Developing Educational Opportunities in Kenya
2 August 2018 Developing Educational Opportunities in Kenya
Following a short-term study program in Nairobi, Kenya in June, Elizabeth Anderson 19 and Sarah Banta 19 remained in the country to intern with Kiwimbi International, a charity focused on supporting educational resources in rural Kenya and around the world.
Kiwimbi, which means ripple or wave in Swahili, partners with underserved communities worldwide to create educational opportunities through locally run learning centers, says Janet Selover Wulster 72, who serves on the organizations board with former HWS Trustee Carol Ulmer 72.
Kiwimbis learning centers serve a variety of needs for both children and adults; the groups library in Amagoro, Kenya, for example, provides lunches for students, runs camps and offers tutoring, vocational and life skills training. The organization envisions the impact of these centers as drop[s] in the water that sends out ripples leading to natural growth and development.
After finishing the Readers College course Kenya: The Economics of Betweenness taught by Assistant Professor of Economics Keoka Grayson Anderson and Banta began their orientation with Kiwimbi leaders. That week-long period, Wulster explains, offers students a chance to explore the different areas of education, including the libra
ry, the classrooms, the [MindLeaps] dance program, and the programs for vocational training such as tailoring, carpentry and agriculture.
For Banta, a psychology major with minors in Africana studies and child advocacy, the internship is an opportunity to see a more comprehensive understanding offormal education in Kenya, including access and impact, as well as vocational education, as well as insight into what it might be like to serve as a Peace Corps officer.
Anderson, with her academic background in cultural anthropology and Africana studies and dance, says she hopes to work for an organization like Kiwimbi in the future.
For the students, Wulster is certain that the internship with Kiwimbi will have its own ripple effects that Anderson and Banta will carry with them wherever their careers take them. Developing maturity, willingness and delight in the adventure [and] an understanding of what cultural challenges they may face, she says they will develop the confidence that they will be able to handle whatever comes their way.