Mwalimu K. is a 20 year old boy from Kilifi County, Kenya. In 2011, during the second year of his Aiducation scholarship, he got the great opportunity for a school exchange in Iowa, USA, which was sponsored by the American Councils for International Education. Mwalimu recognized key differences between the United States and Kenya and he initiated a water development project for his home village in Kenya. He also shared his story by writing a book “Mwalimu’s dream” and is leading fundraising for the construction of a Health Center.

Mwalimu managing work at the Health Center

Mwalimu, how did you find the opportunity to be an exchange student in the United States?
This opportunity was announced by one of my teachers when I was in form two. The exchange program based its selection on leadership skills among other qualities. I found myself to have an advantage because I developed key leadership skills during the mentorship academy in August 2010. At that mentorship academy Jan Rihak, an Aiducator from Switzerland, was talking about business opportunities, project organization and interviews. The application process was very competitive because only 16 finalists in the whole country were to be selected.

Do you remember your first impression when you arrived in the United States?
What impressed me on the first day I arrived in the USA was the way everyone utilized time. I realized that time was the most important factor to consider before anything. And the high level of technology application in almost everything was amazing.

What was your most important experience during your stay abroad?
My most important experience was about community service. I realized that, even though America has much to offer, people took some time to give back to the community

During the time in the Unites States, you initiated your own development project. How did this come off?
This idea came up after some time of my stay in the USA when I was looking at the differences between Kenya and the USA. Clean water is a big problem in Kenya that many people in the USA take for granted. So, together with the help of my host parents, a coordinator of the American Councils program, a pastor from Kenya, my American high school and some friends, I raised the money to build a modern water well in my village which draws drinking water at a touch of a button!

Clean water by a touch of a button: Mwalimu’s well.

You wrote in your book that the well was a revolution for your village. What did you mean by this?
I love this question. When I said this, I was referring to the rapid positive change the well would bring to my people. For example, it also promoted other things like agriculture. To the nearby primary school, students did not need to go search for water anymore and the time gained was now spent studying. The positive effect of this well on education is evident because the school improved to be among the top in this area after the well was built.

Can you tell us about your current project to build a health center?
The current project that I am working on is construction of a new Health Center and the building has been completed. This Health Center will comprise a laboratory, a pharmacy, a perioperative care center and a nursing station. It will serve more than 12,000 people in the district. The government said that it would take over when the Health Center is equipped. Right now, we are waiting on more funding for the walls to be plastered and the rooms to be furnished. This includes technical equipment such as a glucometer, a centrifuge, infusion stands, and wheel chairs, just to give a few examples. We are still seeking donors to help us finish this project and we need $30,000 to finish the Health Center.

You wrote in your book ”I strive to be a role model for young people“. How do you live by this slogan in your daily life?
To me, this means being the first person to do what many think is impossible. I am proving to the young that there is nothing that is not possible. Talking to them and encouraging them at the grass root level is what I do in most cases. Very few people pay attention to them. Imagine if there were at least four people like me in my village. Encouraging the young and supporting their ideas is a great thing to do and I look forward to seeing their ideas become real.

The skeleton of Health Center has been finished.

More than a billion people, 54 countries, a continent bigger than the USA, Europe, China and India combined. Yet Africa is barely present on the map of world trade, hence the country seems relatively unimportant for the transportation and logistics industry. The situation however is changing fast. African logistics stands for much more – namely the chance to build tomorrow’s markets. And while tomorrow is still uncertain, logistics strategists can’t afford to ignore the African market of the future.

The PwC’s report “Africa gearing up” sheds light on the demographic and economic situation on selected African economies, among which Kenya has one of the leading roles.

Kenya is emerging as a strong choice for retail companies looking to set up in eastern Africa. With its large population, growing middle class and central location, the country is well positioned both as a point of entry and as a gateway to other markets. And while ethnically-based political rivalries and security concerns exist, Kenya is still one of the easier African countries in which to do business.

