Kenya 2010 and the Road Ahead

Over the next month and a half I'll be traveling (have been traveling) to Kenya to help coordinate and teach the Sauder School of Business Africa Initiative:Social Entrepreneurship 101. As I have mentioned before, this program is about teaching business planning and entrepreneurship to Kenyan youth. We work primarily out of Nairobi and have a focus on Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa.

While last year I was simply (though not so simple, ha) teaching at one of our partner sites, this is my sophomore year and I have been promoted to act as a team coordinator. What does that mean? Well, hopefully growth. In the past, only Kirby Leong has returned as an alum to help coordinate (and he has again for a 3rd year!). Adding another coordinator means we can get more done from a networking and administrative perspective over the next few weeks to help move our program goals along and develop a more stable post program for our students and their success.

While we are very luck to have fantastic partners in the Strathmore University students here in Nairobi helping us co-teach and mentor, once we have left, it's clear that many of our SE101 students have limited capacity to continue without stronger mentorship and research resources. Our Strathmore students are just that, students, much like I was when I first participated in SE101 (though I was an MBA and they are undergraduates as well). Their lives are busy with school and work and the demands of being a Kenyan, which for all intents and purposes, I feel, is considerably more demanding than being a student in Canada. Moreover, without a dedicated location for SE101 students to visit and a dedicated individual(s) coordinating volunteers, their meetings are sporadic, making it difficult to address the needs of a start-up (and most typically, first-time) entrepreneur. Additionally, the research costs of starting a business for our students can be considerable. Given the economic welfare of the average Kenyan (and even more challenging, one from Kibera), doing the market research; securing access to the internet for research, email and word processing; and producing a printed finalized plan can be a considerable challenge, stretching their planning over a time horizon that crushes their motivation and hope.

The road ahead for the Sauder Africa Initiative, in my opinion, really needs to be two specific steps:

1. Look to establish specific revenue streams to support our goals
2. Establish a more permanent and dedicated resource center for both out volunteers and students

Ultimately, those will be the two focal points of my time here in Kenya for 2010. While I will also be in the classroom and supporting our incoming student learning. We have a full crop of freshman Sauder SE101 teachers who are more than capable of delivering our curriculum and helping stoke the entrepreneurial fires of this years Kenyan participants with the amazing curriculum our past teams have helped to create.

Please follow along by checking out our facebook, twitter, youtube and blog over the weeks to come. And please remember, we might be in Kenya now, but it is never to late to contribute and be a part of our success. Donations (cash and in-kind) are always welcome and tax deductible.

Why I've committed my summer to SE101

When I was in my third year, I encountered an email outlining the details of a great opportunity. Interested in an opportunity to travel half way around the world to Africa and use your skills to teach others in need of business plan development? I was hesitant to answer this question because I had many excuses. I did not have enough time for this. I do not think this is right for me. I do not want to spend my summer away from home. These hesitant thoughts deleted the message neglecting a great opportunity.

Upon revisiting the website, I learned that wonderful things were done upon such a brief period of time. Smiles were everywhere as I saw the SE101 2009 team dedicating their time to help others. Judging from the smiles from all the photos, the participants were indeed forever indebted and grateful for their presence. Also, the participants in this program gave rave reviews about how they learned so much from their teachers from afar. I saw the African students along with our students hand in hand having the time of their lives. These smiles had an impression on me that I too can make a difference. The smiles from the participants who just barely know you, so real, in a capsulated moment in time really drew me back to this program. I wanted to make a difference. I did not want to leave the Sauder School of Business with only an education, but I wanted to leave a mark, to help others who did not have an opportunity as I did. That is why I chose to dedicate my time to this program.

Now in my fourth year, once again the SE101 email came. This time, I did not let this opportunity get away.