompanies Guest of Honor Mr. Stanley Mwangi of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs at the Philippine booth at the ASEAN Festival.

NAIROBI, 21 November 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, as part of the ASEAN Nairobi Committee (ANC), joined the Embassies/High Commission of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand in organizing the 5^th ASEAN Festival in Kenya on 19 November 2022 at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi.

The ASEAN Festival is among the flagship activities of the four-member ANC aimed at increasing ASEAN visibility and awareness among the Kenyan public. This year’s Festival featured cultural performances, cooking demonstration, and booth exhibits by ASEAN embassies, companies, and nationals based in Kenya.

Guest of Honor Mr. Stanley Mwangi, Deputy Director for Asia, Australasia and Pacific Islands of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, commended the ANC for organizing the Festival. He also cited the huge potential for further trade and investments, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges between Kenya and ASEAN.

The Philippine Embassy’s jeepney-themed booth featured various Philippine accessories, dining ware, food products including “Oozies” snack from Oishi South Africa (“Pillows” in the Philippines), and other souvenir items. It also showcased Philippine tourism destinations and festivities.

Kenyan and other foreign students, under the tutelage of Filipino artistic director Mr. Arnie Umayam of the Academy of Dance and Art-Kenya, performed kappa malong malong, tinikling, arnis exhibition, and an original interpretation of the Filipino myth of “Malakas at Maganda”, which all drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.

The Philippine Embassy also organized a fashion show with the students of the Department of Fashion Design and Marketing of Kenyatta University. The students showcased their original creations that mixed Southeast Asian fabrics with traditional Kenyan attires and designs (e.g., piña cloth paired with Kenyan kitenge fabric).

The Filipino community in Kenya also participated in the ASEAN Festival and offered visitors a taste of Filipino delicacies including adobo, pinakbet, pancit, kutsinta, sapin-sapin, and siopao. END.

From right: Ambassador Mohamad Hery Saripudin of Indonesia, Ambassador Marie Charlotte G. Tang of the Philippines, Deputy Director for Asia, Australasia and Pacific Islands Stanley Mwangi of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Fatin Zafirah Haris of Malaysia (Chair), and Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Torsak Janpian of Thailand.

Origins Dance Company and other foreign students of the Academy of Dance and Art-Kenya perform kappa malong malong, tinikling, arnis exhibition, and an original interpretation of the Filipino myth of “Malakas at Maganda”.

Fashion Design and Marketing Students of Kenyatta University donning their original creations of mixed Southeast Asian and Kenyan fabrics, and ASEAN traditional attires.

The Embassy’s jeepney-themed booth featuring various Philippine accessories and handicrafts, dining ware, food products, Fiesta Filipinas Pintados-Kasadyaan kits, and other souvenir items.

PH EMBASSY IN NAIROBI REPATRIATES STRANDED FILIPINO NATIONAL FROM REPUBLIC OF CONGOFROM REPUBLIC OF CONGO

From Right: Philippine Embassy’s ATN Officer Fervie Jay V. Brubio and Republic of Congo Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cooperation and Diaspora Congolese’s Director Blaise Djassa sent off repatriate at the Agostinho Neto International Airport of Pointe-Noire.

POINTE-NOIRE, 31 October 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, in coordination with the Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cooperation and Diaspora Congolese, successfully repatriated a Filipino national from the Republic of Congo on 26 October 2022.

The repatriation of the Filipino national, who has not been able to return to the Philippines for 21 years, was carried out by the Embassy, in cooperation with the DFA-Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok.

The repatriated individual worked as a mechanic in a company in the Republic of Congo until the company shut down, leaving him stranded in the country, with financial difficulties and expired immigration papers.

The Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, is located in the western coast of central Africa and is known for its petroleum, which accounts for 70 percent of its exports. The country hosts around 25 Filipinos who work predominantly in the service sector and as professionals.

The Philippines and the Republic of Congo established formal diplomatic relations on 19 January 2000. The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya oversees the Philippines’ relations with the Republic of Congo. END

PH EMBASSY EMPOWERS KENYAN GIRLS THROUGH HYGIENE KITS DONATION

Nairobi PE’s Third Secretary and GAD Focal Point Officer Louie Dane Merced and Cultural Officer and GAD Alternate Sherlyn Roxas (both wearing black) joined the students for a photo after the distribution of hygiene kits.

 KAJIADO, KENYA, 28 October 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, in coordination with Sr. Felly Covacha of Carmelite Missionaries-Nairobi, donated 100 feminine hygiene kits to students of Our Lady Queen of Mercy Academy in Kitengela, Kajiado County on 28 October 2022 on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child (IDG) and as part of the Embassy’s Gender and Development (GAD) program in Kenya.

The Embassy’s outreach activity, which began last year, aims to raise awareness among young girls, as well as boys, about menstrual health, while also contributing to the well-being of underprivileged girls in Kenya who cannot afford to purchase sanitary products and thus miss up to one week of school activities and lessons each month.

Third Secretary and Embassy’s GAD Focal Point Louie Dane C. Merced gave an overview of the International Day of the Girl Child. He also expressed his hope that through the donation, the girls can study better at school without having to worry about their menstrual periods, thus they can invest more in their future.

He emphasized to both young girls and boys that menstrual period is a normal function of the female body and that they should not be ashamed or afraid of it. He also encouraged the boys to become partners in empowering girls for a better school and community.

Ms. Christine Mutambu, the Academy's school director, expressed gratitude to the Embassy for the donation, which will encourage girls to attend school without fearing about menstrual stigma. She added that one in five African girls skips or drops out of school due to a lack of access to menstrual supplies. The donation, she remarked, will help address this reality and motivate the girls to become agents of change in their communities.

The kits include two knickers, eight reusable sanitary pads that can last up to three years, absorbent liners, soap bar, washcloth, carry pouch for washing and storing, and care and use information sheet.

After the distribution, Ms. Agnes Achieng of Days for Girls, a nonprofit organization that produces sustainable menstrual health solutions to girls, delivered a short lecture to the students about the female reproductive health.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA), through Resolution 66/170, declared every 11th of October as the International Day of the Girl Child. Now marking its 10th anniversary, the IDG recognizes the unique challenges that girls face around the world, and emphasizes the importance of addressing these difficulties towards girls’ empowerment and the realization of their human rights. END