My month in Kenya started with a visit to the Kenyan National Museum with 2 German guys I met at the hostel(I arrived in Nairobi a week before the Sauder team). We decided that using our Lonely Planet guide we could easily walk to the museum, as it couldn’t be more than 40 minutes away. It was definitely an adventure, the road we had to follow ended up being a highway through the city. After half an hour we were walking on the small dirty path with other Kenyans along the edge of the road. After about an hour we stopped at a shop to ask for directions, apparently we had walked all the way to Westlands missing our turn off (which wasn’t indicated) by about 10 minutes. Once we found the museum one of the staff members offered to tour us around as it was a Monday and they weren’t busy. He was a Kenyan University student and provided a lot of insight beyond the descriptions. In the first room there were various displays in glass cases, the first one was a hat made of feathers and several stuffed birds. Our guide explained that in order for the Maasai boys (a Kenyan tribe) to become men they have to kill 20 different species of bird to make the ceremonial hat. A few showcases later we saw an elaborate fur coat on the statue of a man, apparently it had been made of 4-5 Black and White Colobus Monkeys. The cape represents great power and is only worn by village chiefs or politicians. The government is taking steps to transition both rituals to ceremonies that don’t effect the environment as tribal populations grow.
The most interesting displays were on Kenya’s turbulent past. As a former British colony they imported a lot of Indians who would become the merchant class. While visiting Uganda and Tanzania I had heard of the 3-class system, but Kenyan’s independence was much more violent than the other African nations. The Mau Mau Uprising was a movement that lasted from 1952 to 1960, Kenya achieved independence in December 1963. The British established detention camps for those believed to be involved with the resistance movement. As guns were not readily available for the local people they would actually steal guns from the British and reverse engineer them, manufacturing new weapons from available supplies. After visiting a coastal museum in Mombasa earlier in July, which covered the coastal Portuguese/Omani conflict and the Swahili culture, it was interesting to discover the country's national history.
In early August I started teaching business planning with a team from UBC, which I described in 1 Year Entrepreneur Begins. Several weeks later I am looking back on a whirlwind of activity. With every weekday spent teaching, followed occasionally by dinner or a night activity and sightseeing on the weekends, we were BUSY! The UBC team had been hard at work back in Canada with fundraisers and workshops preparing for their 3 weeks in Africa. Luckily a friend Rob Foxall, had participated in the program in 2009 and put me in touch with the coordinator Martina who was happy to have an extra set of hands on the ground. I couldn’t have asked for more from my class or the teaching team. In Kibera there were 2 classes, our class was known as the ‘English class' because the other class needed Swahili translation for most lessons. This meant our students were younger (17-25) having grown up in an improved Kenyan education system and definitely more energetic! Our teaching team was equally enthusiastic composed of Chris also known as Jamache in Luo(a Kenyan Tribal Language), an MBA student who grew up blocks from my parents house in Ottawa. Anoushka also known as Atoti in Luo, an Indian undergrad known for her bubbly personality and Beyonce dance moves. Along with Beryl our Kenyan translator, co-instructor who brought a calm nature to all our crazy Muzungu personalities.
The last 2 weeks involved cramming in income statements, cash flow and approving what would be their first business plan draft. In order to break things up we had a networking day, for inspiration a past student who had recently opened a bakery talked about determination. The day was composed of creative exercises and team building bringing together the 2 Kibera classes and 1 Mathare class. As an African teacher I have also developed a new skill, I rocked my first baby to sleep in my arms. Most classes have 1-2 babies and providing some childcare helps the student’s focus on the lesson. The highlight of the day was the reaction to the delicious lunch, in true military fashion the students ate first and the teachers ate last. Lunch was goat biryani an Indian influenced dish common in Swahili areas, within a few bites we were all commenting on the delicious flavor. Then our students started coming up to us saying 'pili pili' Swahili for hot; the local food includes very few spices and for us what was only mild flavor actually preventing a few of them from finishing their meals. Martina took note and hired a past student of the program now caterering to make local dishes for the graduation ceremony.
Both the networking day and graduation ceremony were held at the Nairobi Scout’s camp. Sitting under an open structure looking out at a large open field on a sunny day was a perfect finish to the program. We watched students that nearly refused to present to 5 classmates provide their life mission statement to 80 people; the changes were memorable. Each class presented 2 awards; one for best student and one for best business plan presentation. Our instructor team chose Kelvin for best student; he wanted to open a small movie theatre in the community, which also sold sodas and DVDs. Our best presentation came from Asha, a young lady that wanted to become a wholesale cereal (maize, beans, rice) distributor. One of her goals was to become an independent woman and during the post presentation question period some of her male classmates posed questions irrelevant to the presentation. She stood her ground providing excellent answers and showing amazing confidence.
As the program wrapped up I began talking to Patrick Bakira one of the Kenyan instructors about establishing a small microfinance project. Patrick is extremely intelligent and has worked in Kibera for years, the perfect mix of financial prowess and understanding of the local community. Although UBC is planning to open an entrepreneurship center in Nairobi to help the community year round I felt that I had the opportunity to make a difference now working with Patrick. After a few meetings over coffee we had worked out the main details and set up the initial framework for a program that will most likely launch in late October. As an entrepreneur I firmly believe in the theory of calculating your risks quickly, making an attempt and if you fail, fail fast and try again. Our small investment won’t provide funding to all our students but it will get some off the ground. With Patrick’s coaching we hope to get their businesses to a level where traditional microfinance loans will be a possibility within 6 months. One year from now we hope to have a solid proof of concept that will help grow the program for future students, blending business education with small loans and regular mentoring.
As a Sauder Alum I volunteered with SE101 while on a 1 Year trip around the world. I have been in East Africa for 4 months and am currently working in Arusha, Tanzania with a solar company for 6 weeks. You can read about other adventures at 1yearentrepreneur.com.
(UBC Team on the Tanzania/Kenya border in Maasai Mara National Park)
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