#ubcsauder

The first day was a bit difficult especially for team Kibera because we had very few people who were actually willing to go forth with the program. However, as days went by these students really surprised us. They were hard workers, always asking questions on how to improve on their business skills. Majority of them essentially already had a plan of what they intended to take up as their business plan. The best thing was they all wanted to be self-employed!! This is something that majority of Kenyans are being encouraged to do because of the high unemployment rate. Many Kenyans usually wait to be employed especially by the government but it is really encouraging to see many people willing to start–up their own businesses.

Personally I was challenged by two students who did stuff that I could not possibly do. One student joined the program almost two weeks late but somehow he managed to do all the assignments he missed as well as catch up with all the work done in class in such a perfect way. I was so surprised how he did it that there was no way we could have said no to him graduating today. He personally came to me today just say thank you for the chance given to him to graduate.

The other student was also one of the most hardworking students we had and I say so because he always completed his assignments really well and he always asked questions where he did not understand. He has a family and he does a nightshift as a guard yet every early morning he showed up with all his work well done. I simply could not understand how he managed to do it so well. He wants to start a small hotel within Kibera and honestly speaking given his discipline, hard work and ambition in a few months he will be able to start his own business.

Yesterday was an exciting day for all our students, you could easily tell that they could not wait for it to start. Some where all dressed up for their big day. To some it may have been a casual day but to some it meant change in their lives. It meant that they had a small credential showing that they did something worth their time. They all enjoyed most of being presented with their certificates. They really felt proud of themselves as we did. It was really fun playing soccer with them as well as dancing with them. It was really a day to just sit back and enjoy the hard work we all put in.

I am very hopeful that each one of our students will be able to achieve their desired business plan and even if they do not do so immediately, they will not give up but instead push on and do much better in the future.

A much more serious and worrisome example is the difference in efficiency. I will point out that I am not one to be extremely patient, that being said Kenya is simply not efficient. In every area, besides perhaps using M-Pesa (look it up), Kenya lags behind. Whether it be customer service, food, roads, public transport, or business: it takes a long time (“African Time” as commonly referred). Although this is the topic of many jokes; looked at critically, it is troublesome because in most respects Kenya is chasing the developed world. There does not seem to be the same quick service one expects and receives in Canada. Back home, if someone wants a quick bite to eat, there are fifty places they could select that will have food ready within five minutes, however in Nairobi even the food court takes approximately fifteen minutes. Put bluntly, unless the efficiency improves, I cannot see how Kenya will be able to catch up; although I really hope they do.

One thing I want to make clear is that this is not a rant about how Canada is good and Kenya is bad. In fact, I think most, if not all, Canadians could learn many things from visiting Kenya. For example, working with people every day whom have grown up and still live in some of the worst slums in the world has made such an impact on my life. The thing that hits me the hardest is that everyone is so happy. You would never guess that some of these individuals live in a 400 square foot house with seven other people, tasked to find the funds to pay for food, rents, and perhaps electricity every day. Everyone that comes to class is focused, keen to learn, and determined to start their own business. And boy do some of these people have dreams. You would think that living in such poor conditions would suck all ambition out, but the reality is definitely the opposite. It is such a shame that many of our students cannot get proper schooling because they are damn smart.

Furthermore, I want to point out that there are so many misconceptions of how dangerous it is in “Africa” (saying a continent of 53 countries and over a billion people is dangerous is a complete blanket statement in itself, but I digress). At no point have I felt less safe walking here than in Vancouver and we have gone to some of the worst neighbourhoods in Nairobi. Just like anywhere else in the world, one takes necessary precautious at night and in certain areas. It saddens me that people have such misguided views about the safety in Africa. In my opinion, this is due to the Western media who generally do not care about what occurs in Africa unless there is a terrorist attack, mass killing, or an epidemic. People in North America are brought up to fear Africa through the media’s portrayal but what one fails to recognize is the amount of violence and danger we face every day back home. I would be more afraid to spend time in an American High School than spending the same amount of time in Nairobi.

