WE-College-Walter-Green-Report

WE-College-Walter-Green-Report

WE COLLEGE 2018: ONE YEAR. GENERATIONS OF IMPACT A special thank you to Walter and Lola Green.

WE College Report 2018 2

3 / Section “Never give up on your dreams … just keep doing your part in your own little space, because there’s always hope somewhere, and WE has been one such hope to me! I’m forever grateful for the empowerment.” —Mercy Kariankei, WE College Learner (School of Tourism)

MERCY (LEFT) WITH DAISY AND SEEMA

“I want to get an education, find employment and be like the other women out there who get their own jobs and support their communities.” —Mercy, student in the School of Tourism and Hospitality

Table of Contents

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Letters From the Co-Founders of WE From the WE Villages East Africa Director From the Lead of WE College

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Walter and Lola: Leaving a Legacy

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WE Villages Developmental Model Five Pillars of Sustainable Development Spotlight on the Education Pillar

The Journey to WE College

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Our Bold Vision

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WE College Spotlight on the School of Tourism and Hospitality WE College Education Facilitators Mercy Chepkorir, Student, What Makes WE College Unique IT Integration and the Tech Hub Scholarships Leadership and Empowerment Program

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School of Tourism and Hospitality Future Expansion of WE College Update on the School of Nursing

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Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders Future Students of WE College

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Thank you

WE College Report 2018 3

“My sisters are very passionate about taking their kids to school because of me. [I said] let me be this example to your children so they can be educated as well.” —Faith, student in the School of Tourism and Hospitality

A Letter from the Co-Founders of WE It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we’re sharing our 2018 WE College Report. This is one of the largest, most impactful projects that WE has ever undertaken, and we are so excited to share with you a snapshot of the progress so far. In this report, you will find important updates from WE College’s first year, profound glimpses into the lives of the students and the challenges they’ve overcome, as well as exciting updates on our School of Tourism and Hospitality. This is a huge step forward for the entire region and the culmination of years of planning and development. Young people in Narok County now have a clear path to achieving their dreams, from primary school all the way to employment. We’d like to give a special thanks to two outstanding indi- viduals, Water and Lola Green. They have been true friends and mentors throughout this endeavor and they are leaving a legacy that will impact generations. We are so grateful for their help. In the Maasai Mara, Tourism and Hospitality plays a vital role, providing economic growth and devel- opment across the region. And now, with the School of Tourism and Hospitality, students can gain the skills and knowledge they need to keep growing this industry. They

can return to their local communities and build a long and successful career at home, instead of heading to the large city of Nairobi for employment. The School of Tourism and Hospitality has paved the way for others to join this incredible journey and help in the growth of WE College. This past year has been filled with tremendous leaps for- ward in campus facilities and our educational offerings—it’s thanks to college donors such as yourself that all of this is possible, and we truly cannot thank you enough for all your support in making this vision a reality. We look forward to seeing the college continue to expand, with many new structures underway—four newstructures in 2018 and more work set to be finished throughout 2019. We are so grateful to have you with us on this journey.

Together we change the world,

Craig and Marc Kielburger

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A Letter from the WE Villages East Africa Director

For almost 15 years I’ve watched eager, wide-eyed children run across the Kenyan savanna. They ran—at times bare- foot—over rocks for kilometers to reach their classrooms, where they sat on the edge of their seats, leaning in to their education. With the help of elders, parents and community leaders, we gave these children a better learning environ- ment by improving traditionally constructed schools with brand-new classrooms. As they grew older, these children stopped running to the classroom and started running to the Kisaruni Group of Schools. On their first day, these students were asked what future they saw for themselves and their community. Their answers? Many expressed a strong interest in Tourism and Hospital- ity, a highly sought after industry in the Maasai Mara with plenty of meaningful career opportunities. These students will be able to return to their families after graduation, tak- ing their newly acquired skills with them and re-investing in their local communities. With the leaders who helped build the original WE Kisaruni Group of Schools, we’ve

built the School of Tourism and Hospitality to help these students realize their potential. The tourism students will graduate and become ambassadors for Kenya’s tourism industry and the Maasai Mara, a place that already holds a special place in people’s hearts. Today, these students show the same tenacity that they did as young children in their effort, vision and work ethic at WE College—it’s a place where youth can live out their dreams, becoming the generation that stops the cycle of poverty from within.

