SIFE Ryerson is shipping out to Kenya

Challenge at large

Each and every year many groups and organizations go into third world communities to make a difference. A lot of effort and resources go into creating these projects as a means to bridge the gap between the most well-off of the world and the downtrodden. Unfortunately, a lot of these efforts are unfocused and based on ethnocentric views on what needs to done as opposed to what the community wants. On top of that, many of the projects are one-off efforts, unsustainable and unscalable from the very beginning.

Tag Team

These were the issues SIFE Ryerson was faced with when the team decided they wanted to make a global impact this summer in Kenya. Although they had the business knowledge necessary to help, their lack of experience with the culture and community limited the impact they could make. Enter the partnership with Alternative Spring Break (ASB). ASB is a program that provides the opportunity for post-secondary students to be part of a hands-on service learning experience in parts of the world that need it most. Essentially, they encourages participants to “be the change” they want to see in the world.

ASB has run programs all around the world from Costa Rica to Winnipeg, New Orleans to Nicaragua. In fact, this will be the third year ASB is involved with Kenya, and as such their experience in making an impact is second to none. The skillsets of SIFE Ryerson and ABS are mutually exclusive, but at the same time perfectly compatible. The combination of business concepts provided by SIFE Ryerson and the knowledge of the community offered by ASB has made for a natural partnership.

The Impact

The partnership with ASB is a step in the right direction in creating the right project for the village of Dago, Kenya. ASB’s knowledge of the community and firsthand experience in creating programs will go far in helping SIFE Ryerson make something sustainable, but it’s not the complete solution.

To truly create a long term, impactful project, the SIFE Ryerson team itself needs to understand the people and culture they’ll be working with. This, in essence, is the goal of the first year trip: to educate.

The SIFE Ryerson team will be meeting with a number of local and international organizations to video document what entrepreneurship means to the people of the village, as well as learn firsthand about who they will be helping year after year.

Some of the groups the team will be speaking with are:

• Business owners from the urban and rural areas. This will include a woman who started her own general store and cell repair phone shop,  as well as individuals who started businesses based around tourism. (Owners of safari tours, souvenirs etc.)
• Local non-profits including the Founders of the Dago Dala Hera Orphanage, which is also where the team will be staying.
• Local groups including a women’s group run by Pamela Adoyo. . You can read about her work here and here
• A SIFE team in Nairobi, Kenya. SIFE USIU  (United States International University-Africa). SIFE Ryersonwill be meeting with the President, Anne Nabisswa, and her team.

As far as SIFE Ryerson is concerned, there is no difference between a tech start-up here in Toronto or an orphanage in Dago. The team is interested in spreading the culture of entrepreneurship to empower people to dream big.

Making recommendations to the organizations they interact with will of course be a key component of what the SIFE Ryerson team does during the trip. It will be an equal exchange of information as the SIFE team plans on educating as much as they learn.

There are a number of stops on the teams more than two week trip over at Kenya, but one of the most interesting will be aiding in a soccer tournament called “Kick-off for Kenya”.  This is a major event for the Kenyan people and the team is really excited to be a part of it, but not just because of the soccer aspect. Kick-off for Kenya is an event that will not only educate locals about AIDS, but will also allow them to get tested. This is important as AIDS is a prominent issue among the population there.

The culmination of the trip will result in a documentary style video as well as a major project plan on creating a sustainable program that helps entrepreneurs in the village of Dago and the region of Nairobi, Kenya. These two items will be presented to ASB as well as directors and faculty at Ryerson University  following the teams August 29^th return to Canadian soil.

Thankfully, the team over in Kenya will still be communicating with the rest of the SIFE Ryerson team back here in Toronto, so you won’t have to wait until the end of the month for updates about all the overseas excitement. Make sure to check back regularly and follow us on twitter as well as like us on Facebook for all the updates.

Article by Piotr Makuch | @pmakuch