Impact Kenya
About
Impact Kenya aims to focus multiple aspects of development on one area to make
development sustainable. By focusing on one country and starting small in several areas
in the country, the development will also become more sustainable. The key is to not
spread resources or funding among multiple countries. Impact Kenya creates a long term
and sustainable relationship with one country.
For example, the Business School may raise money and help implement micro
enterprise initiatives to promote economic growth whereas the School of Education may
send teachers to Kenya, do a school supply drive, or a book drive.
Journalism students may write stories about the communities while
telecommunication students may broadcast trips and fundraising events for Impact Kenya.
English students could serve as grant writers for departments. All departments can
formulate ideas in how they reach goals specific to their specialty. A range of areas
appropriate to the country would be addressed such as agriculture, education, healthcare,
clean water and sewage, and art.
Structure and Process
A student steering committee with departmental/ school representatives will be set up.
Within this student steering committee, the following positions will be established:
President- organizes and leads meetings and events, reviews monthly reports submitted
by coordinators
Credit Coordinator- advocates for Impact Kenya to be taken as course credit in different
departments
Web Coordinator- builds and maintains Impact Kenya website
Travel Coordinator- arranges and organizes trips to Kenya
Intercampus Coordinator- invites other relevant student organizations to send a
representative to sit in on board meetings and participate in setting goals.
Fundraising Coordinator- raises funds for travel
Grant Coordinator- writes grants for students who want to travel as well as for goals set
by the board
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Recruitment Coordinator- coordinates presentations about Impact Kenya to classes in
order to recruit members
Community Coordinator- presents to relevant organizations in the community about
Impact Kenya
Treasurer- Records and maintains finances.
Secretary- Records and types up all information for all meetings.
The departmental/ school representatives may choose as an option to chair a committee
within their own department and report to the main steering committee. Committee
leaders and members would consist of faculty and selected students. Student committee
leaders and members would have course credit and meet weekly. Students who do not
have room in their coursework would be allowed to audit or attend these classes and
participate.
These committees would do the following:
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Talk to classes within their respective department about Impact Kenya.
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Initially come up with goals that include researching the aspects of development
in Impact Kenya related to their committee’s focus and making plans to travel for
assessment. From research about the Kenyan community and assessment in this
community, development goals specific to the committees would be established.
For example, the Impact Kenya Business Committee may link Bank One, an
international bank to a community in order to establish a credit system, or the
committee may raise funds for purchasing sewing machines for micro-enterprise.
Individuals could also do projects for Impact Kenya through independent study.
How are departmental representatives and officers elected?
All representatives and officers are elected by majority vote and required to submit
monthly reports about their progress.
What about meetings?
Officers will hold board and member meetings once every two weeks and post member
meeting times and places on the website.
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How are goals established?
Goals will be established by the board’s majority vote and over the summer where
planning for the upcoming year will take place. The club will strive to collaborate with
other like-minded organizations to maximize efforts.
Who will advise Impact Kenya?
An advisory board will guide the student officers and consist of faculty and relevant
community members.
How will member voice their concerns?
A suggestion box will be present at every meeting where members can anonymously
voice their opinions.
Short term Goals
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Advocate for Impact Kenya to be taken as service learning credit in different
departments
Promote Kenyan cultural awareness
Fundraise for travel to Kenya as well as for the Global Alliance for Africa
Collaborate with like-minded student organizations both here and in Kenya
Long-term Goals
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Work toward UN Millenium goals
Focus in a specific country with multiple departments involved
Institutionalize Impact Kenya through Indiana universities, colleges, professional
schools, businesses, hospitals, schools, etc. in order to make the initiative solid
and to link a state with an underdeveloped country.
Link each university with a community/area in Kenya
Create a model that can be replicated by other universities in other states,
provinces, and developing nations
Address the systemic problems of underdevelopment
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Launching Impact Kenya
Impact Kenya is a grassroots effort; the initiative starts as a student organization on one
campus, IUPUI. After a couple of years, Impact Kenya will spread as a student
organization to other Indiana college campuses. Each Impact Kenya student organization
links up with several NGOs and an area in Kenya. Each Impact Kenya student
organization advocates for extensive on-campus and community involvement within the
Kenyan area of interest. Specifically involvement means humanitarian aid and an
exchange relationship.
The goal is to utilize universities as vehicles of leadership in pairing developed states,
provinces, and nations with underdeveloped countries. For example, Indiana with Kenya.
In Indiana, each university would link up with one area/community in Kenya. Again,
humanitarian aid and an exchange relationship will be brought upon by this pairing.
Eventually this model of linking a state with an underdeveloped country via universities
will be replicated by other developed states, provinces, and nations.
Why a student organization?
Why start with a student organization considering Impact Kenya’s broad goals?
Because Impact Kenya strives to implement universities as vehicles of leadership for its
purpose; a student organization, a structure initiated and carried out by students within
the university, is an ideal, grassroots start towards achieving Impact Kenya’s goals.
Furthermore, leadership development and character development among students and
adults alike will be facilitated through this student organization.
After several years, Impact Kenya hopes to expand to different Indiana colleges as a
student organization. Eventually these student organizations will advocate for campuswide, administrative, faculty, and community-wide support. Specifically what is meant
by “support” is financial, vocal, and academic involvement falling within Impact Kenya’s
goals.
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