Thank you—each of you—for enabling a world of change in just 15 short years.

Sincerely,

Robin Wiszowaty

6 / A Letter from the WE Villages East Africa Director

A Letter from the Lead of WE College

Dear WE Friends and Supporters,

Looking to the future, we are excited to expand the col- lege and to welcome our second cohort of students who will have the opportunity to pursue studies at the School of Tourism and Hospitality. As one of many schools, this faculty was carefully selected to ensure graduates can pur- sue a meaningful career and return to their home villages, helping their families and communities grow. As we celebrate this exciting first anniversary of the WE College, we hope you will join us on this journey—whether by visiting our campus in Kenya or through updates shared by the WE team.

A big jambo from the WE College team in Kenya! We are so grateful for your support and interest in this exciting new initiative that will create transformative change across Kenya. As we celebrate the first year of operation, we are excited to highlight the incredible work of our learners, the progress we’ve made with campus construction and our bold vision for the future. When we were designingWE College, it was important for us to create a dynamic learning environment that enabled both classroom and hands-on learning experiences. We have been so proud to see each student blossom through our unique Unstoppable Leadership Program—we’ve watched quiet, shy girls grow into confident, assured leaders. We offer them as many opportunities as possible to practice and hone these leadership skills, from develop- ment projects with WE to internship placements offered by our incredible partners throughout the Maasai Mara.

Together, we are building a brighter future.

Fiona Achieng

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Walter and Lola: Leaving a Legacy

“I am thrilled to be helping to support this college because I know how it is going to enhance the lives of so many people who live in Kenya.” —Lola Green

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Thanks to the gracious generosity of Walter and Lola, WE College’s School of Tourism and Hospitality welcomes students with a passion for tourism and prepares them for a career in representing the best Kenya has to offer.

Having visited Kenya and met the remarkable people who live there, the couple are thrilled to have helped buildWE College’s first ever faculty, The School of Tourism and Hospitality. Walter was the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Harrison Conference Services for 25 years, leading innovation and shaping the tourism industry to be what it is today, leaving a legacy that will change the years to come. During his time there, the company grew into the leading conference-center management company in the U.S. He was also involved with the Young Presidents’ Organization and the World Presidents’ Organization for many years, and he’s presently a member of the Chief Executives Or- ganization and the L3 Organization. He has since retired and sold his company, but is still actively making an impact and inspiring generations by mentoring young adults and taking part in several non-profit organizations.

Kenya, and knowing firsthand the importance of a world- class hospitality sector, Walter and Lola are proud to invest in the future of Kenya’s own tourism industry. They believe there is a wonderful opportunity for outstanding students to enhance the lives of those around them. By opening WE College’s first school, Walter and Lola are paving the way for others to create a meaningful impact, not only for themselves but also for their families and communities. Thank you to Walter and Lola for joining us in bringing this bold vision to life. It is because of their passion for this industry, their compassion for others and their com- mitment to making a purposeful impact that we were able to build WE College’s School of Tourism and Hospitality. We are grateful for their dedication in leading the way for the young people of Kenya to achieve their dreams in the tourism and hospitality industry. We couldn’t have done it without them.

NowWalter and his wife, Lola, are excited to be leaving a legacy that will transform generations. As ambassadors for

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WE Villages Development Model

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Five Pillars of Sustainable Development

For over 20 years, WE Villages has been building a holistic, sustainable development model to end the cycle of poverty in nine developing countries: Haiti, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Sierra Leone, India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and rural China. We partner with local communities and regional governments to support, teach and empower people through our five Pillars of Impact. Our first Pillar of Impact, Education, is the cornerstone of WE Villages. As we built our development model, we learned that we must combat the barriers to education in order for children to attend school. This is how the Water, Health, Food and Opportunity Pillars were created. Each of our Five Pillars of Impact also align with one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, helping us work toward sustainability and prosperity for all.

