Business and Social Entrepreneurship

Come listen, learn, teach, and experience life in Kenya, one of the largest economies in East Africa and a dynamic hub of both informal and formal commerce. Your engaged 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.

Public and Private Education

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. 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 curricula.

Program fee: $1,800 (meals, in-country transport, lodging, excursions, etc.)

Airfare: Fluctuates between $1,400 and $2,000

If you are interested, please write a short email to tim@the1010project.org expressing your interest. We we will then provide you with an application and more information.

During a walk through a slum in northeastern Nairobi, a man named Edwin asked me if America had slums of its own. Minutes before, I had walked through a schoolhouse full of children eating lunch (likely the only meal they would have that day). It smelled like a farm – not in a good way – and as I looked around the room I realized why. The upper floor was a chicken coop; the children were eating in what was essentially a barn.

Edwin, Global Entrepreneur Academy Graduate

Stepping back into the light of the slum, I had to dodge the trickle of sewage running down the street. Everything around me was constructed of corrugated sheet metal. Surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of the place we were standing, I desperately wanted to tell Edwin that America has no slums, that we have social services and housing, and at the very least, proper sanitation in what we call “areas of lower socio-economic status.”

Instead, I waffled. I said, “Oh, we have something like slums. We call them ghettos, and instead of expanding them outwards like a slum in the developing world, in America, our slums are in very tall buildings. We build vertically.”

He paused and chewed that over for a moment before answering, “That is very strange.” Then he led me down the street, saying, “Come, I want to show you my carpentry shop!” Every month, Edwin donated a small amount of his meager earnings to fund Tumaini Pamoja, a community-based organization that provides care and support to people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Edwin was proud to do what he could to help those in his community, even if it meant sacrificing his hard-earned carpentry money. For Edwin, living in poverty was not a curse, it was an opportunity to change things for the better.  He saw his individual work as part of the bigger picture, and was eager to do what he could to help support those around him.

-  Director of Operations Tim Brauhn

Immaculate Mwangi

Initially Immaculate worked alone, but as demand for her baskets increased she was able to take on more women who found themselves in a similar position as her, seeking to avoid work in the sex industry and simultaneously develop a professional skill set. Today over 100 women work in numerous different co-ops through Mother’s Concern making juice, food items, hats, and of course, baskets. Women who join Mother’s Concern receive training in handcraft skills, as well as mentoring on how to sell their products local markets, providing a viable alternative to selling their bodies as a means of income.  Members contribute weekly to a fund which is available for local community-based organizations to borrow and repay from in order to start their own businesses, furthering the cycle of self-empowerment and enabling others to become financially independent.

The women in Mother’s Concern care not only for their families, but for each other as well. Older women in the group will “adopt” younger women, teaching them basket making skills and offering extra emotional support. The group thus provides both life skills as well as invaluable business skills that help women in Nairobi to be economically independent and self-empowered.

Immaculate sees herself as a “leader” and not just a “boss.” She believes in a work environment where workers share knowledge and empower each other for common growth.  Mother’s Concern continues to further this goal through the invaluable work they do and support they provide to the community.

In the thick of all this, she gathered what she could working at a nearby pub just to have a few coins to pay for my school fees. Sometimes she would do this at the expense of meals for me and my small brothers and sisters.

In 1999 I finished my Primary `O` level studies managing to get 370 points out of the possible 500 a performance that was very impressive especially to my mother who was working tirelessly to see me at least succeed in life. In a twist of events my mother was diagnosed with Tuberculosis immediately after I had been through with my primary studies, this send chilling to my nerves since I could easily tell that my dream had been shuttered, the dream of becoming a Professional Journalist in the world of film making.

Fortunately my uncle intervened in my situation and took me to a charity school (Mully Children’s Home) where I completed my secondary school studies and attained a C+. They sent me to a college (Smart Media Colleges) where I did a diploma in Journalism and attained the possible distinction grade with 86.2points. Besides that they also paid for me to do a diploma in Information Technology where I achieved a distinction grade.

I am privileged to say that The 1010 Project has become a major beacon of hope in my life and am sure that I will make it in life. It gives me a lot of pleasure to impact other children who are going through what I underwent and encourage them to hang on, for the future looks brighter.

My dream is to become a well-equipped champion of hope and an influential element in the fight against poverty in my community and the eradication of the itching problems in Kenya, Africa, and in the whole world at large. Thank you.