Immaculate Mwangi from Mothers Concern

We spoke again with our Global Entrepreneur Academy Director Josephise Chavaseki this week. The GEA has now finished its second session, and the reports by the students are quite encouraging. The classes will continue to delve deep into what it means to be an entrepreneur in the Kenyan context. Even though each session starts at 9 am and doesn’t finish until 5 pm, Phaustine (a partner since 2004) had great things to say about the Academy:

“From morning to evening I have enjoyed the sessions. The facilitators were good and I enjoyed the learning. My eyes are opened to new ideas!”

Of course, some of the things that the participants are learning aren’t completely new ideas. Some of their community-based organizations have been doing versions of them for years. Entrepreneurship training and business coaching helps our partners spruce up their business plans (or create them for the first time!), engage in careful long-term planning, and actively seek out collaboration with other groups.

Immaculate Mwangi, who heads up Mothers Concern, wanted to make sure that we knew just how happy she was to be involved with The GEA:

“It is wonderful training. Everybody is happy about it, I am very excited, and I’m learning a lot out of this for my business. The GEA has a very humble director [Josephine], a very good woman, a very loving woman. I am going to talk to her about looking for a market for the beautiful baskets that we make at Mothers Concern. I want to learn more about leadership-”

Unfortunately, the battery on Josephine’s cell phone ran out before Immaculate had a chance to finish, but we imagine that she had even more great things to say. :)