At the beginning of February, the 1010 Project’s Executive Director Brian Rants and his wife headed to Kenya for a service learning experience. Two business colleagues, Chuck Blakeman and Charlotte Wells, joined Brian to explore the creation of grassroots business coaching/education for our entrepreneurs, responding to the the invitation of our country director, Fred Afwai. Through blog posts and tweets, Brian and Chuck have been updating us about their amazing experiences: adventurous trips from the airport along dirt (barely) roads, meeting business owners and local nonprofit leaders, visiting schools, playing soccer with kids, witnessing hope amidst extreme poverty, and drinking lots of chai. Stay tuned for more stories from Brian in Kenya.

You can follow Chuck at http://twitter.com/ChuckBlakeman and Brian in Kenya at http://twitter.com/the1010project.

Discover how you can have your own service learning experience in Kenya with The 1010 Project.

Join the The 1010 Project this summer for one of our incredible service learning opportunities!

Business Focus – (June 8th – 24th)

Come listen, learn, teach, and experience life in the business sector of Kenya, one of the largest economies in East Africa and a dynamic hub of both informal and formal commerce. Your service learning experience will include conversations with entrepreneurs in both cosmopolitan Nairobi and the remote farms of rural Western Kenya, with numerous opportunities to search for creative solutions to pressing challenges. Don’t miss a chance to see firsthand the possibilities and ingenuity in one of Africa’s emerging markets.

Education Focus – (July 6th – 22nd)

In 2002 President Mwai Kibaki made primary education free throughout Kenya. The ensuing surge of enrollment speaks to a strong desire among Kenyans, especially the poor, to pursue an education. Nonetheless, high dropout rates from primary to secondary levels remain a concern. Come listen, learn, teach, and experience the nuances of public and private education in Kenya. You will have ample opportunity to interact with students of different ages and backgrounds and meet remarkable teachers who create opportunities even without material items for curriculums. If you are a teacher, educator, child care worker, or interested in a career in such a field, this is the service learning experience for you!

Cost per person equals approximately $3,500 (inclusive of airfare – subject to change)

If you are interested, please write a short email to development@the1010project.org expressing your interest. We we will then provide you with a service learning application.

Space is limited and the application deadline is April 1st – SO make your purposeful summer plans now!