Feature photo: After receiving training from Brian (right), Nyangi (left) trains Andrew (center) on how to plot out the boundaries of a Nuru Kenya farmer’s land on Google Maps using a wrist-mounted GPS navigator. Maps record the current world. They depict what is known, capturing a freeze frame of life in mid-beat. The course of …
These days, I enjoy working side-by-side with Nuru Kenya Country Director Pauline Wambeti, leading a staff team 250 strong. Since 2008, we’ve enabled over 78,000 people in Kuria West (Migori County) to take their very first steps on the road out of extreme poverty; and what a difference our work has made. However, I remember the …
In April 2015, Nuru Kenya received a visit from Genesis Analytics, a multinational consulting firm that advises governments and companies in emerging markets. This was their second visit to Nuru Kenya, hence they were familiar with our on-site and field operations. Both visits were at the request of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable …
The Nuru Ethiopia Leadership Program is using fun activities to guide the Healthcare, Financial Inclusion and Education Programs toward building cohesive teams and developing servant leadership and communication skills. We focused on five activities during the first quarter of 2015 to help staff experience the power of teamwork. 1. Engaging in Teamwork: Pictured below, the Education team worked with …
Locus is a new initiative dedicated to finding new solutions to development challenges, focusing on integrated approaches to development and a search for evidence-based, local solutions. Through shared research, pilot projects, global forums, publications, academic courses and a virtual knowledge hub, Locus aims to change the way the international development community approaches funding and implementation. Its …
Feature photo: President Bush and former Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, engaged in a candid Q&A with #PLScholars at Presidential Leadership Scholars Session 3 [Photo by Grant Miller] Last Saturday, I completed Session 3 of the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) Program in Dallas, Texas at the Bush Center. The team at PLS continues to deliver – creating …
2015 was the first year that Nuru International received an invitation to attend the Skoll World Forum. For me to attend was an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. Once a year, top social entrepreneurs, impact-focused investors, and academics from around the world convene in Oxford to share latest findings from the field and wrestle with some …
On October 25, 2015, thousands of runners from around the globe will converge in Washington, DC to run the 40th Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). And for the third straight year, Nuru International will have a team of runners coming from around the country to run the race and raise funds for Nuru. Would you like …
The Nuru Ethiopia Agriculture Team has been busy preparing to issue the first round of farm input loans for 2015. This is a year of huge growth for the Agriculture Program, where they are aiming to triple in operational area and number of farmers reached. Over the first three months of 2015, the team has …
Feature photo: Nuru Kenya conducts an interview with Kenya Ministry officials. What is social mapping? Social mapping is a process used to more accurately understand the needs in various communities. It provides a robust picture of the key stakeholders, levels of poverty, and climatic conditions in a given area. Using a variety of tools (such …
Each year, nearly 1,000 of the world’s most influential social entrepreneurs, key thought leaders and strategic partners gather at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School to exchange ideas, solutions and information. The Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the premier international platform for advancing entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world’s most pressing …
Our eagerly awaited day had finally arrived. Nuru Kenya staff – Tom, Sifuna, Rogonga, Bennadette and I (Pauline Wambeti, Nuru Kenya Country Director) – jetted off for an exchange visit with Nuru Ethiopia from February 2-7, 2015. Our expatriate colleagues, Kristin and Amy, accompanied us. Ethiopia is Kenya’s neighbor to the north and quite a formidable …
Hillary Manari is a 14-year-old boy who goes to Keborui Primary School in Isebania Division. He will be sitting for his national exams in the coming year. Looking back, Hillary says the Nuru Kenya Education Program has had a tremendous impact on his life. He vividly recalls how his life was before he started attending …
Al Shabaab, a Somalia-based movement known for terrorism and violence against non-Muslims, carried out a well-planned, heinous attack on Garissa University the morning of Thursday, April 2, 2015. This same group was behind the multiday Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi in September 2013. “This ruthless act is humanity at its worst,” says CEO Jake …
I’ve just returned to Southern California following my second session of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program. (Here’s my recap of Session 1 in case you missed it.) The Clinton Foundation hosted this session in Little Rock, Arkansas. The long weekend afforded incredible access to President Clinton and members of his administration – including former Cabinet …