Three days before we leave for Nairobi and begin the “tour” portion of the study tour. Most of all I’m looking forward to experiencing in person the things we’ve learned during the semester through; lectures, discussions and readings.
We begin our trip in Nairobi where will work two full business days with our host companies. Our class has been split into several teams of three students to work with a variety of social businesses on different consulting projects. My group has been selected and paired with company called Makao Mashinani Housing Microfinance. http://www.makaomashinani.co.ke/index.php. Our group was paired with Makao based on out skills and professional experience in variety of areas from non-profit to marketing and finance.
Makao was incubated by the K-Rep Group and has now spun out to operate independently. Originally we set out to create a gap analysis but after many discussions we ultimately decided the most beneficial project for both Makoa and our team would be to assist with fundraising and preparing an investor presentation.
Our first day in Nairobi we will be accompanying Luke, our host company contact and Makao CFO, to visit a potential investor. The timing is tight and I assumed we will be exhausted from the jet lag but I’m sure the adrenaline will get us across the finish line. The next day we will spend the morning at the Makao we will have a work session and meet other members of the Makao team. In the afternoon we will visit some project sights which should be fantastic.
After the two days of consulting work our entire class will spend our days visiting organizations to learn more about social impact in east Africa and getting first hand exposure to the challenges and opportunities.
Can’t wait to get started!
Very good post. Made me realize I was totally wrong about this issue. I figure that one learns something new everyday.
Posted by: Nike Air Max | 08/15/2012 at 03:10 AM