News Date: November 23, 2011

Please see Lee’s Blog for latest news update!

News Date: April 2, 2011

NO MEANS NO has hired Jeannie Cheng, Associate Director of The Center for Teaching and Faculty Developmentat San Francisco State University. We are working on the formatting, design and development of the NMNW training and operations manuals for the October launch of our global outreach program in Kenya. So far so good. The mountain of material needed to create the elements of the SD in a Box project is well underway. It’s all beginning to take shape with our 1st draft deadline of May 30th. We need all the prayers we can get for the timing of this project!

INTUITION!

We have also had regular session with our curriculum writing partner Lou Bergholz of Edgework Consulting in Boston. We have been particularly focused on the creation of games and exercises for practicing “Intuition” which is a very big part of self defense. This is a very difficult area to develop games for as you can imagine, but so far so good – I’m very excited about what we have come up with and can’t wait to share it with anyone interested in expanding their options in interactive intuition training in their SD classes.

NMNW

We are also developing an official NMNW Boys Class. We have come to find that girls SD Classes can only occur when the boys are occupied during the girls class. School administrators want to reach out to the boys so Lou and I are developing a simple 6 part class that can be easily facilitated. We need to find interactive exercises that work across cultures to engage boys in an anti rape alliance. This effort will probably continue into November and December of this year.

Research Research Research!

With the help of Ujamaa, the microloan project my husband started in Koch Nairobi we are putting together a crack research team to finally get some reliable numbers on rape in the Koch area. We are betting it all to prove that those numbers go down, down down when self defense is introduced. We have some amazing people putting this effort together. Will keep you posted.

APPLICANTS!

If you are interested in becoming a NMNW Self Defense trainer you may apply to attend the October training in Nairobi. There are only 22 spots available.
Send us an email describing yourself, why you wish to attend and any organizations you are currently associated with in the GBV field.

GRANNY TRAINER GROUP FORMING IN KENYA!

Sheila Kariuki formerly of I’m Worth Defending and Lee Sinclair have facilitated the first Granny Self Defense Training Team in the world. The Grannies have held weekly training sessions to create curriculums that most reflect the types of assault scenarios that Grannies face in the slums. They are currently mapping areas in Nairobi where Shosho rape rates are high. The Grannies will visit those areas and hold the classes with local women.
MSCNB recently visited one of the training sessions and wrote about this effort.  Visit; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37134218/ns/health-womens_health/

4TH SELF DEFENSE TRAINING TEAM FORMED

UJAMAA microloans for orphan care recently facilitated a grassroots Self defense Trainer Team that focuses solely on the Korogocho community. This is a Self Defense Basics class where clients are taught the essentials of street fighting for defense.

RAPE RESEARCH REPORT

Rape research released; UJAMAA recently conducted a research project in Korogocho slum to determine the rates of rape in the area. The results are truly astounding. To see the report click here.