Nuru Kenya Country Director Receives Acumen Fellowship

Isebania, Kenya—Pauline Wambeti, Nuru Kenya’s Country Director, has been eagerly awaiting the announcement of some big news on the leadership development front. She is one of less than a dozen East African women leaders to be selected to be Acumen East Africa Fellows for 2018-2019. She was selected from a shortlisted group of approximately 200 applicants and will begin her first workshop with Acumen in late February 2018.

Pauline has been working in the realm of community development for more than a decade and has been working for Nuru Kenya since 2013. In 2015, as Western staff exited Kenya, Pauline and her team began preparations for scaling to new communities, and they have brought continued innovation and adaptive learning to serving rural communities living in extreme poverty.

When asked about the selection process with Acumen, she said it was “quite intensive.” Applications were from leaders in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda, and after applying online, candidates conducted phone interviews, and shortlisted candidates were invited for a day-long in person interview.

She is hoping to take lessons learned from the Acumen program to help her navigate the complexities of achieving sustainable development in the remote, rural communities where Nuru Kenya operates. She believes that she will grow in her competency in effectively influencing generational change as well. “(The fellowship) is unique in that the fellows have the opportunity to learn as they work hence they are able to apply immediately and more effectively what they learn to their work.”

Nuru International staff were able to celebrate Pauline and this opportunity during Nuru’s Annual Staff Summit held in early January in central Texas.

The Acumen Fellowship Program works to equip “extraordinary leaders with the capacity to positively transform society.” To learn more about the program please visit Acumen’s website.

About Billy Williams

Strategic Partnerships Director — As passionate about ending extreme poverty as he is about his home state of West Virginia, Billy developed a hunger for listening to and telling good stories at a young age. He received a BA in Chemistry and English as well as an MA in English from West Virginia University as well as an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. As Nuru’s lead advocate and storyteller, Billy has been invited to share at events around the globe. If you are seated next to him on a plane, or trapped with him in an elevator, he’ll be sure to invite you to join our efforts, too.