Finally, people here in general are much more friendly and outgoing than Canadians; the Kenyan culture is vibrant, colourful, and loving. All in all, we Canadians could learn a thing or two, sorry.

Starhmore students have been a great team too. Those who participated in the program last year have been a big help when we have encountered challenges along the way. The two teams have come together and demonstrated a strong sense of teamwork. This program has not only made me confident to stand in front  of people and teach, but it has also been a great learning process.  I have learned so much, some of which I can apply in the future when I want to open my own business.

Teaching has been fun and I have enjoyed listening to my students and helping them with their business plans. Team work among the students is awesome because they help each other out. They interact with one another in group discussions to better understand concepts and make their work easier.

Being in Mathare has made me appreciate life more and has even given me motivation to start a business of my own in the near future. This program has been a blessing and I hope to teach again next year!

This interesting picture above is near our guesthouse. Corruption is an ongoing problem unfortunately and has a negative impact on doing business here in Kenya. The photo below that was taken in Mathare and is a sight the teams there see every day. It is pleasant to see these lovely children but disconcerting at the same time as the Sauder students wonder how much schooling the children actually get as they always seem to be on break.

The days fly by, jam packed with preparing and delivering lessons, taking in the sites, eating, sipping tea or coffee, and hanging out in my room.  The Sauder students are so excited and want to take in all that they can when they are here. They are an interested, collaborative, and keen group who laugh a lot and entertain Fred and Joe, our drivers, with their laughter, chatter, and other antics.

The Strathmore students get on very well with our Sauder gang sharing a common sense of humour, and talking about music, videos, school, and life on their respective continents. I enjoy listening to their thoughts, ideas, their teaching experiences, and hopes and dreams for the future.

The LMS Guesthouse is the same as it was last year. The people are friendly and welcoming.   It is like coming home. 

Children in Mathare

Enjoyable Day at iHub We visited IHub today which is a technology community with an open space for the technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers in Kenya. Professor Iain who is in our team gave a wonderful presentation in IHub about how to improve communication skills for technological entrepreneurs. He talked about the approaches for engineers to work in start-up business and what UBC has been done for developing social entrepreneurship on campus. It’s amazing that UBC has lots of courses and resources which helps students improve their networking abilities especially engineering or science students whose future jobs are related to business but lack of communicating skills. And it’s also a good insight for me that communication is a big part in the workplace and how we reach our customers through appropriate ways.

It's a mess.

The slums are a collage of garbage, rubble, corrugated metal, rope, and "mystery materials". It is hard for a Canadian to actually look at it. It is also very hard for a Canadian to listen to the slum people talk about their beautiful home neighbourhood (especially Mathare). I'm getting used to it and beginning to see the features they love. It's kind of like a beehive where they need all the people around them. They love the sound and smell. I'm still exploring this and don't really understand it.

It's densely populated.

There are tons of people and cars. The traffic is bumper to bumper. There are times when our drivers turn off the car and we wait for 15 minutes to get going. The people density is thick downtown, it gets denser in Kibera, it gets even denser in Mathare, and then we went Korogotche (ultra-dense) which was a mind altering experience. To help you understand, Mathare rents are around $12USD month and Korogotche is less. The guys from the Kibera neighbourhood were wary of driving thru it.

It's well dressed and groomed.

Everywhere. We are teaching in the slums of Mathare and the contrast between the people and the landscape is shocking. The people are all dressed, pressed, and groomed. Even as they navigate the garbage. The sight is disorienting, well dressed people and slum buildings in the same place.

Kenya is friendly.

Everyone has been extremely nice to us. Our program has helped many business owners in Kibera, Mathare, and Dandora become more successful and they want to talk to us about it and train more of their neighborhoods.

Kenya is security conscious.

We went to Safaricom House for a student show and went through a process like at the airport. Metal detectors for bags and personal search. We've been shopping at the Nakumatt General Store and security is a bit lighter, but still it's there. There are security people working at every store downtown and at every hotel. The locals expect it.

Pictures

Here is a link to my photos.