Seven years ago, Jimmy T. (see our July post) was selected as a possible candidate for a scholarship from Aiducation. Now, in 2014, he got the possibilitiy to visit Switzerland. Three weeks full of experience, meetings, people, joy – an impact journey that will leave his footprints in Switzerland and an experience that will shape his future. His words were full of gratitude when he returned to Kenya:

“Sharing my impact journey with Aiducation International with AiduMakers, sponsors, potential sponsors, volunteers and friends of Aiducation made my trip a life-time memorable experience in Switzerland.

As I landed in Zurich, my mind was blank and ready to learn to gather experience being my first trip outside my home country. I was looking forward to three weeks of full dedication of heart, mind and soul towards Aiducation in building a better Kenya. The meetings with various service clubs and organizations also revealed to me the dedication and generous minded people who have the heart to develop and invest in young brilliant deserving people like me in Kenya. To believe and be part of a future towards developing a person many miles away and empower them with access to education and mentoring in order to realize their dreams and to become better people in the future. The kind of support you are offering is transforming very many lives of needy individuals like me. Education, education and only education is the main weapon to fight poverty in our country.

I would like to appreciate even for giving me the chance to share my story with you – it was a great pleasure. I believe my presence there was a living example who the transformation you can make to a person by investing in their future through empowering them by providing a chance to access secondary education.

What happens if you mix 7 international business professionals from a leading multinational insurance company, 5 Kenyan entrepreneurs, and 42 high potential entrepreneurial AiduAlumni and lock them up for five days in a boarding school in Nairobi?

This was the question we asked at the first Swiss Re Start Up Academy held at Nairobi School from 18 to 22 August – and that is what we got:

• lot’s of laughter and fun.

• a steep learning curve for the AiduAlumni whose pitches on day 1 and day 5 of the academy were like night and day.

• 30-60min lectures by mentors from Swiss Re, as well as local and foreign experienced business professionalson the following topics: customer need, USPs, business model, finances, book keeping, funding your business, negotiation, social media, pitching, the example of the Reinsurance market, marketing, and sales.

• 42 valuable 1:1 mentoring sessions that helped guide each AiduAlumnus/ AiduAlumna

• very joyful, African-style recaps in the mornings.

• 40 Kenyan high potentials full of passion for entrepreneurship: after the academy, 40 out of 42 answered the question how much they would like to become an entrepreneur with “very much” or “extremely much”.

• 8 start-up teams (depictedin the photograph below) that couldn’t stop working and preparing for their final pitches even until very lat at night.

• the proof that financial analysts can dance, be spontaneous, and have great humour.

• many friendships and long-lasting memories.

• some tears that everything has to end at some point.

Out of the 8 start-up ideas, the winning team was “Local Fish Ponds”, which will meet increasing demand and provide cheaper fish inland. It was led by Rachel, who can’t wait to put her idea into practice.

One of our AiduAlumni, 19 year old Eric M. (LINK to his profile), witnessed the traumatic events in Mpeketoni on Kenya’s East coast last June and he would like to share these experiences with the Aiducation community. The story he wrote has left us speechless and we sincerely appreciate that he is sharing it with us.

“Sunday, June 15th 2014 will remain fixed in the mind of people, especially the residents of Mpeketoni, which is the agricultural hub for Lamu County. It all started with a mere gunshot, lest to know things would turn to be intense. 8:45 in the evening, a time when people were going on with their usual business and not knowing what the night held for them. After the first gun shot, people thought it was the Kenyan wildlife service fighting the hippos that tormented people near the Lake Kenyatta. However, the unexpected had happened.

Armed gunmen struck the village. Their first spot was Mpeketoni police station and due to the usual peace in our community, few officers were on duty. They engaged the policemen with shots for 20 minutes. After that, the gunmen struck the Mpeketoni shopping center. My family gathered outside our house and waited for the next move. Suddenly, two bullets flew over where we were standing. We all ran for our lives and I made my way through the bushes, fearing the shots more than the wildlife that lived there. It was my first night in the bush and the cold made it even worse.