EDUCATION Help communities build

schoolrooms, give school supplies, train teachers, set up extracurric- ular programs and work with the local government to enhance the quality of education.

HEALTH Provide basic medical

supplies, training for health care workers, mobile health clinics and direct health care services.

WATER Construct clean water systems, hand- washing stations and latrines, and provide community workshops in basic hygiene practices and water- borne disease prevention.

OPPORTUNITY Help set up lending circles and provide financial literacy training, giving community members—especially wom- en—the opportunity to earn a sustainable source of income, build their savings and start their own businesses.

FOOD Implement agriculture and food security programs to ensure families have access to healthy, self-sustaining food sources.

12 / WE Villages Development Model

Spotlight on the Education Pillar

When children are educated, they are armed with the courage and self- confidence to better themselves, their families, their communities and the next generation of young people.

They learn how to prevent illness and improve over- all health, build and maintain infrastructure, manage personal and professional relationships, understand and advocate for basic rights, and secure a livelihood. When you break down the barriers to education, you help break the cycle of poverty.

We see a world that is poverty-free, where every child has equal access to education. From building schools to providing educational resources, the Education Pil- lar brings long-term, sustainable opportunities to com- munities that need it most. We’re excited to introduce one of our most exciting projects yet in education— WE College in Narok County, Kenya!

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The Journey to WE College

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Our work with education began over 20 years ago in Kenya, when we started partnering with local communities to help break the cycle of poverty.

To start, we focused on building primary schools for young children, giving them the opportunity to learn with dedicated education facilitators in a safe environment, ensuring they received a quality education. We quickly saw the children excel and flourish academically. With these achievements, parents deepened their commitment to their children’s education. This led to the opening of the Kisaruni Group of Schools in the Maasai Mara. The children continued to have higher-than-ever attendance rates and exam results. For the first time in the history of many families in the region, parents delayed the marriage of their daughters so that they could attend high school. The Kisaruni Group of Secondary Schools became a top-performing high school in the region, giving many graduates the chance to consider going to college. But for many families post-secondary school was still out of reach. Parents were concerned about the cost and safety of their daughters attending a college far away from home. This brings us to our biggest, most exciting endeavor in education yet—WE College.

The first girl in the history of Narok County to ever achieve an ‘A’ on her exams was a graduate of the Kisaruni Group of Schools.

In 2016, the Milimani library ranked second best in Kenya under private schools in the highly competitive Maktaba Awards.

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Our Bold Vision

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“I’m looking forward to passing my last exam this year. After graduation, I’d like to work with WE [a safari camp position].” —Faith, student in the School of Tourism and Hospitality

Our vision is to empower young people in Kenya to achieve their career aspirations, break the cycle of poverty and act as positive role models for future generations. WE College is committed to providing a high-quality post-secondary experience for learners across Narok County. Over the com- ing decades we will give thousands of young people in this rural region the chance to attend post-secondary school. We are so excited to have started bringing our bold vision to life with the School of Tourism and Hospitality! With the Maasai Mara being one of the most popular tourism

destinations in Kenya, there are thousands of young people who have expressed a strong interest in pursuing a career in this growing industry. And there is an equally strong demand from local lodges, with plenty of job opportunities for these future grads. We ensure that young people don’t feel they have to go to Nairobi to get a job or to another country—with WE College, a successful career is possible at home with their family, right in their local community.

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What Makes WE College Unique

WE College is a sophisticated learning environment that supplements its carefully crafted curriculum with IT and leadership integration.

Our curriculum is unique in Kenya—it focuses on students being active participants at school, not passive bystanders. We achieve this through programs like our internship placements and leadership workshops. We are very proud to deliver a world-class education in the rural region of Narok County.

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WHAT MAKES WE COLLEGE UNIQUE IT Integration and the Tech Hub

TECH HUB

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